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OCTOBER 5,  2016

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

SICKENING – FROM ABC:  LANCASTER, Calif. (KABC) -- A Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department sergeant died after being shot during a deputy-involved shooting in Lancaster, authorities said.  The department identified him as Steve Owen, 53, a 29-year veteran of the department who had spent the last five years at the Lancaster Station.  Owen and another deputy had responded to a burglary call around noon in the 3200 block of West Avenue J7, sheriff's officials said. The area was contained and during the containment gunfire was heard in the back of the location.  The deputy at the front of the complex ran in the direction of the gunfire and found Owen suffering from a gunshot wound. The suspect then fled the area on foot, ran to the front of the home and attempted to steal Owen's patrol car, according to authorities.   The suspect put the car into reverse, ramming the second patrol car, which resulted in a second deputy-involved shooting, authorities said.  Authorities said the suspect then fled from the area on foot and ran into another home with two teens inside. Special Enforcement Bureau officers were able to get the teens safely out of the home before the suspect was taken into custody.  Let's see if Barack Obama or Hillary Clinton take note of the sergeant's sacrifice, and the heroism of the other officers involved in capturing the suspect.  Let's see if
Anderson Cooper, who will co-moderate this Sunday's presidential debate, bothers to mention the case.  I'm waiting.

OH, WHAT'S A LITTLE CHEATING? – FROM THE HILL:   Hillary Clinton was provided the exact questions she would be asked by daytime talk show host Steve Harvey, according to a report.  The Washington Free Beacon reports that according to a leaked memo it obtained, the Clinton campaign was sent all questions one week by the program before the interview between Clinton and Harvey on Feb. 17.  "Steve is known to be a host who goes out of his way to make his guests feel comfortable,” two of Clinton’s aides wrote Clinton one week before the taping. “We coordinated closely with the show’s producers on the script and format of the show.”  The memo was sent by campaign spokeswoman Karen Finney -- formerly an MSNBC host -- and communications staffer Betsaida Alcantara...The campaign and the Harvey's producers also coordinated on which parts of Clinton’s biography would be introduced and how..  “During this segment Steve will take a trip down memory lane with YOU to talk about the different  moments of YOUR life displayed in the photographs below,” the memo stated.  During the interview, Clinton acted surprised when the photos were placed on screen.  What a fraud.  Republicans should demand, in future presidential years, an independent journalism panel, representing different points of view, that would judge violations of press ethics.  This certainly is one, and a whopper.  Clinton, of course, had no problem with cheating.  No one ever claimed that "honesty" is her middle name.

AL QAEDA RESURGENT – FROM THE TIMES OF LONDON:   A resurgent al-Qaeda is plotting attacks against Britain with renewed vigour as Islamic State comes under pressure, sources said last night.  Sir Michael Fallon, the defence secretary, also told The Times that the terrorist network posed a “very direct threat” to the UK and Europe.  An offshoot in Syria — the Nusra Front, recently renamed the Fateh al-Sham Front — is regarded by the West as the most potent, with senior leaders believed to be on the ground actively working on attack plans. One figurehead of the group was reportedly killed in a US drone strike on Monday.  Please don't wake up Field Marshal Obama and tell him about this.  It might get him upset.

October 5, 2016       Permalink

WHAT RUSSIANS ARE TOLD – AND IT'S CHILLING – AT 11:51 A.M. ET:  Tensions between the U.S. and Russia are growing, over Syria and many other issues.  The so-called "reset" with Russia, initiated by Hillary Clinton when she played at being secretary of state, is history.  American weakness led directly to Russia re-entering the Mideast with military power.  And what are the Russian people being told?  From Metro UK:   

As tensions rise in the middle East, an official TV channel in Russia has issued a chilling warning that war with the West could be imminent.

Zvezda, a nationwide TV service run by the country’s Ministry of Defence, said last week, ‘Schizophrenics from America are sharpening nuclear weapons for Moscow.’

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday proposed a law suspending a Moscow-Washington agreement to dispose of weapons-grade plutonium.

Officials said on Friday that underground shelters had been built which could house 12 milion people – enough for the entire population of Moscow.

Russia has clashed with the Western powers over its policy in Syria – where it’s accused of bombing civilians – and the U.S suspended negotiations with the country yesterday.

Both Russia and NATO are still in the position to unleash global-scale nuclear attacks – and the weapons are armed and ready.

