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OCTOBER 29,  2021

SHORT TAKES ON THE DRIFTING WRECKAGE – OVERNIGHT: 

THE APPEARANCES HERE ARE AWFUL – FROM FOX:    New York Attorney General Letitia James, who oversaw the investigation into sexual harassment allegations against former Gov. Andrew Cuomo among other cases, announced Friday that she's running for governor.  "New Yorkers need a governor who isn’t afraid to stand up to powerful interests on behalf of the vulnerable. Throughout my career, I’ve taken on big forces and New Yorkers know I will never back down when it comes to fighting for them," James said in a statement. "Today, I am proud to announce my candidacy for governor of New York so we can bring transformational change that uplifts all New Yorkers."  The move, which was forecasted this week, came just one day after prosecutors filed a misdemeanor charge against Cuomo for alleged forcible touching, a charge that carries a potential one-year prison sentence.  It's not right.  No matter what we may think of Andrew Cuomo, it's not right for the person who just prosecuted him and drove him out of office to immediately demand that office for her own.  This is not a third-world country, at least not yet.  These kinds of gimmicky maneuvers raise questions about the integrity and motives of the prosecutor's office.  Bad appearance.

October 29, 2015       Permalink

WHO YOU GONNA CALL, A SQUAD OF PSYCHIATRISTS? – OVERNIGHT:  The anti-police nuts are at it again.  Aren't you excited to welcome them?  From Fox: 

Minneapolis residents planning to vote in favor of a ballot measure next week that would replace the city's police department will be disappointed with the outcome, according to law enforcement experts.
Ballot question No. 2 will ask voters on Nov. 2 if they prefer to amend the city's charter to replace the Minneapolis Police Department with a Department of Public Safety that would be responsible for "a comprehensive public health approach to safety."

It needs 51% of voter approval to pass.

"Frankly, I find it disingenuous," Betsy Smith, a spokesperson for the National Police Association who spent 29 years as a Chicago-area police officer, told Fox News. "I think there are going to be people who are going to vote for this thinking ‘Yay, we’re going to abolish the police' and that's not what's happening."

The measure was put on the ballot after Yes 4 Minneapolis, a coalition of businesses and organizations, gathered 22,000 signatures to do so.

The city became the epicenter of the police reform movement following the death of George Floyd, who died last year during an encounter with Minneapolis police officers. The event unleashed a racial reckoning on police tactics and social injustice.

Supporters of the measure have said it will not defund or abolish the police department but rather not have police officers respond to every call for service in cases where mental health counselors and other professionals are needed instead, citing police shootings that have stemmed from mental health-related calls.

The question was put on the ballot because thousands of residents recognize the Minneapolis Police Department has a "fundamental flaw and cultural problem that made the city of Minneapolis the epicenter of a global reckoning on race, " Yes 4 Minneapolis spokesman Javier Morillo told Fox News.

"What people tend to say, and especially voters of color, is: "What I want is something very simple. I want to be able to call for help when I need it and I want to be able to not fear that help when it arrives,'" he said. He said the group's vision is "public safety that prioritizes a public health lens so that we ensure that professionals who are trained in their fields are responding to calls that are relevant to those fields."

Smith said police departments already have social workers that respond to calls. She noted that the Minneapolis Police Department is one of the most progressive in the sense they have always had some of the best training and equipment.

In addition, changing public safety agencies will cost the city millions, she said.

COMMENT:  The voters had better read the fine print.  We certainly have no objection to well-trained specialists working with the police to reduce violence, but it's an illusion to think that street criminals can be successfully confronted by Dr. Percy Highthoughts.  When a crime is in progress, and life is on the line, it's the well-trained and well-equipped officer who makes the difference.

"Police reform" is perfectly reasonable when police conduct is below standard.  But "reformers" often end up making war on the good cops rather than on the criminals.

October 29,  2015     Permalink

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