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FINAL SUBSCRIPTION DRIVE OF 2018

FIRST FOUR DAYS – REASONABLY GOOD, BUT WE NEED MUCH MORE INPUT TO REACH OUR FINANCING NEEDS!!

This week we launch the final subscription drive of the year.  We depend on subscriptions and donations to keep going.  We lean heavily on them to cover the rising costs of research, modernizing of technology, and renting the bandwith to stay on the internet. 

We have a superb, self-selected readership that is both mature and sane.  In our almost 11 years of posting we have expelled only one subscriber, and we got an apology from his wife. 

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To participate, simply go to the right-hand column, opposite this appeal. You'll see SUBSCRIPTIONS.  You may subscribe or donate using PayPal or any of the other methods listed.  We especially recommend SENDINC, as it has proved so popular with our members.  Instructions are given.  If you wish to use regular mail, send me an email at comments@urgentagenda.com, and I'll give you the address of our armed bunker.

I hope you join us.

NOVEMBER 16,  2018

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

FASCINATING CASE – FROM THE WASHINGTON TIMES:  The Supreme Court announced Friday it will grant an expedited hearing on the Trump administration’s request to add a question concerning citizenship to the 2020 census.  The justices set oral argument for February, converting what had been a narrow request involving one part of the case into a full grant of review.  At stake is one of President Trump’s key goals — asking people to disclose their citizenship when they take part in the 2020 count.  Anti-Trump state attorneys general and immigrant-rights groups sued to stop the question, arguing it will scare immigrants, both legal and illegal, away from taking part in the census, skewing the count. That, they say, will mean some states won’t get the congressional representation nor federal money they are entitled to.  A federal judge in New York has ruled that asking the question isn’t inherently illegal — indeed, it was part of censuses up to 1950, and is still asked by the Census Bureau to some smaller sample sizes. But the judge questioned the motives of the Trump administration in asking it.  Seems to me that asking if someone is a citizen is a key part of any census.  Common sense, please.

I CANNOT WAIT (YES I CAN) – FROM DEADLINE.COM:   Bull star Michael Weatherly and NCIS: Los Angeles co-star Eric Christian Olsen have teamed up to produce First Lady, a provocative drama, which has been put in development at CBS.  Written/executive produced by Jessica Grasl (Designated Survivor), First Lady centers around the beloved First Lady of the United States, who, determined to reclaim her life, does the unthinkable – she divorces her husband while he’s still in office and uses her prominence to become an advocate for truth and justice by revitalizing her career as an investigative journalist.  I'd like to know what "truth and justice" they're talking about.  In Hollywood, that's usually code language for the left-wing line.

SMART WORKERS – FROM METRO:   Quite a large number of British workers reckon a robot could make better business decisions than their own flesh-and-blood boss.  That’s according to a new report that found one in three (34%) of employees believe a robot would be better if it had access to the right business intelligence.  The annual survey, called the Advanced Trends Report, is the third commissioned by British software and services company Advanced. The company asked over 1,000 professionals in UK organisations and found that only 35% of managing directors are said to be driving technology change.   Nearly two-thirds (65%) of respondents said they would be happy to work alongside robotic technology if it meant less manual processes.  The future workplace.  I hope the robots will tell good jokes.

November 16, 2018       Permalink

ABRAMS QUITS, OR DOES SHE? – AT 11:30 P.M. ET:  Stacey Abrams, Democratic candidate for governor of Georgia, has ended her quest for further counts, recounts, and fantasy counts, and has affirmed that she has lost the election.  But it was a strange withdrawal, consistent with obvious plans for a political future.  From AP and others: 

Democrat Stacey Abrams ended her bid to be Georgia governor late Friday in a speech which she said was not a 'concession' but an acknowledgment that she cannot win.

She said Brian Kemp, the Republican candidate, would win the vote count which was due to be certified at 5 p.m., just as she made the speech to supporters in Atlanta.

But she ended her bid to be the nation's first black female governor defiantly saying that she would be suing in federal court over the election's 'gross mismanagement', taking a bitter election with claims of racist voter suppression into a new arena.

Her move means that Kemp will be named Georgia's governor, having overseen the election's running as the secretary of state.

She  said her announcement was not a concession because that would acknowledge 'an action as right.'

'I acknowledge that former (Georgia) Secretary of State Brian Kemp will be certified as the victor,' Abrams told supporters in Atlanta. 

'But to watch an elected official who claims to represent the people in this state baldly pin his hopes for election on the suppression of the people's democratic right to vote has been truly appalling.'

'So, let's be clear, this is not a speech of concession, because concession means to acknowledge an action as right, true or proper,' she said.  

Abrams, 44, had considered a court challenge to force a runoff, which is allowed by state law if neither candidate gets a majority of the vote. Initial results showed Kemp just over that threshold.

