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DECEMBER 11,  2015

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

TRUMP EXPECTING IOWA TROUBLE – From Bloomberg:   The normally confident Donald Trump is anticipating unwelcome headlines from a Bloomberg Politics/Des Moines Register Iowa Poll set for release Saturday evening.  At a rally in Des Moines Friday night, the Republican presidential front-runner warned the crowd he's being set up by a hostile media. "The Des Moines Register is the worst. The worst," he declared of the newspaper, which earlier this year editorialized that he should leave the race. "Everytime I have a Des Moines Register Poll, I do poorly. I also do poorly with the Bloomberg polls. I don't know why."  Trump's comments came several hours after Bloomberg Politics tweeted that results of the latest poll, commissioned in partnership with the Register, will be published Saturday at 6 p.m. Eastern Time.  I have no idea what these early polls mean in such a volatile, odd race.  But, clearly, there is a major move within the GOP to defeat Donald Trump and bar him from the nomination.  This could get bloody.  If he gets angry enough, Trump can break his pledge to support the Republican nominee and run as an independent, probably guaranteeing Hillary's election.

CALL IT WHAT IT IS – From Fox:   The California college student who stabbed four people last month in a campus spree that ended when he was killed by campus police was described by his roommate as "an extreme Muslim" and carried a manifesto and a photocopy of an ISIS flag -- more than enough to convince John Price he was a terrorist.  Yet, more than a month after the Nov. 4 attack at University of California Merced, local and federal authorities continue to insist that Faisal Mohammad, 18, carried out the vicious attack because he'd been banished from a study group. Price, whose son Byron Price, a 31-year-old construction manager for the family business who was working nearby and was stabbed when he heroically intervened, suspects the White House's reluctance to identify acts of radical Islamic terror has trickled down to investigators who are still probing the Merced attack.  “Why don’t we just call it what it is -- domestic terrorism?" said Price. "Everyone is afraid to be politically incorrect. I do believe in law enforcement and believe they will do their job, but it seems like to me we aren’t getting the whole story. I just wonder how much of this is driven from way higher up and is politically driven -- I just don’t know.”  His suspicions are correct.  The president of the United States is a leftist, not a liberal, with strong pro-Muslim leanings.  His behavior on the issue of terror has been disgraceful.  I cannot think of a parliamentary democracy that would allow a man like this to remain in office.  Maybe we need a Constitutional change to prevent this kind of disaster in the future.

CONFIDENCE IN GOVERNMENT ON TERROR PLUMMETS – From Reuters:   NEW YORK - Confidence in the US government to protect its citizens from militant attacks has fallen to its lowest in more than a decade after a pair of suspected militant Islamists gunned down 14 people at a holiday party in California, a poll released on Friday found.  Only 55 percent of respondents said they had "a fair amount" or "a great deal" of confidence that authorities could protect the country from further attacks, according to data collected by Gallup on Dec. 8-9, just days after the San Bernardino massacre.  The finding represents a drop of 12 percentage points since June and extends the gradual erosion in confidence that began soon after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks by militant Islamists in New York, Washington and Pennsylvania. It is the lowest reading since Gallup began asking the question, following the 2001 attacks.   It's all about Obama.  The American people are on to him, despite the efforts of the Obama press to keep the peasants in line.  One more attack and you may see a major political upheaval in the United States.

December 11, 2015       Permalink

LET'S GET OUT THOSE SIXTIES GUITARS – AT 9:51 A.M. ET:   Hillary Clinton, whose honesty might be found by the Hubble Telescope on a clear day, is turning to "love" as a campaign theme.  Let's get into the attic and get down those tie-dyed jeans.  LSD anyone?  From AP:

URBANDALE, Iowa (AP) -- Hillary Clinton had just finished detailing the dangers of terrorism, recalling tough calls in the White House situation room as secretary of state and lashing out at her Republican rivals for threatening the safety of Americans.

But when an Iowa man broke into her riff with a question about how the country could confront a new wave of hate and fear, her response sounded less like that of a commander in chief than of a soothing self-help guru. "We've got to do everything we can to weed out hate and plant love and kindness," she told a crowd of several hundred.

