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JULY 5,  2016

SHORT TAKES ON THE DRIFTING WRECKAGE – AT 11:52 P.M. ET: 

LAST CHANCE – FROM THE HILL:    Weekly Standard editor Bill Kristol joined a conference call on Tuesday night to encourage Republican delegates to protest on the floor of the convention in a last ditch effort to block Donald Trump from obtaining the party’s nomination.  Kristol, who has spearheaded the charge for an independent candidate to enter the race, was the guest speaker on an organizing call of conservatives who are seeking to deny Trump the nomination at the party’s convention in Cleveland next month.  The group of delegates, lawyers, rules experts and political action committees insist that delegates are not bound to any primary or caucus vote, and are looking to pass convention rules that allow them to vote their “conscience.”  Kristol told organizers on Tuesday night that if their representative at the convention doesn’t cast a vote in accordance with their wishes, they should protest on the floor....“I think we’re on the right side of history and on the right side of rejecting someone who shouldn’t be the nominee of the Republican Party,” he added.  Many agree with him, but I don't see much chance here.  Trump won the nomination by winning primaries.  He has the votes, and has them legitimately.  I am not a fan of his, but I can't deny the reality of his electoral achievement.  But I'm glad Kristol is trying.  I have no problem at all with a serious challenge.

LIBERAL OPINION – There was little of the knee-jerk, automatic support of Hillary Clinton, in the face of today's FBI report, that we've come to expect from the liberal community.  Indeed, many liberal outlets seemed shaken by the sting in Director Comey's condemnations of Clinton's behavior.  From The New York Times:  As Mrs. Clinton said in the past, and her campaign reiterated on Tuesday, her decision to use private email was a mistake. She remains, far and away, the most experienced and knowledgeable candidate for the presidency, particularly when compared with Mr. Trump. But she has done damage to her reputation by failing to conform to the established security policies of the department she ran and by giving evasive or misleading answers about her actions and motivations. If there was ever a time that Mrs. Clinton needed to demonstrate that she understands the forthrightness demanded of those who hold the nation’s highest office, this is that moment.  It is remarkable how, after 25 years as a national figure, Hillary Clinton still has not established basic trust.  What does that say about her?  Why is she the presidential nominee of a major party?

THE ANNOUNCEMENT – I've spent most of the day examining the announcement by FBI Director Comey that no criminal charges will be leveled against Hillary Clinton in the e-mail case.  Curiously, Comey didn't mention any other probes of Clinton that might be underway, such as an investigation of the Clinton Foundation and whether its huge flow of money, some of it from foreign dictatorships, were used to influence (bribe) Clinton when she was secretary of state.

While Comey's statement was eloquent, there seemed to be a growing feeling during the day, especially among Republicans, that it didn't make much sense.  If Hillary Clinton was as reckless as Comey says she was in the handling of classified material, why is that not cause enough for an indictment?  Republicans may hold hearings, appropriately, to find out.  Despite Comey's estimable reputation, he's not being given a free pass by the loyal opposition.  There is a great deal of talk about a double standard of justice – one standard for the Clintons, another for the rest of us. Comey may not come out unscathed.  There are reported rumblings from inside the FBI of angry agents who felt Comey let them down. 

Democrats were clearly relieved to have the legal load lifted from their candidate's shoulders, but they understand that Comey's devastating portrait of an irresponsible Clinton in control of classified information will haunt her for the rest of the campaign. 

There have even been some questions about how Clinton could get security clearance as president, considering her handling of classified information.  As I understand it, though, security clearance for the president is automatic.

July 5,  2016     Permalink

BULLETIN – NO FBI RECOMMENDATION FOR CRIMINAL CHARGES AGAINST CLINTON, BUT HER BEHAVIOR WAS RECKLESS – AT 11:22 A.M. ET: 

In a brilliantly formulated statement on live television, FBI Director James Comey announced that the Bureau will not recommend criminal charges against Hillary Clinton for the handling of classified e-mails while she was secretary of state.  However, Comey hardly gave Clinton a clean bill of health.  From CNN:

(CNN)  FBI Director James Comey said Tuesday that he would not recommend charges against Hillary Clinton for her use of a private email server while she was secretary of state but that Clinton and her aides were "extremely careless" handling classified information.