COMMENT:  Not exactly gracious  And, of course, the race card is played.  But let her have her day in court, where she must prove her charges. 

I did think it was poor style for Brian Kemp to remain as secretary of state during the election.  His office oversaw that election.  He should have recused, simply for style.

That said, no serious acts of suppression have apparently been found.  And you may be sure the liberal press was looking.  Stacey was their hero.

A victory for the GOP.

November 16, 2018       Permalink

PRESIDENT RISES MORE – AT 10:21 A.M. ET:  The president's standing in the Rasmussen daily tracker has now been restored to its position just before the election:

The Rasmussen Reports daily Presidential Tracking Poll for Friday shows that 49% of Likely U.S. Voters approve of President Trump’s job performance. Fifty percent (50%) disapprove.

The latest figures include 36% who Strongly Approve of the way Trump is performing and 41% who Strongly Disapprove. This gives him a Presidential Approval Index rating of -5.

COMMENT:  He's actually above Obama in this poll, but we stress that it's only one poll.  Others have the president lower.

The trend, though, for Mr. Trump, is upward.  Dems have been full of themselves in the last week.  They might consider deflating a bit

November 16, 2018       Permalink

MADNESS IN GEORGIA – AT 9:53 A.M. ET:  It's so over in Georgia.  Brian Kemp has clearly been elected governor, but Dem fanatic Stacey Abrams, playing the race card all the way to oblivion, may actually go to court to have the election re-run.  Welcome to a bad Hollywood movie.  From AP:

ATLANTA (AP) — Stacey Abrams’ campaign and legal team is preparing an unprecedented legal challenge in the unresolved Georgia governor’s race that could leave the state’s Supreme Court deciding whether to force another round of voting.

The Democrat’s longshot strategy relies on a statute that’s never been used in such a high-stakes contest. It is being discussed as Georgia elections officials appear to be on the cusp of certifying Republican Brian Kemp as the winner of a bitterly fought campaign that’s been marred by charges of electoral malfeasance.

Top Abrams advisers outlined her prospective case to The Associated Press, stressing that the Democratic candidate hasn’t finalized a decision about whether to proceed once state officials certify Kemp as the victor. That could happen as early as Friday evening.

Allegra Lawrence-Hardy, Abrams’ campaign chairwoman, is overseeing a team of almost three-dozen lawyers who in the coming days will draft the petition, along with a ream of affidavits from voters and would-be voters who say they were disenfranchised. Abrams would then decide whether to go to court under a provision of Georgia election law that allows losing candidates to challenge results based on “misconduct, fraud or irregularities ... sufficient to change or place in doubt the results.”

The legal team is “considering all options,” Lawrence-Hardy said, including federal court remedies. But the state challenge is the most drastic. And some Democratic legal observers note Abrams would be dependent on statutes that set a high bar for the court to intervene.

She already faces a narrow path to the governor’s mansion. Unofficial returns show Kemp with about 50.2 percent of more than 3.9 million votes. That puts him about 18,000 votes above the threshold required to win by a majority and avoid a Dec. 4 runoff. The Associated Press is not calling the race until state officials certify the results.

Abrams would assert that enough irregularities occurred to raise the possibility that at least 18,000 Georgians either had their ballots thrown out or were not allowed to vote.

COMMENT:  There are probably irregularities in every election, but any problems in Georgia appear small.  I wonder how many Abrams supporters voted early and often, and brought their deceased relatives with them. 

A gracious concession by Ms. Abrams is in order.  Anything else will probably enrage the Georgia public, but endear Abrams to the new Democratic nut brigade in Washington.

November 16,  2018     Permalink

NOVEMBER 15,  2018

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

FLORIDA GOV DECIDED – FROM THE TAMPA BAY TIMES:  Nine days after Election Day, and one machine recount later, it is all but official: Ron DeSantis is Florida's next governor.  The results of the statewide machine recount which rolled by the Thursday 3 p.m. deadline, solidified what most already knew, as DeSantis has already made himself busy with transitioning to power and creating a new government.  In the governor's race, it was an anticlimactic finish to the dramatic machine recount — plagued with technical issues and an avalanche of lawsuits — with almost no change in the margin between DeSantis and his Democratic opponent, Andrew Gillum, since this weekend. Still, about 0.41 percentage points separate the two candidates, or just under 34,000 votes.  Just after the results were released, DeSantis sent a statement to reporters declaring victory — once again. "I remain humbled by your support and the great honor the people of Florida have shown me as I prepare to serve as your next governor," his statement read, striking a more conciliatory tone than the confrontational-approach he used in the campaign.  Good outcome.  Gillum is a leftist, not a liberal, and would have wrecked Florida.