The lovey-dovey message seems surprising coming from a Washington veteran so battle-hardened that she often cites Eleanor Roosevelt's mantra about women in public life needing "skin like a rhinoceros." But as she grapples with Donald Trump's prominence in the Republican race, she's embraced a little love and kindness as a near-constant refrain.

COMMENT:  She'll say anything, and there's a good chance she'll be elected.  She's right out of the 60s, and has never changed. 

December 11, 2015       Permalink

PROBABLY A MISUNDERSTANDING – AT 9:06 A.M. ET:   All these busybodies, suspecting terror attacks.  And in Geneva, Switzerland?  Why, they just make watches.  From NBC: 

GENEVA — U.S. officials warned Americans living in or visiting Switzerland on Friday that they should be extra vigilant following a CIA tip-off that prompted the country to raise its terrorism threat level.

Swiss officials said they had information of a possible planned attack on the city of Geneva. The country's public prosecutor said it was hunting suspects linked to groups such as al Qaeda and ISIS.

The U.S. Embassy in Bern issued a statement advising Americans of steps they should take.

"In this time of elevated threat, the U.S. Embassy in Bern reminds U.S. citizens to review personal security plans, remain aware of surroundings at all times, and monitor local news stations for updates," the statement said.

"We also recommend maintaining a high level of vigilance and take appropriate steps to enhance personal security," it added.

A senior U.S. counterterrorism official told NBC News that the CIA tipped off the Swiss authorities about the potential threat.

More law enforcement and security personnel have been deployed on the ground, and U.N. security guards in Geneva were stationed with MP5 sub-machine guns at entry points for cars, a highly unusual measure at the sprawling complex near the French border.

Europe has been in a state of tension following the November 13 attacks in Paris that saw 130 killed by a ground of Islamist extremists in several sites across the city.

COMMENT:  If the CIA warning is accurate, it might well mean that terror groups plan to continue the string of attacks that have gone on for months.  We should be on high alert here, although, if an attack does occur on our homeland, our president will go out of his way to avoid using the word "terror."

December 11, 2015        Permalink

MARCHING FORWARD TO SAVE THE WORLD – AT 8:44 A.M. ET:  All the dedicated idealists at the Paris share-the-wealth, uh, I mean the Paris climate-change conference, are having a bit of bother in coming up with a proposal that can actually be signed.  When you're working on a fraud, it gets sticky.  From AP: 

LE BOURGET, France — High-stakes climate talks outside Paris will not end Friday as planned but will continue at least one more day as diplomats try to overcome disagreements over how — or even whether — to share the costs of fighting climate change and shift to clean energy on a global scale.

Negotiators from more than 190 countries are trying to do something that's never been done: reach a deal for all countries to reduce man-made carbon emissions and cooperate to adapt to rising seas and increasingly extreme weather caused by human activity. Secretary of State John Kerry zipped in and out of negotiation rooms as delegates broke into smaller groups overnight to iron out their differences.

Please note how AP accepts the premise of the conference, no questions asked.

After all-night talks wrapped up at nearly 6 a.m. local time (midnight ET), French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius said he is aiming for a final draft Saturday.

The two-week talks, the culmination of years of U.N.-led efforts for a long-term climate deal, had been scheduled to wrap up Friday. The U.N. talks often run past deadline, given the complexity and sensitivity of each word in an international agreement.

"I will not present the text Friday evening, as I had thought, but Saturday morning," Fabius said on BFM television. "There is still work to do ... Things are going in the right direction."

Fabius said he wanted to consult with various negotiating blocs so that "this is really a text ... that comes from everyone."

He added: "This represents all of the countries in the world and it's completely normal to take a bit of time, so we will shift it."

COMMENT:  This could wind up costing us hundreds of billions of dollars, money that will probably go down the UN rathole.  But think of it – our elites will feel so good about themselves.  How can we deny them that wonderful feeling, and the selfies they'll take with "third-world" leaders, who will get their checks soon enough?