"Our judgment is that no reasonable prosecutor would bring such a case," Comey said.
"Although we did not find clear evidence" of intentional misconduct, he added, "There is evidence that they were extremely careless of very sensitive, highly classified information."

Comey said neither the Department of Justice nor the White House knew what he was going to announce Tuesday, and said the FBI investigation it was nearing its end.

While Comey's announcement lifts the immediate legal cloud from Clinton, it does nothing to improve her political situation.  The words "extremely careless" will resonate through this campaign.  If the Republican Party and its presidential nominee were smart, and there are serious questions about that, it would ask the public whether any person so described – "extremely careless" – should be president of the United States.

At least CNN gave us the flavor of what Director Comey said.  I've quickly read through other news reports of his statements, and some didn't even mention his characterization of Clinton's behavior, only noting that no criminal charges will be brought.  They call that slanted journalism.  They call that disgraceful reporting.

I have no doubt that Donald Trump will be out soon with a statement.  I hope he is careful.  There is an old line in politics:  If your opponent is committing suicide, don't stand in the way.  It would be wise for Trump to attack Clinton in a "more in sadness than anger" tone, while making clear his view that Comey's findings disqualify her.

As for Clinton, this will probably be her "Checkers" moment, the need to deliver a speech much like the one Senator Richard M. Nixon delivered in 1952, when running for vice president on Dwight Eisenhower's ticket.  It had been discovered that he had been given a "slush fund" by supporters, and he had to explain it away.  It is called the "Checkers" speech because he told of how his two daughters had been given a dog, which they named Checkers, and that they loved the dog, and that he'd never give it back, no matter what anyone said.  The speech saved Nixon.

That's where it stands we'll monitor the fallout throughout the day.

July 5, 2016       Permalink 

TRUMP CLOSING – AT 9:21 A.M. ET:   A new poll just out confirms last week's Rasmussen finding, that Donald Trump is closing the gap with Hillary Clinton.  From The Hill: 

Hillary Clinton’s lead over Donald Trump has narrowed to single digits in a new national poll.

Clinton tops her likely general election rival by 5 points, 45.6 to 40.4 percent, in the USA Today/Suffolk University poll released on Monday.

Two months ago, Clinton led the businessman by double digits, 50 to 39 percent, in that poll.
Including Libertarian nominee Gary Johnson and Green Party candidate Jill Stein as potential options drops Clinton's lead over Trump to 4 points, 39 percent to 35 percent.

Monday's poll comes as both Clinton and Trump have solidified their standing as their parties' presumptive nominees despite their in-the-red favorability ratings.

Fifty-three percent have an unfavorable opinion of Clinton, 60 percent have an unfavorable opinion of Trump, and one in five—or roughly 20 percent—have a negative opinion of both candidates, according to the poll.

David Paleologos, director of the Suffolk University Political Research Center, told USA Today that voters who have a negative opinion of Clinton and Trump could end up "holding their noses and picking one of them or opting for a third-party option. Or staying home, come November."

According to the poll, 61 percent of likely voters feel "alarmed" about the election, while 23 percent are "excited" and another 9 percent say they are "bored."

The USA Today/Suffolk University poll of 1,000 likely voters was conducted by landline and cell phone from June 26 to June 29. It has a margin of error of 3 percentage points.

COMMENT:  I just have a feeling that we're in for a very bumpy ride this fall, with poll numbers changing rapidly.  There is enormous discontent in the electorate, and for good reason.  Millions of Americans don't feel the American dream is working for them.  And they feel let down by the people they've elected.  That anger has to go somewhere politically, and we'll find out where on election day.

