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JULY 23,  2017

SHORT TAKES ON THE DRIFTING WRECKAGE – AT 11:54 P.M. ET: 

QUEEN MAXINE SPEAKS – FROM GATEWAY PUNDIT:   In her speech to the Strafford County Democratic Committee’s annual picnic goers, California Congresswoman Maxine Waters unleashed on President Trump. “This man is deplorable, dishonest, a liar, a bully and I want him impeached,” Waters told New Hampshire Democrats. Crystal Paradis, a self-proclaimed writer, “intersectional feminist,” tweeted notable lines from Maxine Waters’ speech. “Mr. President we are organizing. And we are organizing to bring you down. And bring your agenda down,” threatened Maxine Waters.  Intersectional feminists make the best reporters.

A LEGITIMATE FRENCH PROTEST – FROM THE NEW YORK POST:   The French are furious over a new historical movie that, they say, diminishes their country’s role in a World War II evacuation.  “Dunkirk,” the Christopher Nolan-directed film that hit theaters last week, shows a “scathing rudeness [and] deplorable indifference” toward France for its role in the Dunkirk evacuation of 1940, said a blistering review in the French newspaper Le Monde.  “Where in the film are the 120,000 French soldiers who were also evacuated from Dunkirk?” critic Jacques Mandelbaum wrote. “Where are the 40,000 who sacrificed themselves to defend the city against a superior enemy in weaponry and numbers?”   I have not seen the film, but I suspect the protest is accurate.  France can be exasperating, and some of its leaders have exhibited a certain rudeness.  But the fact is that France suffered horribly in World War II, and many Frenchmen fought courageously, either as soldiers or as members of the resistance.  Total French deaths were 600,000.   France has not been shown proper respect for its sacrifice.

ARMED AND READY – FROM AFP:  Her hands slowed by rheumatoid arthritis, 71-year-old Marietta Crowder stands in front of her paper target, steadies her gun and pulls the trigger. Shots are fired in quick succession.  Crowder is perhaps not the typical patron of a gun club.  But she is one of seven women learning to safely handle firearms at a shooting range in a suburb of Chicago, a city wracked by gun violence and a soaring murder rate.  Important story.  Women and African Americans are among the main driving forces of gun sales in the United States.  I don't think the leftists in the feminist movement would approve, but women are taking matters, and guns, into their own hands.  Lock and load!

July 23, 2017       Permalink

ECONOMIC PROGRESS – AT 2:35 P.M. ET:   Trump bashing is the national political sport, and sometimes the bash is deserved.  But the president has actually achieved much in his first six months in office, even though much of the press refuses to acknowledge it.  From Stuart Varney at Fox:     

Donald Trump has been president for six months. The media coverage of the president is overwhelmingly negative: the press remains contemptuous, and they're pushing to get him out before he completes his first term. 

Investors might think differently. The great success of the Trump presidency thus far, is not what he's done, but what he promises to do, namely, get the economy going again.  Evidently, investors believe he might yet get it done. 

Look at this: since his election win, the Trump rally has added $4.1 trillion to the nation's wealth. Anyone with a 401k, an IRA, college savings, retirement savings, mutual funds. Anyone with a dime in the market has taken a piece of that $4 trillion. 

Also, during this presidency, five American companies have emerged as global technology leaders. You know their names: Apple, Amazon, Alphabet, Microsoft and Facebook. It’s a technology world, and American companies have seized the future.  I find it astonishing that the world of money is so exuberant, while the political world is so contemptuous of this president and his policy of growth.

COMMENT:  That's true, although I'd argue that the American companies that emerged as global technology leaders did so much earlier than Trump's inauguration.

Still, Trump must be credited with changing the economic atmosphere, at least at the high level of the economy.  What he must do now is make sure the average American feels that new reality in his own pocket.  The quickest way to do that is through tax relief.  If Trump cannot get Congress to pass meaningful tax reform, he will have little to show the person on the street as we enter the 2018 election year.

The president cannot depend on the press to spread the good news.  It will not do it.  Reagan produced results, but Reagan also knew how to speak over the heads of reporters and directly to the American people.

July 23, 2017       Permalink 

ARE DEMS GETTING SMART? – AT 12:18 P.M. ET:  It's highly unlikely, but it could happen.  We must be on guard. 

The Dems are trying to come up with a strategy, and, this is the big news, an actual program.  It's hard when your party has been the lead member of the Church of Perpetual Grievance.   

In addition, some party leaders are attempting to bring a bit of maturity.  From the New York Post: 

Democrats said they will counter President Trump’s “The Art of the Deal” with “A Better Deal.”
Party leaders will unveil a new economic battle plan on Monday that will highlight job-training programs, renegotiating trade deals and a $15 an hour “living wage” as they try to focus their message to voters, the Washington Post reported.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said his party can’t blame anyone else for their devastating defeat to Trump in November.