December 11,  2015     Permalink

DECEMBER 10,  2015

SHORT TAKES ON THE DRIFTING WRECKAGE – AT 11:58 P.M. ET: 

RAND OUT? – From Bloomberg:   Kentucky Senator Rand Paul will almost certainly fail to qualify for the primetime stage at next Tuesday's fifth Republican primary debate, according to an analysis of poll data conducted by Bloomberg. Paul has been included in all four of the main presidential debates to this point in the campaign.  To qualify for the CNN-sponsored primetime debate, candidates must average at least 3.5 percent support nationally or 4 percent in either Iowa or New Hampshire, based on major polls conducted between Oct. 29 and Dec. 13.  He should really get out of the race and protect his Senate seat.  All these Republican hangers-on are complicating the race terribly and allowing Trump to lead strongly in part because the field is so divided.

I LOVE IT – Lots of buzz on the internet today about the Republican National Committee preparing for a contested convention – the first in the GOP since 1976, when Ronald Reagan challenged Gerald Ford.  I think it would be great.  Exciting, popcorn television, and a great look at a true convention in action.  It would focus the excitement on the Republican Party while Hillary is preparing her coronation, crown and all.  And a brokered convention might just produce a good nominee.

NUTS – From Daily Caller:  Just when you really thought the myriad college protests across the country couldn’t get any more daft, something comes along to prove you wrong.  In this case, it’s students at Lebanon Valley College in Annville, Pennsylvania. Demonstrators there recently insisted that school officials “remove or modify” the last name of one of the college’s past presidents as it appears on a campus building – the man’s name is Clyde A. Lynch – “due to the associated racial connotations.”  This is not a joke.  Word is that our African-American attorney-general, Loretta Lynch, will change her name to Linholm to avoid the same stigma.

FROM A LIBERAL DEM – Which makes it startling.  She's also a minority.  From The Politico:   A prominent Democratic congresswoman and Senate candidate said that up to 20 percent of Muslims want to establish an Islamic caliphate and would use "terrorism" to achieve that goal.  Rep. Loretta Sanchez said Muslims seeking a caliphate are willing to use terrorism and violence to impose their views on the Western world.  We know that there is a small group, and we don’t know how big that is — it can be anywhere between 5 and 20 percent, from the people that I speak to — that Islam is their religion and who have a desire for a caliphate and to institute that in any way possible," Sanchez said on "PoliticKING with Larry King."  “They are not content enough to have their way of looking at the world, they want to put their way on everybody in the world,” she said. “And again, I don’t know how big that is, and depending on who you talk to, but they are certainly — they are willing to go to extremes. They are willing to use and they do use terrorism.”   If a liberal Dem is talking this way, maybe the party is taking the polling numbers seriously.

December 10,  2015     Permalink

THE UNHAPPY AMERICANS – AT 10:04 A.M. ET:   Americans are exceedingly unhappy with the direction of their country.  That means no third term for Obama.  Well, of course he isn't running, but Hillary Clinton's campaign is clearly vulnerable to the perception that the administration she served has messed things up pretty badly.  From the great Andrew Malcolm at IBD: 

Quite frankly, it's not looking good for Barack Obama's prospects to win a third presidential term.

Of course, another 1,461 days in the White House is not constitutionally possible for him.

But if it was, a new Gallup Poll on Americans' mood finds, the incumbent would have a difficult time convincing voters.

Oh, wait! That means the job of selling four more years of liberal Democrat rule will fall to Hillary Clinton, barring an unlikely surge by former Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley.

Initially, the expectation was Obama's former secretary of State would have to distance herself from Obama. But after a private White House lunch this week, she appears to be doubling-down on her commitment to administration policies. In fact, she's vowed to take even more executive actions than Obama.

The new Gallup survey, out Wednesday, found that the country's satisfaction with the way things are going these days sank a full seven points in just one month, down to 20%. That's a substantial and rare drop to the lowest level of national satisfaction in 13 months.

Some of that fall was likely tied to the shocking domestic terror attack in San Bernardino that killed 14, just as the national telephone survey of 824 adults began.

COMMENT:  I thought Hillary's statements this week, essentially endorsing the sinking Obama administration, were odd.  And yet, she is under threat.  Ultimately, Obama will decide what to do with the FBI investigation into Hillary's e-mails.  And, ultimately, Obama will decide whether to help or hurt Hillary.  He clearly prefers that Joe Biden succeed him.