The Arms Control Association says, ‘United States and Russia still deploy more than 1,500 strategic warheads on several hundred bombers and missiles – far more than necessary to deter nuclear attack – and they are modernizing their nuclear delivery systems.

COMMENT:  The war words may simply be internal government propaganda, but we're seeing more and more reports of similar saber-rattling in a number of publications. 

In 2012, Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney warned that Russia was our number one enemy.  He was widely ridiculed by the mainstream media.  I haven't seen any "journalists" apologizing to Romney.

We are weakening our defenses at the same time that the Russians are improving theirs.  They lost the Cold War but they're back on track, building the most modern jet aircraft.  And they act with impunity.

Weakness has its results.  Will we learn?

October 5, 2016       Permalink

WRONG TRACK – AT 10:22 A.M. ET:  The right track/wrong track polls, measuring whether voters feel the country is heading right or wrong, are often seen as general predictors of elections, although the record is mixed.  The latest poll, reported Monday, is from Rasmussen:   

Twenty-nine percent (29%) of Likely U.S. Voters think the country is heading in the right direction, according to a new Rasmussen Reports national telephone and online survey for the week ending September 29.

That is an abysmally low figure.

The national telephone survey of 2,500 Likely Voters was conducted by Rasmussen Reports from September 25-29, 2016. The margin of sampling error for the survey is +/- 2 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence.

And this morning Rasmussen was out with its latest tracker, showing progress for the Trump/Pence ticket:

The two major presidential candidates remain in a dead heat, but Donald Trump has regained the edge.

The latest Rasmussen Reports White House Watch survey shows Trump with 42% support among Likely U.S. Voters to Hillary Clinton’s 41%. Yesterday, it was the other way around, Clinton 42%, Trump 41%, and the day before Clinton had a 43% to 40% advantage. This is the first time Trump has been ahead since before the first presidential debate last week.

Libertarian candidate Gary Johnson earns eight percent (8%) support in the latest survey, and Green Party nominee Jill Stein remains at two percent (2%). Another two percent (2%) like some other candidate, and three percent (3%) are undecided. (To see survey question wording, click here.)

Among the 82% of voters who say they are certain how they will vote, Trump leads 48% to 47%. Among those who say they still could change their minds, it’s Trump 32%, Clinton 30%, Johnson 27% and Stein 11%.

This survey was largely completed prior to last night’s debate between Democratic vice presidential nominee Tim Kaine and Trump’s running mate Mike Pence.

COMMENT:  We should stress that Rasmussen tilts slightly Republican.  Other polls show Clinton ahead, by an average of 3-4 points.  Last night's debate might give the Trump ticket a small boost.  It certainly did not help the Clinton ticket. 

We are four days away from the next presidential debate.  Projecting ahead, it's possible we'll go into that debate with a very close race, featuring a small Clinton lead.

October 5, 2016       Permalink

ALL PENCE ALL THE TIME – AT 9:52 A.M. ET:  There is almost universal agreement this morning that Mike Pence, with his steadiness and refusal to be baited, won last night.  Democrat Tim Kaine, acting the bully and armed with rehearsed attack lines, was the loser. 

The question being widely asked is whether Trump can build on Pence's success in Sunday night's debate. 

I thought Scott Johnson's summary of last night's debate, at Powerline, was superb:

The vice-presidential debate between Senator Tim Kaine and Governor Mike Pence last night gave us two sides of Kaine: Kaine can’t and Kaine cant.

Kaine can’t say he’ll be Clinton’s right-hand man. No, he’ll be her “right-hand person.”

When it comes to men, Democrats are riding the culture wave and would prefer not to distinguish between men and women for certain purposes. Announcing himself Hillary Clinton’s right-hand man wouldn’t be prudent. It would be insensitive. It would be exclusionary. Tim Kaine loves you, in your many genders and varieties and manifestations, even if Hillary Clinton will be our first woman president and not our current presidential person.

And...

Kaine’s cant also featured several assertions that the Iran deal has stopped Iran’s nuclear program. As always, the Democrats seek to exploit the profound ignorance of their prospective supporters. Iran’s nuclear program not only continues, the Iran deal funds it for the indefinite future.

And...

