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MAY 18,  2017

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

ANOTHER GREAT MOMENT IN EDUCATION – FROM AP:  BOSTON -- While other Harvard University students were writing papers for their senior theses, Obasi Shaw was busy rapping his.  Shaw is the first student in Harvard's history to submit a rap album as a senior thesis in the English Department, the university said. The album, called "Liminal Minds," has earned the equivalent of an A-minus grade, good enough to guarantee that Shaw will graduate with honors next week.  They always said it was much harder to get into Harvard than to get out of Harvard.  Appears to be true.

MADDOW SURGES – FROM VARIETY:  For the first three nights of this week, Maddow’s 9 p.m. broadcast on MSNBC was the most-watched on cable-news in primetime – a position that had long been enjoyed by the 8 p.m. hour in the Fox News schedule, where O’Reilly had a roost for more than two decades,and where Tucker Carlson now holds court.  Maddow’s recent gains are part of a viewership surge at the NBCUniversal-owned network that comes as a chaotic White House has driven viewers to MSNBC in ways the executives really haven’t seen since the days of Keith Olbermann.  Last week, MSNBC’s primetime schedule was tops in the demographic most coveted by advertisers – people between 25 and 54 – for the first time since the week of December 29, 2008. MSNBC’s  “Maddow,” “The Last Word” and “11th Hour” are all leading in that viewership category for the month to date, according to data from Nielsen.  This is really not surprising.  A crisis, even a manufactured one, always results in audience shifts, but they may be temporary.  Don't be shocked, by the way,if a new, conservative network is born.  Fox is coming under the control of younger members of the Rupert Murdoch family, and they are liberal.

IRAN VOTES – FROM REUTERS:   ANKARA  - Iranians vote for president Friday in a contest likely to determine whether Tehran's re-engagement with the world stalls or quickens, although whatever the outcome no change is expected to its revolutionary system of conservative clerical rule.  Seeking a second term, pragmatist President Hassan Rouhani, 68, remains the narrow favorite, but hardline rivals have hammered him over his failure to boost an economy weakened by decades of sanctions.  Many Iranians feel a 2015 agreement he championed with major powers to lift sanctions in return for curbing Iran's nuclear program has failed to produce the jobs, growth and foreign investment he said would follow.  The normally mild-mannered cleric is trying to hold on to office by firing up reformist voters who want less confrontation abroad and more social and economic freedom at home.  Sounds like a free election, but it isn't.  All candidates must receive permission from the government to run.  We'll follow the results, which will come in just as President Trump heads for the region.

May 18,  2017     Permalink

GOOD COPS – AT 11:46 P.M. ET:  We mentioned last night that the upcoming Puerto Rican Day parade in New York would honor a convicted terrorist.  This didn't much appeal to Hispanic police officers.  From the New York Post: 

Outraged Hispanic police groups are boycotting the Puerto Rican Day Parade next month because the event will celebrate a pardoned terrorist linked to one of the deadliest groups ever to target New York.

The NYPD Hispanic Society and the Rafael Ramos Foundation have pulled out of the June 11 Fifth Avenue march after it was announced that former FALN kingpin Oscar Lòpez Rivera will be honored as a “National Freedom Hero” at the event.

Rivera, 74, had his 70-year sentence commuted by outgoing President Barack Obama in January. He had spent nearly 36 years in prison on conspiracy charges for his ties to the Puerto Rican nationalist group, which was responsible for more than 100 bombings in the 1970s and ’80s — including a 1982 blast at NYPD headquarters that left an officer maimed and a 1975 attack that killed four at Fraunces Tavern in the Financial District.

Supporters of Rivera — who was released Wednesday from house arrest in Puerto Rico with New York City Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito on hand — note he was never directly linked to any bombings and they considered him a political prisoner.

But the NYPD groups can’t forgive him for being a high-ranking member of the terror group.

“We support the NYPD members who were seriously injured and the families of the innocent people who lost their lives during these attacks throughout the United States and in our city,” the NYPD Hispanic Society said in a statement. “We took an oath to protect and serve the people. Unfortunately, this year’s views and values of the National Puerto Rican Day Parade committee do not conform with the society’s mission of promoting peace and unity.”

COMMENT:  Three cheers for these Hispanic officers.  And a major thumbs down for the speaker of the New York City Council.   She's a hard leftist, as is Mayor Bill de Blasio, who was a supporter of Fidel Castro.  The left has taken over New York City government.  How lucky we are.