So Obama has some control over Hillary, and he probably exercised it this week.  How long will it take the press to zero in on this political relationship?  Don't hold your breath.

December 10, 2015       Permalink

NOTHING TO SEE, NOTHING TO SEE – AT 9:41 A.M. ET:  Oh, just some misguided fellow, probably mistreated and misunderstood.  From Fox: 

MINNEAPOLIS – Another Minnesota man has been charged with conspiring to help the Islamic State.

Abdirizak Mohamed Warsame, 20, of Eagan was charged Wednesday by criminal complaint with conspiracy to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organization.

Court documents allege Warsame tried to help other young men from Minnesota's Somali community travel to Syria to fight for the Islamic State. Nine others in that group have already been charged, authorities say.

The documents allege Warsame and others settled on a plan of going to Syria by way of Mexico.

Mexico?  MEXICO?  Where have I heard that name before?  Something about a southern border?

According to an FBI special agent's affidavit, one man who was planning to leave for Syria appointed Warsame to replace him as "emir," or leader, of the group.

"As the new emir, Warsame immediately encouraged those with passports and money to travel to Syria by the end of the upcoming summer," the affidavit said.

The document says Warsame gave another man $200 for an expedited passport application. Warsame also applied for a U.S. passport on an expedited basis but was denied. Warsame eventually obtained a passport in August 2014, the affidavit said.

One man made reservations for a May 2014 flight from Minneapolis to Istanbul, Turkey, with the intention of going on to Syria the document said. The day before the man was to leave, Warsame accompanied the man and two others to a public library where the man printed out his itinerary. The four men then went to a mall and shopped for items needed for travel, according to the affidavit. The man who planned to fly to Turkey was stopped at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport by FBI agents, who prevented him from boarding his flight.

COMMENT:  This is pretty chilling stuff.  You have to wonder about the number who slip through the FBI screen, for the FBI is undermanned.  I don't see Supreme Sheriff Obama providing many new agents.  Must take care of climate change.  The winds are coming, and the floods.  Build an ark.

December 10, 2015       Permalink

TRUMP ROMPS, BUT MANY ARE JITTERY – AT 9:08 A.M. ET:  Donald Trump continues his substantial lead among Republican primary voters, but it's being noted that he commands nothing near a majority.  Many Republicans are nervous about the comments made by their "frontrunner."  From The New York Times:

Donald J. Trump occupies his strongest position yet in the race for the Republican presidential nomination, yet nearly two-thirds of American voters say they are concerned or frightened about the prospect of a Trump presidency, according to the latest New York Times/CBS News nationwide poll.

The poll was taken largely before his statement on Monday afternoon proposing to temporarily bar Muslims from entering the United States.

On the Democratic side, the poll found Hillary Clinton is maintaining her 20-point lead over Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont. The possibility of her winning the presidency in 2016 is only marginally more palatable to American voters than that of Mr. Trump.

And that is the key.  Republicans have an ideal opportunity to win the White House over the unpopular Hillary Clinton, if only they can get rid of the GOP curse – putting up self-destructive candidates.

Mr. Trump commands the support of 35 percent of Republican primary voters, leading his closest competitors, Senator Ted Cruz of Texas (16 percent) and Ben Carson (13 percent) by a more than 2-to-1 margin. While Mr. Carson’s support was cut in half since the last time The Times and CBS News polled on the race in late October, Mr. Cruz has quadrupled his share. Senator Marco Rubio of Florida’s support stands at 9 percent, with the rest of the candidates at 4 percent or less.

Enthusiasm for and attention to the campaign are higher among Republican primary voters than among their Democratic counterparts. A 54 percent majority of Democratic primary voters said they had made up their minds about who they will support, while 64 percent of Republicans say it is still too early to be sure. Majorities of Trump and Clinton supporters say their decision is firm.

COMMENT:  Read the whole thing.  The numbers are there.  We forget that the Republicans blew several opportunities in recent years to take the Senate because they put up some major-league clowns as candidates.  They finally did win control of the upper house when they got their act together.

The race for the White House is really just beginning, with primaries and caucuses weeks away.   Hillary Clinton is regarded as more dishonest than honest by American voters in many polls.  Republicans, give it your best shot.

December 10,  2015     Permalink