July 5,  2016     Permalink

STUNNING NUMBERS – AT 9:07 A.M. ET:  Voting numbers for the primary season are now complete, and they show a stunning turnout in Republican primaries, but a disappointing turnout in the Dem race.  From Jim Hoft at Gateway Pundit: 

This ought to keep Democrats up late at night.

Despite the constant negative press by the liberal media, Republicans are coming off a historic primary season.

Donald Trump continues to fill stadiums across the country like this capacity crowd in Bangor, Maine last week.

Republican turnout was up 62% this year.
Democratic turnout was down 21% this year.

Despite her tight race with Socialist Bernie Sanders Hillary Clinton received 1,019,237 fewer votes this year than in 2008.

DEMOCRAT PARTY TURNOUT–
** In 2008 there were 38,111,341 Democrat votes in the primary. In 2016 there were 29,939,251 votes. A net decrease of 8,172,090 (-21%).

REPUBLICAN PARTY TURNOUT–
** In 2012 there were 19,214,513 Republican votes in the primary. In 2016 there were 31,108,968 votes. A net increase of 11,894,455 (+62%).

Republicans had 1.1 million more primary voters this year than the Democratic party.
These are stunning numbers!

COMMENT:   I think that Republican prospects for the November election are much better than the presumed experts believe.  There may well be a large, silent, Republican vote out there – people who may not tell the pollsters the truth about who they favor.  As readers know, I'm not a Donald Trump fan, but he often did better in the final vote tallies than in the pre-vote polling.

And yet, one can only dream of where we'd be if Trump were a better, more accomplished candidate.

July 5, 2016       Permalink

JULY 4,  2016

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

THE OFFER – The story apparently floated by the Clinton camp – we noted it this morning – that Hillary might want to keep Loretta Lynch on as attorney general, has gone viral, even on July 4th.  There is a general revulsion expressed on conservative sites, but I haven't seen any comment from liberals.  This is sordid stuff, essentially a bribe offer made public.  In our post this morning we urged Loretta Lynch to announce that she will not serve a new administration, removing any possibility that she could be asked to continue as a reward for taking care of Hillary's FBI problem.  No such announcement has been made.  Let's see if any reporters decide to ask the attorney general about it.

THE DEMS USED TO BE PRO-LABOR – FROM THE NEW YORK POST:   Hillary Clinton’s campaign had even its lowliest staffers working on Independence Day, according to sources.  A Hamptons insider told us that one of Clinton’s summer interns was overheard grousing over the weekend in the Hamptons that, “Clinton was ‘not giving anyone the day off on July Fourth,’ so the girl had to head back to work on Monday.”  The source added that the intern “was saying that she and some of her co-workers were unhappy about it.”  A rep for Clinton didn’t get back to us.  It's quite possible that Hillary Clinton doesn't recognize our Independence Day as a legitimate holiday.  It's a left-wing thing.  We'll never understand.

AND AGAIN – FROM FOX:   At least four security officers were killed and five injured in a suicide bombing Monday outside an Islamic holy site in Medina, according to the Saudi Interior Ministry.  The Monday evening attack took place just as thousands of worshippers were about to hold sunset prayers in the mosque where the Prophet Muhammad is buried in Medina.  The mosque is visited by millions of Muslims from around the world annually performing pilgrimage in Mecca.  The ministry statement, carried Monday on the state-run al-Ekhbariya news channel, said the attacker set off the bomb after security officers raised suspicions about him. The attack took place in a parking lot outside the sprawling mosque complex.  The bombing happened the same day that two suicide bombers struck different cities in Saudi Arabia, one of them near a U.S. consulate. No group has yet claimed responsibility for any of the attacks.  There had been calls from some terror groups to increase attacks during the month of Ramadan.  Ramadan ends tomorrow.  We'll see if there's any reduction.  But since last September the pace of terror has been relentless, including attacks in Paris, Brussels, San Berdardino, Orlando, and Bangladesh. 