May 18,  2017     Permalink 

PRESIDENT MIKE? – AT 10:32 A.M. ET:  Oh, the buzz is underway.  It was inevitable.  President Mike Pence, taking over for the wounded Donald Trump.  From The Politico:

Not since the release of the Access Hollywood tape, in which Donald Trump bragged about groping women by the genitals, have some conservatives thought so seriously, if a bit wistfully, about two words: President Pence.

The scandals clouding Trump’s presidency — including, most recently, his firing of FBI Director James Comey, his alleged leak of classified information to Russian officials, and reports that he urged Comey to drop an investigation into a top aide — have raised once more the possibility that Trump could be pushed aside and replaced by Vice President Mike Pence.

“If what the [New York Times] reported is true, Pence is probably rehearsing,” one House Republican who asked not to be named quipped Wednesday. “It’s just like Nixon. From the standpoint that it’s never the underlying issue, it is always the cover-up.”

The still far-fetched proposition of removing Trump from office has increasing appeal to Republicans who are growing weary of defending Trump and are alarmed by his conduct in office. But such whispers are cringe-worthy for Pence and his aides, who have made an art of not upstaging the mercurial president. Pence’s press secretary declined to comment for this article.

COMMENT:  Ah, such political fun.  I doubt if Trump will ever be impeached because it doesn't appear he's committed any impeachable offenses.  Besides, impeachment (meaning, to charge) is done by the House which, at least for now, is under Republican control.

But he could resign, as Nixon did, if he's cornered or simply gets disgusted.  Then, what happens?

Pence becomes president, certainly not a happy outcome for Democrats.  Mike Pence is one of the most capable, attractive political figures around.  And he's only 57.

How long could Pence serve?  That's a fascinating question.  Most people probably believe that he could only serve out Trump's term and run once again – the "two-term maximum" rule laid down by the 22nd Amendment to the Constitution.

Not so fast, readers.  The 22nd Amendment has a loophole that might allow Pence to serve out the remainder of Trump's term, then run for an additional two terms.  Here is the Amendment:

"No person shall be elected to the office of the President more than twice, and no person who has held the office of President, or acted as President, for more than two years of a term to which some other person was elected President shall be elected to the office of the President more than once. But this Article shall not apply to any person holding the office of President, when this Article was proposed by the Congress, and shall not prevent any person who may be holding the office of President, or acting as President, during the term within which this Article becomes operative from holding the office of President or acting as President during the remainder of such term."

So it appears that Pence could run twice again if he takes over the presidency after the halfway (two-year) mark of Trump's term.

There's a warning here for Democrats wishing for Trump's early political demise:  Be careful what you wish for.

May 18, 2017       Permalink

ROGER AILES DEAD AT 77 – AT 9:50 A.M. ET:  Roger Ailes, arguably the most important news executive of our time, is dead at the age of 77.  From CNBC:

Media titan Roger Ailes, who resigned from his positions as chairman and CEO of Fox News Channel and Fox Business Network amid sexual harassment allegations last year, has died at age 77.

Ailes resigned from Fox in summer 2016 in the wake of former Fox News Channel Host Gretchen Carlson's sexual harassment lawsuit against him. Ailes had denied the allegations from Carlson, who claimed she was fired last year after she refused to have a sexual relationship with the executive.

Ailes founded Fox News and helped shape the modern cable news landscape in the process. Before that, he worked as a producer and also worked in politics as a consultant. In the early 1990s, he served as president of CNBC, which he left to create Fox News.

In a statement, his wife Elizabeth Ailes said, "I am profoundly sad and heartbroken to report that my husband, Roger Ailes, passed away this morning surrounded by his beautiful family. Roger was my best friend, the most wonderful loving husband and father to our son Zachary, He was a loyal friend to so many. Roger was a patriot, grateful to live in a country that gave him so much opportunity to work hard, to rise-and to give back. During a career that stretched over more than five decades, his work in entertainment, in politics, and in news affected the lives of many millions."

No cause of death was given.

COMMENT:   Ailes built Fox News by giving the audience an alternative to the blatant liberal bias of mainstream journalism.   What he built was solid – opinion shows that were clearly conservative, and gained fame as such, but news programs that usually represented fine journalism.  Many of the Fox reporters he hired remain among the best in the business.

He was regularly smeared.  There are those so intolerant that they don't believe that a network that presents "the other side of the story" has any place in journalism.