Kaine seeks to present himself as a nice guy. His performance showed him to be a phony (as he is a phony moderate). The nice guy thing is his persona; he’s a jerk following orders or simply a jerk. I’ve met a lot of politicians like him and I hate the type.

Pence presented a strong critique of Clinton on conservative grounds. He maintained his presence of mind through Kaine’s constant interruptions. He touted his own record as governor of Indiana (without objection or response). He disparaged Kaine’s record as governor of Virginia (without objection or response).

And...

I wished Pence could make a difference in the election and I wished he were the candidate at the top of the ticket. He seemed to me to show the appeal of the conservative case against the Obama era that Clinton promises to deepen and extend.

COMMENT:  Read the whole thing.  It's worth it.

October 5,  2016     Permalink

OCTOBER 4,  2016

DEBATE REACTION – AT 11:46 P.M. ET:  It's pretty clear from reaction across the internet that Republican Governor Mike Pence won tonight's vice-presidential debate.  The CNN poll, just out, shows a 48-42 win for Pence.  Not a knockout, but thoroughly respectable.

I agree with the reaction.  Pence was not only vice-presidential, he was presidential.  Some are already calling this his audition for 2020.  Fine with me.  Mike Pence is a solid governor of Indiana, a committed conservative, an experienced former member of Congress, and a man who should have run for president this year.

Pence was reasoned, and he inspired confidence, something in short supply in this election campaign.  His opponent, Senator Tim Kaine of Virginia, was perfectly serviceable, but sounded rehearsed and programmed.  He reminded me of a high-school guidance counselor who doubles as the girls' soccer coach.  Kaine also interrupted Pence too much, and became annoying.

The problem, of course, is that Pence's victory may not move the needle much in the presidential race.  People usually don't vote for vice president.  And, ironically, Pence's performance showed dramatically the defects of Donald Trump as a candidate at the top of the ticket.  Pence may actually have done Trump some harm through the comparison. 

During the debate, Trump was tweeting mean comments about Tim Kaine.  As several commentators said, someone should have taken away Trump's iPhone.  It was as if he was fearful that the camera would be off him, and on Pence, for 90 minutes. 

The real polls, scientifically done, will be out in about three days.  They'll be taken in time for Sunday's presidential debate in St. Louis.  Republicans will hope that Pence closed a bit of the gap between Clinton and Trump, which in recent days has reflected a Clinton lead of a bit more than three points.  If Trump will listen, and prepare thoroughly for Sunday, he might reverse the current trend in this race.  If Trump doesn't listen, and starts going off the course, Clinton will continue her momentum, win the election, and Pence will start building for the campaign four years hence, as a man already known as a national figure. 

October 4,  2016     Permalink

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The vice-presidential debate is over.   As always, I gather information and reactions before commenting, so I'll be back in a little while.  One immediate observation, and unsurprising:  The vice presidential candidates are better than their bosses.

TONIGHT'S DEBATE – AT 10:51 A.M. ET:  The Washington Times presents the the candidates:

One thing is for sure. Donald Trump has a running mate with impeccable conservative credentials. In fact, Gov. Mike Pence has the best conservative credentials in 50 years according to the American Conservative Union, which ought to know. “Mike Pence is the most conservative vice presidential nominee the country has seen in 50 years,” the organization said after reviewing Mr. Pence’s legislative and voting patterns, declaring him to be “99 percent alignment” with their tenets.

The conservative group annually reviews the records of federal and state elected officials on a scale of zero to 99 points, assigning them an “ACU rating” based on support for bedrock conservative issues. A certain Democratic rival is at the opposite end of the ideological spectrum, however.

“The single most liberal vice-presidential nominee in our lifetime is Tim Kaine, the only nominee with a perfect 0 percent lifetime rating,” the organization said, adding that the rating “puts him to the left” of then-Sens. Barack Obama who had a 10 percent rating, and Hillary Clinton (8 percent); Sen. Bernie Sanders has a 6 percent rating.

In the meantime, the press is painting Mr. Pence as a kind of conservative booster shot for Donald Trump’s campaign. Mr. Pence’s critical role is as “Trump’s emissary to evangelicals,” suggested The Associated Press. The Hill bills Mr. Pence as a “jump-start” for his running mate while Politico offers starker terms: “Hill Republicans bet it all on Pence.”

David Kochel, a strategist for former presidential hopeful Jeb Bush, advises Mr. Pence to take a risk, and perhaps be in touch with his inner Trump.

