SHORT TAKES ON THE DRIFTING WRECKAGE – AT 11:53 P.M. ET: 

NUTS – From the Connecticut Post:   Thomas Jefferson and Andrew Jackson are history in Connecticut.  Under pressure from the NAACP, the state Democratic Party will scrub the names of the two presidents from its annual fundraising dinner because of their ties to slavery.  Party leaders voted unanimously Wednesday night in Hartford to rename the Jefferson Jackson Bailey dinner in the aftermath of last month’s fatal shooting of nine worshipers at a historic black church in Charleston, S.C.  The decision is believed to be unprecedented and could prompt Democrats in other states with similarly named events to follow suit.  How childish and silly.  Neither Jefferson nor Jackson were perfect, but they lived 200 years ago, and to judge them by today's standards is absurd.  Jefferson wrote the Declaration of Independence and the Statute of Virginia for Religious Freedom.  He was father to many of the ideals that the NAACP presumably holds dear.  It's time for black organizations to stop engaging in symbolism and start dealing with the real problems that are destroying the dreams of black America.

CHILLING – From Fox:   Donald Trump made a splashy visit Thursday to the U.S.-Mexico border in a bid to draw attention to illegal immigration. But on the sidelines, he was making news for other reasons -- his threat to mount an independent run for the White House if the Republican Party won't welcome him.  The warning, made in an interview with The Hill, comes as Trump faces some of the toughest criticism yet from fellow Republican candidates. Trump said the Republican National Committee "has not been supportive," and suggested if he does not clinch the nomination and is not "treated" well by Republicans, he'd consider an independent bid.  This is utterly frightening.  Frank Luntz makes the point, which I think is accurate, that a Republican candidate for president cannot possibly win if there is a strong, conservative candidate running as an independent.  That's what we'd have if Trump runs his own campaign, which he can privately finance.  This must be prevented at all costs.

ABOUT TIME – From the Daily Signal:   Representatives from Coca-Cola, Ford Motor Co. and Xerox say they’ve asked Planned Parenthood to remove their names as corporate donors to the embattled organization.  The move follows a Daily Signal report revealing the names of 41 companies that Planned Parenthood listed as donors. That list, which was featured on Planned Parenthood’s website, has since been removed.  This latest development comes in the wake of two undercover videos that showed Planned Parenthood executives talking about the sale of fetal body parts. Planned Parenthood is facing both federal and state investigations—and the possibility of losing taxpayer funding.  It's about time that Planned Parenthood was called to account.  The alleged selling of fetal parts is the exact opposite of "planned parenthood."  It rejects and shows contempt for parenthood.  The organization should not be receiving public funds unless it makes substantial reforms.  Even then there's plenty of room for doubt.

July 23, 2015