As the obituary above noted, Ailes was brought down by a sexual harasssment suit, not by any assessment of his work.  I cannot attest to the truthfulness of the charges against him, but Fox accepted that they were true.  There have since been a number of other sexual harassment charges made against Fox figures, including Bill O'Reilly, the highest-rated personality in cable news, who was fired as a result.  It is widely reported that both Ailes and O'Reilly were hurried out the door by the young sons of the Rupert Murdoch family who are far more liberal than their father, and want to remake Fox into a liberal operation, and thus gain a certain respectability on the Washington/Los Angles/New York circuit.

I'd be interested to see what is said about Ailes today by the news organizations he defeated in competition for viewers.  What should be said, and conceded, is that he won on the basis of his journalism, and not on anything else.  In a way, he gave a voice to the voiceless, to those cut out of the mainstream.

Controversial, yes.  Consequential, no doubt,.

May 18,  2017     Permalink

MAY 17,  2017

SHORT TAKES ON THE DRIFTING WRECKAGE – AT 11:18 P.M. ET: 

CAN YOU BELIEVE THIS? – FROM NJ.COM:   Jersey City-based Goya has pulled its sponsorship of the New York City Puerto Rican Day Parade, the Associated Press reported.  The largest Hispanic business in the United States, Goya has sponsored the parade every year of its 60-year existence. Parade organizers told the Associated Press that Goya's decision will jeopardize the 100 college scholarships the parade provides.  Other sponsors for the parade include AT&T, Coca Cola and the New York Yankees.  This year, the June 11 parade is honoring Oscar Lopez Rivera, a convicted terrorist whose group, the Armed Forces of National Liberation, or FALN, claimed responsibility for more than 100 bombings across New York, Chicago, Washington and Puerto Rico in the 1970s and early 1980s.  His sentence was commuted by President Barack Obama before he left office. Parade organizers told the AP that they do not condone violence.   Hooray for Goya..  Thumbs down to the "parade organizers," who obviously have been influenced by some very bad elements. 

A NEW FORM OF RECOGNITION – FROM, BELIEVE IT OR NOT, COCA-COLA:   It should come as no surprise that iconic investor Warren Buffett is one of the world’s best-known fans of Cherry Coca-Cola. At almost every public appearance for a generation, Buffett has been seen taking a swig of his favorite drink.  What may come as a surprise is that Buffett’s likeness is gracing the front of Cherry Coke cans in China to promote the drink’s official Chinese launch.  “Chinese consumers love new flavors and crave excitement from brands like ours as we launch new products,” said Shelly Lin, Coca-Cola China’s Marketing Director for Trademark Coca-Cola. “As we thought of the most creative ways to bring the great taste of Cherry Coke to China, we thought who better to celebrate the launch of this special drink than its best-known fan.  “We honestly were surprised when Mr. Buffett agreed to the idea. But we’re thrilled, and he’s selling well,” Lin continued.  Hillary must be going crazy.  And Barack.  Those two will figure out a way to get on those Coke cans.  And they'll charge for it.

TRULY OUR BEST FRIENDS – FROM THE TELEGRAPH:   Dogs have a surprising ability to make humans understand what their barks and growls mean, a study has shown.  Women were better than men at recognising when a dog was being playful or threatening, or feeling fear, scientists discovered.  For the study, 40 volunteers listened to different growls recorded from 18 dogs that were guarding their food, facing a threatening stranger, or playing a tug-of-war game.  Overall, participants correctly classified 63 per cent of the growl samples - significantly more than would be expected by guesswork alone, said the researchers.  Each growl type was also recognised above chance level.   And I personally can identify many of the growls of Democrats.

May 17, 2017       Permalink

DEMS NOT SHINING – AT 2:18 P.M. ET:  You'd think the Democratic Party would be gaining as a result of all the disarray surrounding Trump.  But just a second.  From CNS:   

CNSNews.com) – Neither the Democrat Party nor the Republican Party are popular with Americans, but a new Gallup Poll indicates that the rating for Democrats has slipped five points since November, while the low rating for the Republican Party remained about the same.

The May 3-7 Gallup poll asked Americans whether they have a favorable or an unfavorable opinion of each party.

Forty percent of Americans said they view Democratic Party favorably, down from 45 percent in November. The Republican rating dropped one point, to 39 percent this month from 40 percent in November.

The decline in Democratic Party favorability is mostly a result of lower ratings from self-identified Democrats, Gallup said. And both parties’ ratings are below their historical norms.

Gallup notes that historically, Democrats’ ratings usually exceed Republicans' ratings -- by six percentage points, on average.