US SENATE – FLORIDA – FROM CBS NEWS:   The race for Florida governor now appears to be over, while the Senate race between Gov. Rick Scott and Sen. Bill Nelson, as well as the agriculture commissioner race moved on to another recount Thursday.  Florida Secretary of State Ken Detzner declared Thursday afternoon that the results from the machine recount of the Senate and agriculture commissioner races met the statutory threshold of 0.25 percent to trigger a manual recount, which is to be completed on Nov. 20.  Oh, this will be fun – a hand recount in Florida, just like the 2000 presidential election.  Some officials in Florida, by the way, have spoken out about the horrible way the state runs elections, and the impact on its reputation.  Maybe incoming Governor DeSantis will do something about it. 

DISGRACEFUL – FROM DAILYWIRE:  The Detroit School Board voted Wednesday to open consideration into whether a handful of schools should have their "offensive" names changed — including Benjamin Carson High School of Science and Medicine, named for former presidential candidate, accomplished surgeon, and Housing and Urban Development director, Dr. Ben Carson.  The board will seek comment over the next several months on whether to change Carson High, which was named for Dr. Ben Carson before he became active in politics, and well before he became an ally of President Donald Trump, something the Detroit School Board apparently doesn't appreciate.  The Detroit News reports that at least one school board member has been campaigning to have Carson stripped of the honor, and that the proposed name change has everything to do with how the Detroit School Board feels about Republicans.  Yup, that's just what young blacks need – demeaning and insulting a man of such accomplishment.  Shame. 

November 15, 2018       Permalink 

NOT SO FAST, NANCY – AT 11:52 A.M. ET:  I still expect Nancy Pelosi to emerge as the next speaker of the House, but there is serious unrest in her ranks.  It's clear that many in those ranks would prefer a new face.  From Fox: 

The revolt inside the Democratic Party against Nancy Pelosi's return to the House speakership is gaining momentum with a growing number of Democrats signing a letter pledging not to support the California Democrat for speaker.

Fox News has confirmed at least 17 House Democrats, including incumbents and incoming members, have signed on to a document saying they will not support Pelosi on the House floor for speaker. A Democrat familiar with the effort says they are trying to add more names before the letter is publicly released.

If all those Democrats vote against Pelosi on the floor, Pelosi would not have the votes for speaker.

To get the gavel, Pelosi will first need to pick up a majority of the Democratic Caucus in internal leadership elections, then go on to win an absolute majority of the House.

Still, even as these Democrats try to convince Pelosi she doesn't have enough support to win, no Democrat has stepped forward yet to challenge her.

But on Wednesday, Rep. Marcia Fudge, a Democrat from Ohio, said she is contemplating running for speaker.

"People are asking me to do it, and I am thinking about it," Fudge told a local news outlet. "I need to give it some thought and see if I have an interest. I am at the very beginning of this process. It is just in discussion at this point."

During a Capitol Hill press conference on Thursday, Pelosi simply replied “yes” when asked if she would have the votes if the election were today. Asked about a potential challenge from Fudge, Pelosi replied, “Come on in. The water’s warm.”

Meanwhile, Massachusetts Democratic Rep. Seth Moulton tweeted his support for Fudge.

COMMENT:  So we have a party that just won control of the House, and already is in disarray.  The big question about Democrats is whether they're ready to govern.  That was also the big question about the Democratic Party in the mid- to late-seventies, after Watergate.  The party was given a golden chance and muffed it, first by electing preening, morally pretentious members of Congress who believed they had saved the Republic, then by gifting us with one Jimmy Carter, whose incompetent administration begat the Reagan Revolution.

It could happen again.  Some learn from history, and some ignore it.

November 15, 2018       Permalink

THE PRESIDENT RISES – AT 11:16 A.M. ET:  The start of this week saw the president dipping in the Rasmussen daily tracker, for some unknown reason.  Was there reason to be concerned?  I don't know, but today shows an important rise, from 46% to 48%.  He's still beating Obama.  From Rasmussen: 

The Rasmussen Reports daily Presidential Tracking Poll for Thursday shows that 48% of Likely U.S. Voters approve of President Trump’s job performance. Fifty percent (50%) disapprove. 

The latest figures include 36% who Strongly Approve of the way Trump is performing and 41% who Strongly Disapprove. This gives him a Presidential Approval Index rating of -5.

COMMENT:  The 2020 presidential sweepstakes have already begun.  The Democrats have seven to eight thousand presidential candidates, none of whom is outstanding.  The Republicans have the president, but there are some pretenders lining up.  It is said that one Jeff Flake might challenge Mr. Trump for the nomination.  Or maybe Ohio Governor John Kasich.  Or one of the oldies might return to the campaign trail.  The level of resistance within the Republican Party to the president, and it is there, will largely be determined by his standing in the polls. 

November 15,  2018     Permalink