“When you lose to somebody who has 40 percent popularity, you don’t blame other things – Comey, Russia – you blame yourself,” Schumer (D-NY) said in an interview with the newspaper posted online Saturday night. “So what did we do wrong? People didn’t know what we stood for, just that we were against Trump. And still believe that.”

The Democrats will announce the new slogan – “A Better Deal: Better Jobs, Better Wages, Better Future” – and their upgraded platform of economic proposals drafted during strategy sessions over the past few months on Monday afternoon.

COMMENT:   Chuck is right.  The party must blame itself, and its clueless candidate.  But how much influence Schumer has is debatable.  He represents the more traditionalist wing.  The Democratic Party nationally is led by a chairman, Tom Perez, who curses in public, with children present.  His vice chairman, Keith Ellison, is a former member of the Nation of Islam, who claims he has changed.

The party's new great hope for president – there's a new flavor every month – is Senator Kamala Harris of California, who, like Tom Perez, sometimes flavors her "speeches" with foul language, and is known for rude behavior.

So how much the party has learned must be questioned.  I, for one, do not think Chuck Schumer and his faction will be leaders much longer.

July 23, 2017       Permalink

IT'S ABOUT TIME – AT 11:29 A.M. ET:  Maybe the administration is getting serious about plugging the leaks that have been so damaging, and have made it so hard for the president to govern.

As we've said here before, leaks are not benign.  There may be some that are initiated by true patriots who see something outrageous that is improperly classified and decide to take the risk of leaking.  But I'm afraid many leaks are made for partisan, petty purposes, to do damage to the political opposition by the improper disclosure of classified information.  From Fox: 

Anthony Scaramucci, the new White House communications director, said Sunday that stopping damaging West Wing leaks is a top priority and that he will take “drastic action" to achieve that goal.

“We have to get the leaks stopped,” Scaramucci, named Friday to the post, told “Fox News Sunday.”

“What’s going on right now is a high level of unprofessionalism, and it’s not helping the president. … I will take drastic action to stop the leaks.”

Trump’s roughly 7-month-old presidency has been mired in the controversy about Russia meddling in the 2016 White House race and whether Trump associates were involved.

The controversy has been fueled in part by information leaked inside and outside of the White House.
Scaramucci on Sunday said he would “pare down the staff” to stop White House leaks, but made clear that such efforts will be limited to the communication office and that he wants to start anew.

“As far as I’m concerned, there will be a new start for everybody on the team,” said Scaramucci, whose appointment as communications director forced the resignation of Sean Spicer, who had held that post.

Scaramucci, a former Wall Street executive, acknowledged that he could never change Washington culture and stop the leaks coming from federal agencies within an administration.

He also said the mainstream media still has a “level of objectivity,” but allowed that so-called “fake news” exists to the extent “some individuals ... do stretch stories.”

COMMENT:  I like this guy.  He's very tough, but balances his strength with a diplomatic approach.  I think he'll work out.  But you may be sure that the so-called mainstream press is already researching him to dig up anything negative they can find.

July 23,  2017     Permalink

JULY 22,  2017

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

THE MARCH OF SCHOLARSHIP – FROM COLLEGE FIX:   A Florida high school principal who had teachers do his son’s math homework, pressured teachers to alter grades, and charged students money to attend school-hours functions, has been allowed to maintain employment within his district.  An investigation also determined that Lake Worth High School’s George Lockhart had submitted phony reports which concealed the in-school “fundraising” efforts, and at times did not submit any official reports regarding student suspensions.   He has been demoted, but the fact that he's been kept employed by the school district is troubling.  Aren't there better people to hire to guide our kids?

GOOD LUCK – FROM FOX:  Ulysha Renee Hall will make history in Dallas in September, when she becomes the Texas city’s first female police chief.  Hall, 46, currently deputy chief of the Detroit Police Department, was selected from a field of seven finalists that included another woman, Deputy Chief Carmen Best of Seattle.  Hall followed in her father’s footsteps by choosing a career in law enforcement. He was killed in the line of duty when she was just 6 months old.  Now, Hall will head a Dallas force that’s still coping with the tragedy of July 7, 2016, when a sniper killed five city officers and wounded nine others, as well as two civilians.  We wish her well.  We want her to be superb.  But I still get the uneasy feeling that many law-enforcement posts are being filled by tokens, no matter how qualified, in order to appease segments of the community.  It's unfair to the city, and unfair to the candidate.  But let us hope that this new appointee gives Dallas a new start.

MORE O.J. INSANITY – FROM THE NEW YORK POST:  The four-person Nevada parole board that granted O.J. Simpson’s release from prison on Thursday snapped a selfie before the hearing.  “The 4 board members right before the hearing,” board member Adam Endel wrote in a Facebook post with the photo of the smiling board members.  Endel also had the Twitterverse abuzz with talk of the red-and-gold striped Chiefs tie he wore during the parole hearing.  Who cares about those people who were murdered?  Yesterday's news.