July 4, 2016       Permalink

WILL SOMEONE PLEASE TAKE THIS SERIOUSLY? – AT 1:18 P.M. ET:  The Olympics start in a month in Rio, and we are getting warning after warning that Rio isn't ready.  From CNN:  

Rio de Janeiro (CNN) A month before Rio welcomes thousands of visitors for the 2016 Olympic Games, the city's mayor has lashed out at state officials over the policing of violent crime.

"This is the most serious issue in Rio and the state is doing a terrible, horrible job," Eduardo Paes told CNN, during an interview in his downtown office.

"It's completely failing at its work of policing and taking care of people."

His comments come after Rio de Janeiro state, which manages the region's military police force, issued an executive order requesting emergency funds from the federal government in order to pay outstanding bonuses and overtime to police officers.

The 2.9 billion-real bailout (roughly $850 million) was made available last week, after acting governor Francisco Dornelles said Games could be a "big failure" without the funds. It's believed that the back pay will be distributed this week.

The state's police officers vented their anger last week with a sign saying "Welcome to Hell" outside Rio airport. "Police and firefighters don't get paid, whoever comes to Rio de Janeiro will not be safe," the sign said.

Rio has been rocked by a spate of negative headlines in recent weeks, including an Australian Paralympic athlete who was robbed at gunpoint, reports of 20 armed men breaking into a municipal hospital to free a drug kingpin, and a doctor killed by random gunfire on the main artery connecting the airport to the city.

Several international TV crews, including two German broadcasters, which had a truck with more than $400,000 worth of equipment hijacked at gunpoint, have also been robbed.

The Justice Ministry said 85,000 additional officers, including police from other states and military personnel, will be arriving to the city in late July and patrolling throughout the Olympic and Paralympic Games.

"(During the Games) the army, the navy, everyone is going to be here," Paes said. "Fortunately the state will not be responsible for security during that period."

COMMENT:  The Olympics are about money, not sport.  I wonder if we can depend on the Brazilian authorities and our own U.S. Olympic Committee to protect our young athletes.  I wouldn't depend on the International Olympic Committee for anything.

July 4, 2016       Permalink

CAN THIS BE? – AT 12:33 P.M. ET:   I get the sense that this story was floated by the Clinton campaign.  From Daily Caller: 

Hillary Clinton is considering retaining Loretta Lynch as Attorney General if she wins the presidency, according to a report from The New York Times.

Picking Lynch as a holdover from the Obama administration would help Clinton’s stated goal of making her cabinet gender-equal. But the choice would likely prove controversial given that Lynch is the ultimate arbiter in the Justice Department’s investigation into the potential mishandling of classified information on Clinton’s private email server.

Concerns over conflicts of interest reached new heights last week after Lynch, the first black female AG, met in secret with Bill Clinton at Phoenix’s international airport.

The conclave was held just days before investigators interrogated Hillary Clinton at FBI headquarters on Saturday.

COMMENT:  Have we really reached this point, where there is no shame or pride left?  Loretta Lynch came to office with a fine reputation.  Even Rudy Giuliani supported her.  That reputation is already sullied.  If she had any dignity, she'd immediately issue a statement saying she would not, under any circumstances, stay on as attorney general in a new administration.  Let's see if she has the sense to do so. 

July 4, 2016       Permalink

THE DECLARATION – AT 11:56 A.M. ET:  On this July 4th, let us quote the opening lines of the Declaration of Independence, adopted this day 240 years ago:

When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.--That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, --That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness.

COMMENT:  Those are some of the most important words ever written.  I doubt if most of our young people have ever seen them, or could identify them.

I ask you to examine those words, not only in light of our own history, but of recent history in Britain, once our mother country.  Don't those words perfectly describe Brexit, the decision by the British people to leave the European Union?  They could have easily used the words of our own Declaration of Independence from Britain to describe what they did.

History doesn't repeat itself.  The psychology of history repeats itself.

July 4,  2016     Permalink