“I predict a steady, if boring, vice presidential debate performance that will be the focus of one full news cycle — probably right up to the moment Mr. Trump next tweets, after which attention will shift back to the main event between him and Mrs. Clinton. All of that is what Mr. Pence is likely to do. But what should he do? My advice in two words: Go rogue. Instead of offering explanations for Donald Trump, he should adopt Mr. Trump’s penchant for speaking his mind and being authentic,” Mr. Kochel wrote in the Wall Street Journal.

COMMENT:  And I agree with the advice.  Pence is a pro.  He can hit the other side without being obnoxious about it.

And Kaine, presented to us by the media as a "moderate," is a solid liberal, out of touch with the need for change from the leftist policies of Barack Obama.

I hope Pence shakes it up.  Advance word is that he will be tough.  I hope so.

October 4, 2016       Permalink

UNBELIEVABLE – AT 10:08 A.M. ET:  I hate to see the great FBI in this position.   Everything the Clintons touch, they corrupt.  This requires a Congressional investigation, and fast.  From Fox: 

Immunity deals for two top Hillary Clinton aides included a side arrangement obliging the FBI to destroy their laptops after reviewing the devices, House Judiciary Committee sources told Fox News on Monday.

Sources said the arrangement with former Clinton chief of staff Cheryl Mills and ex-campaign staffer Heather Samuelson also limited the search to no later than Jan. 31, 2015. This meant investigators could not review documents for the period after the email server became public -- in turn preventing the bureau from discovering if there was any evidence of obstruction of justice, sources said.

The Republican chairman of the House Judiciary Committee fired off a letter Monday to Attorney General Loretta Lynch asking why the DOJ and FBI agreed to the restrictive terms, including that the FBI would destroy the laptops after finishing the search.

“Like many things about this case, these new materials raise more questions than answers,” Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte, R-Va., wrote in the letter obtained by Fox News.

“Doesn’t the willingness of Ms. Mills and Ms. Samuelson to have their laptops destroyed by the FBI contradict their claim that the laptops could have been withheld because they contained non-relevant, privileged information? If so, doesn’t that undermine the claim that the side agreements were necessary?” Goodlatte asks.

The immunity deals for Mills and Samuelson, made as part of the FBI’s probe into Clinton’s use of a private email server when she served as secretary of state, apparently included a series of “side agreements” that were negotiated by Samuelson and Mills’ attorney Beth Wilkinson.

The side deals were agreed to on June 10, less than a month before FBI Director James Comey announced that the agency would recommend no charges be brought against Clinton or her staff.

Judiciary Committee aides told FoxNews.com that the destruction of the laptops is particularly troubling as it means that the computers could not be used as evidence in future legal proceedings, should new information or circumstances arise.

COMMENT:  I just wonder what Attorney General Loretta Lynch's role in this was.  She oversees the FBI.  If Clinton wins, she will enter office under the same cloud that seems always to hover over the Clintons – the cloud of corruption.

We deserve a lot better.  Now let's see if the Republicans pursue this outrageous case, or let it slip away, which is very Republican, after all.

October 4, 2016       Permalink

POLLS ON DAY OF VEEP DEBATE – AT 9:21 A.M. ET:  All major polls, as of this morning, favor Hillary Clinton.

The RealClearPolitics average of major polls has Clinton up 3.7 points.  The polling runs from NBC, in which Clinton leads by 6, to Rasmussen, in which she leads by 1.

Clinton also leads in most of the battleground states.

Trump had an awful week.  Clinton won the first debate decisively, and Trump compounded his loss by going completely off message, not realizing that Miss Universe is not a major issue to most Americans. 

The next presidential debate is this Sunday, October 9th, in St. Louis.  If Trump cannot defeat Clinton, or at least tie her, I have the sense that his campaign will be futile.  The

The vice presidential debate is tonight.  Rarely does a veep debate change anything, but both the Democrat Tim Kaine and the Republican, Mike Pence, are more desirable public servants than the characters at the top of their tickets.  And one of them might just become president.  So look them over. 

There is a general revulsion toward this campaign among members of the public, if surveys are to be believed.  People just wish it were over.  And I believe the mainstream media, with its obvious bias, has been permanently damaged...but the culprits will never realize it. 

October 4,  2016     Permalink