COMMENT:  Democrats may think the Trump "scandals" will produce an electoral windfall in 2018.  Of course, they might help in that.  But, on the other hand, the unpopularity of the Democratic Party may reduce the windfall to a light breezefall.  Let us hope.

May 17, 2017       Permalink

TRUMP SEEKING AN "ARAB NATO" – AT 12:31 P.M. ET:   The left-wing press is spinning this week's presidential trip to the Mideast and the Vatican as a way in which Trump can escape the "scandals" of Washington.  In fact, planning for the trip began months ago. 

And the president has serious objectives.  From the Washington Post, via Reading Eagle: 

When President Donald Trump arrives in Riyadh this week, he will lay out his vision for a new regional security architecture White House officials call an "Arab NATO," to guide the fight against terrorism and push back against Iran. As a cornerstone of the plan, Trump will also announce one of the largest arms-sales deals in history.

Behind the scenes, the Trump administration and Saudi Arabia have been conducting extensive negotiations, led by White House senior adviser Jared Kushner and Saudi Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. The discussions began shortly after the presidential election, when Mohammed, known in Washington as "MBS," sent a delegation to meet with Kushner and other Trump officials at Trump Tower.

After years of disillusionment with the Obama administration, the Saudi leadership was eager to do business. "They were willing to make a bet on Trump and on America," a senior White House official said.

In that meeting and during a follow-up meeting three weeks later, the Saudis proposed a broad elevation of the U.S.-Saudi relationship and proposed various projects to increase security cooperation, economic cooperation and investment, White House officials said. The Trump team gave the Saudis a list of Trump priorities, calling on the kingdom to step up actions to combat radical Islamic extremism, intensify the fight against the Islamic State and share the burden of regional security.

COMMENT:  This has to be looked at with two eyes.  There have been many attempts in the past to organize Arab "unity," and they have mostly failed.  The full story reports huge arms sales to Saudi Arabia, and there have to be ironclad guarantees that the arms won't be used against Israel. 

Saudi Arabia is still a dictatorship, with a horrible record on women's rights.  However, there are signs that it has tried to make progress in recent years.

We'll see.  Trust but verify.

May 17,  2017     Permalink

SHOULD WE CALL IT NEWS? – AT 10:18 A.M. ET:  Day by day, the bombshells come, sending the media into an uncontrolled frenzy.   The administration is collapsing!  Trump is giving away secrets!  Oh me god, it's the end for the Land of Lincoln!

Look, I don't know the full facts, and, as we've said here before, Trump can be his worst enemy.  But I'm more than a little suspicious of the drip, drip, drip, of leaks, parts of memos, parts of transcripts.  The leaks seem well timed to come at regular intervals, and their common appearance in the Washington Post and The New York Times, two wildly anti-Trump papers, is more than suspicious.

I'd like to see some facts.  I'd also like to see some of our "journalists" point out that because something appears in a memo does not make it accurate.  Self-serving memos, diaries, books, are all over the place. 

This morning Vladimir Putin offered to "help" put some of our concerns to rest.  From CNN: 

Moscow (CNN) Russian President Vladimir Putin has offered to provide a transcript of a controversial Oval Office meeting between President Donald Trump and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, raising the stakes in an affair that has sent the White House into a tailspin.

Speaking at a press conference in Sochi, Russia, Putin dismissed allegations that Trump had shared top-secret security intelligence with Russian diplomats as "political schizophrenia."

"If the US administration finds it necessary, we are ready to provide the record of the conversation between Trump and Lavrov to the Senate and Congress," Putin said.

The intervention by Putin could turn up the pressure on the White House to provide its own transcript of the meeting. The Senate intelligence committee has already demanded a briefing on what was said at the meeting from members of the Trump administration who were present.

The episode is the latest woe for Trump, whose administration is engulfed in a series of scandals linked to Russia.

COMMENT:  The latest "bombshell," of course, is a report in The New York Times that former FBI Director James Comey wrote a memo after a meeting with President Trump, alleging that Trump asked him to go easy on then National Security Advisor Michael Flynn. 

Was the memo accurate?  Was a tape made of the meeting?  What else was in the memo?

The screamers are already yelling "obstruction of justice."  No, probably not.  As FBI director, Comey would have had an absolute obligation to report any obstruction of justice to the Justice Department.  The fact that he did not do so indicates that he didn't think the president's comments met the test.

But there are so many leaks and so few facts.  This is dangerous for the country, but good business for
CNN.

May 17,  2017     Permalink