July 22,  2017     Permalink

THERE IS ACTUALLY SOMETHING GETTING DONE – AT 2:31 P.M. ET:   And it's truly Congress that is doing it.  From the Washington Times: 

Congress has reached a final deal on new Russia sanctions legislation, leaders announced Saturday, clearing the path for final approval of legislation that would codify penalties imposed by the Obama administration and would require President Trump to seek approval from Capitol Hill should he want to lift the sanctions.

The bill has been stalled for weeks over a constitutional hiccup — the legislation involves raising revenue but since it began in the Senate, it violates the Constitution’s stricture that all revenue bills start in the House.

But lawmakers also stumbled over how much leeway Congress should have to stop Mr. Trump should he want to lift the sanctions.

The fight — and the broader legislation — have taken on bigger significance as questions about the president’s family and aides and their dealings with Russia proliferate.

“Given the many transgressions of Russia, and President Trump’s seeming inability to deal with them, a strong sanctions bill such as the one Democrats and Republicans have just agreed to is essential,” said Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer, New York Democrat.

All sides said they expect massive bipartisan support in the coming days for the legislation, giving Congress a solid victory in a year otherwise devoid of major accomplishments.

This one, however, strikes at Mr. Trump, which helps explain why Democrats are eager to sign on.

GOP leaders said they would combine the Russia sanctions with other sanctions against North Korea and Iran, hoping to sweeten the deal for lawmakers who don’t want to be seen as slapping down Mr. Trump.

In general, the bill takes Russia penalties issued by President Obama and writes them into law, right down to naming specific Russian government and intelligence officials. The sanctions were imposed both because of aggressive Russian action in Ukraine and because of Russian cyberwarfare activities.

COMMENT:  Apparently, there are veto-proof majorities in both houses, making it impossible for the president to stop the bill.  I hope he goes along with it without objection.  If he doesn't, and speaks against the Russia sanctions, it will open up the Trump-loves-Putin argument even more.

July 22, 2017       Permalink

OUR DECADENT SOCIETY – AT 1:40 P.M. ET:  Whatever happened to good taste?  It used to be a social goal.  Now, for too many, it seems quaint.  Add in a little O.J. Simpson, and good taste goes completely down the drain.  From USA Today: 

TALLAHASSEE — When O.J. Simpson was granted early parole Thursday after nearly nine years in prison, Silver Airways decided it was time for a "Bust Out the OJ" deal.

The airline company, which flies out of Tallahassee, is offering travelers a chance "to slash" 20 percent off one-way trips through Monday.

The post promoting the deal claims, "with deals so hot, you’ll need to wear gloves to nab them" - a reference to Simpson's murder trial in the stabbing deaths of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman.

Simpson was acquitted of both murders.

The truth and neighborhood jury verdicts are often different.

The first promotion for the deal appeared on the airline's Facebook page Thursday afternoon following the Nevada parole board's decision. Simpson was arrested and convicted for the 2007 robbery of memorabilia dealers.

A second post for the promotion was posted Friday afternoon.

"Don't lose your chance to escape your prison-like day-to-day routine with our liberating deals," the promotion said on Facebook. "And the only bars you might see are the kinds serving frozen margaritas & piña-coladas." 

COMMENT:  That is beyond embarrassing.  People should flood the airline with complaints.  I'd love to know whether Silver has lost customers...or gained them.

July 22, 2017       Permalink 

THE PLOT GETS THICKER – AT 11:57 A.M. ET:  In my more optimistic moments, two of them in the last month, I see a situation wherein the Trump investigations boomerang, and the accusers regret ever having gone after the president.  Are we reaching that point?  From Fox: 

Glenn Simpson, whose Fusion GPS firm has been tied to anti-Trump efforts and pro-Russian lobbying, will not talk to lawmakers in response to a subpoena, the leaders of the Senate Judiciary Committe said Friday.

Committee chairman Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, and ranking member Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., confirmed in a statement that they subpoenaed Simpson to appear before the committee Wednesday as part of a hearing about the influence of foreign lobbying in last year's presidential election.

"Simpson’s attorney has asserted that his client will invoke his Fifth Amendment rights in response to the subpoena," Grassley and Feinstein said.

During the campaign, Fusion GPS contracted former MI-6 agent Christopher Steele to look into rumors about Trump's financial and social connections in Russia. The resulting "dossier," which was leaked to the media following Trump's victory in November included a number of sordid allegations about the president's sexual proclivities.

Last week, Fox News reported that Fusion GPS had ties to Russian efforts to undermine U.S. sanctions that were led by attorney Natalia Veselnitskaya. 

COMMENT:  Hmm.  I wonder how the mainstream press will report this?  Will they report it at all?  Televise the guy invoking the Fifth? 

I want to see those "discussions" at CNN, and how they'll try to turn them against the president.

July 22,  2017     Permalink