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OCTOBER 28,  2021

SHORT TAKES ON THE DRIFTING WRECKAGE – OVERNIGHT: 

THEY'LL BLAME IT ON TRUMP – OVERNIGHT,  FROM FOX BUSINESS:   U.S. economic growth decelerated in the third quarter as consumer spending slowed amid a resurgence in new COVID-19 cases and as government assistance payments decreased.  Gross domestic product – the broadest measure of economic performance – grew at a 2% annual rate during the three months through September, the weakest of the recovery, according to an advance estimate released Thursday by the Commerce Department. Analysts surveyed by Refinitiv were expecting 2.7% growth. Second-quarter GDP was 6.7%.  "The Delta wave of infections, the waning fiscal stimulus and shortages, particularly of motor vehicles, triggered a marked slowdown in consumption growth," said Paul Ashworth, chief U.S. economist at research firm Capital Economics.   Personal consumption grew at a 1.6% pace after accelerating 12% during the second quarter. Businesses have since the reopening of the global economy struggled to keep store shelves stocked due to supply-chain bottlenecks and labor deficiencies. The supply shortages have resulted in higher prices for the consumer.  If present trends continue, the economy will be the number one issue in the upcoming midterm elections.  Following close behind, though, could easily be education, especially the fight for school choice and the role of parents.  I can't see how Democrats can win on these issues, but unforeseen events can prove us wrong.

October 28, 2021       Permalink 

NOW WAIT, WAIT.  IS THIS REAL?  AM I DREAMING? – OVERNIGHT:  A new Fox poll in Virginia has stunned political observers.  From the New York Post:  

Republican Glenn Youngkin now holds a clear lead over Democrat Terry McAuliffe in the Virginia gubernatorial race with five days to go before Election Day, according to a just-released poll.

The Fox News survey showed Youngkin leading McAuliffe by eight percentage points (53-45) among likely voters, with just 2 percent supporting other candidates or undecided.

That represents a dramatic turnaround from just two weeks ago, when the same poll showed McAuliffe with 51 percent support among likely voters, 46 percent supporting Youngkin and 3 percent undecided or supporting other candidates.

Youngkin also leads McAullife by a single percentage point (48-47) among all registered voters, a 12-point turnaround from two weeks earlier, when McAullife held a 52-41 advantage among registered voters.

Perhaps most stunningly, the poll shows 53 percent of likely Virginia voters were more likely to trust Youngkin on the issue of education, while just 44 percent said they were more likely to trust McAuliffe.

The race has been rocked in recent weeks by the issue of parental control of education amid controversies over issues like mask mandates and the imposition of critical race theory in K-12 curricula.

COMMENT:  We stress, as we always do, that this is only one poll, a snapshot in time.  But it is a poll of likely voters by a reputable organization that has been polling Virginia for months.  The trend is obvious and convincing.

Other pollsters will be out with their last-minute surveys over the weekend.  The vote is Tuesday.  That's the only poll that counts.

But the morale on our side is soaring. 

October 28, 2021      Permalink

OCTOBER 27,  2021

SHORT TAKES ON THE DRIFTING WRECKAGE – OVERNIGHT: 

RON TRIUMPHANT – FROM BREITBART:   Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) touted Florida’s milestone of reaching the lowest coronavirus case rate in the nation on Wednesday, highlighting the “overreach” of vaccine mandates.  “Without mandates or lockdowns, COVID-19 cases in Florida have decreased 90% since August,” DeSantis said in a press release. “In addition to cases, hospitalizations have plummeted in our state.”  “This has been accomplished by making monoclonal antibody treatments and vaccines widely available throughout our state while protecting Floridians from government overreach,” he added.  According to the latest numbers, over the past two months, Florida’s daily average has dropped to about eight cases per 100,000 residents (about 1,700 cases per day), a sharp turn from its numbers in August when it averaged 116 cases per 100,000 residents (about 25,000 cases per day). Hawaii, an island state with a strict entry policy, trails closely behind Florida with nine cases per 100,000 residents.  As Yahoo News noted, Florida’s case rates are now “roughly half of California’s current COVID rate and less than a quarter of Vermont’s,” both of which have vaccination rates over 70 percent. In other blue states, such as New York, the numbers are even worse.  Yes, those liberal states lecture the rest of the nation on their wonderfulness and their worship of science, but the results never match the boasts.  Typical.

October 27, 2021       Permalink

CHILLING.  GARLAND SINGS, AND IT'S NOT JUDY – OVERNIGHT:  The attorney general of the United States refuses to back down from his own absurdity, and we are the ultimate losers.  From Fox:

Attorney General Merrick Garland doubled down on his memo to Department of Justice employees addressing a federal response to violence and intimidation of school board officials — despite the National School Boards Association apologizing for the letter that inspired the memo.

Appearing on Capitol Hill for the second time in two weeks, Garland told the Senate Judiciary Committee on Wednesday that the NSBA's second letter – which contained an apology for inflammatory language in the first one – had no bearing on the DOJ's stance.

"The letter that was subsequently sent does not change the association’s concern of violence or threats of violence. It alters some of the language in the letter … that we did not rely on and is not contained in my own memorandum," Garland said after committee chairman Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., asked if he had "second thoughts" following the apology.

Garland claimed that the DOJ is not just concerned about school board officials, but a "rising tide" of violence against judges, prosecutors, election administrators, and others.

"The only thing the Justice Department is concerned about: violence and threats of violence," he said.

The committee's ranking member, Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, claimed that the DOJ memo had a "poisonous, chilling effect" on speech, as it specifically dealt with opposition to school board officials. When he appeared before the House Judiciary Committee last week, Garland acknowledged the influence of the NSBA's original letter, which cited instances including non-violent behavior that did not include threats, but that was deemed disruptive.

The NSBA had called for the use of measures including the PATRIOT Act, which is typically used to address terrorism. Their second letter said they "regret and apologize for the letter," stating that "there was no justification for some of the language" that they had used.

"I assume you’re going to revoke your extremely divisive memo that you said was instigated because of that letter?" Grassley asked.

Garland defended the memo, claiming that it was a response "to concerns about violence, threats of violence, other criminal conduct."

COMMENT:  Garland, once regarded as a capable federal judge, now appears to be little more than a political hack, doing the bidding of his party's left wing and the all-powerful teachers' unions.  His reputation could have remained intact had he not taken the job. 

He has become a threat to the whole notion of American freedom.  A parent going to a school board meeting and sounding off, even vigorously, about the education of his or her child, is as American as the proverbial apple pie.  Or cherry pie if you wish.  To politicize that ritual is unacceptable, and Garland's party should hear about it at the polls.  Parents of the world unite!

October 27, 2021       Permalink