Please note that you can leave a comment on any of our posts at our Facebook page.  Subscribers can also comment at length at our Angel's Corner Forum.

JANUARY 10,  2014

SHORT TAKES ON THE DRIFTING WRECKAGE – AT 10:41 P.M. ET:

MAJOR NEWS STORY – The media protects us from evil again.  From politicker.com:  "Stick a fork in him.  Mayor Bill de Blasio visited a Staten Island pizzeria today to meet with local residents. There, he ate pizza using a fork and a knife, drawing widespread mockery on Twitter.  In the past, other prominent political figures, including Donald Trump and Sarah Palin, have been skewered for the utensil faux pas. 'No!' The Daily Show‘s Jon Stewart yelled during a profanity-filled tirade after Mr. Trump dared the transgression. 'Why don’t you just take that fork and stick it in New York’s eye?'"  In New York we're only concerned about important things.

OLYMPICS ALERT – From USA Today:  "The State Department issued a travelers' alert Friday for the Sochi Olympics, offering standard security tips while traveling and cautioning about medical facilities and Russia-related terrorism concerns in Georgia.  Americans attending the Games 'should remain alert regarding their personal security at all times' and 'remain vigilant and exercise good judgment and discretion when using any form of public transportation,' the advisory urged."  There is very serious concern about potential terror attacks during the Sochi Olympics.  There is also concern about inadequate medical facilities, especially in case of such attacks.  The reference to "public transportation" undoubtedly relates to the history of terror groups putting bombs on buses and trains.

DIETARY NEWS – From AP:  "ALTOONA, Pa. (AP) – Police have charged a man with stealing 12 bottles of hand sanitizer from a central Pennsylvania hospital, so he could mix it with orange juice and drink it for the alcohol it contained.  The Altoona Mirror reports 51-year-old Lee Ammerman has been mailed a summons requiring him to surrender Feb. 5 on charges of theft and receiving stolen property."  Watch.  He'll get on TV and write a cookbook, with an endorsement by Michelle Obama.

UNFORTUNATE MILESTONE – From the Guardian:  "China became the world's largest trading nation in 2013, overtaking the US in what Beijing described as 'a landmark milestone' for the country.  China's annual trade in goods passed the $4tn (£2.4tn) mark for the first time last year according to official data, after exports from the world's second largest economy rose 7.9% to $2.21tn and imports rose 7.3% to $1.95tn.  As a result total trade rose 7.6% over the year to $4.16tn. The US is yet to publish its 2013 trade figures, but with trade totalling $3.5tn in the first 11 months of the year, it is unlikely to beat China.  The shift in the trading pecking order reflected China's rising global dominance, despite a slowdown in economic growth last year."  Another victory for the Obama economy.  But remember, it's Bush's fault. 

January 10, 2014       Permalink

ANOTHER FAMOUS VICTORY – AT 10:01 A.M. ET:  In an administration riddled with failure, Obamacare is but the proverbial tip of the iceberg.  Our foreign policy is in retreat and Obama's claim that he stopped Al Qaeda is coming under ridicule.  Other than that, everything is fine.  From CNN: 

(CNN) -- From around Aleppo in western Syria to small areas of Falluja in central Iraq, al Qaeda now controls territory that stretches more than 400 miles across the heart of the Middle East, according to English and Arab language news accounts as well as accounts on jihadist websites.

Indeed, al Qaeda appears to control more territory in the Arab world than it has done at any time in its history.

The focus of al Qaeda's leaders has always been regime change in the Arab world in order to install Taliban-style regimes. Al Qaeda's leader Ayman al-Zawahiri acknowledged as much in his 2001 autobiography, "Knights Under the Banner of the Prophet," when he explained that the most important strategic goal of al Qaeda was to seize control of a state, or part of a state, somewhere in the Muslim world, explaining that, "without achieving this goal our actions will mean nothing."

Now al-Zawahiri is closer to his goal than he has ever been. On Friday al-Qaeda's affiliate in Iraq seized control of parts of the city of Falluja and parts of the city of Ramadi, both of which are located in Iraq's restive Anbar Province.

COMMENT:  Sadly, the American people simply don't seem to care.  Obama has lulled them to sleep with popular troop withdrawals, cynically arranged.  We are going to wake up one morning and realize we're losing the war on terror because Al Qaeda is gaining.  It may be too late for effective action.

And the media seems perfectly content.  It is our children who will pay the price.

January 10, 2014       Permalink

ECONOMIC HORROR – AT 9:19 A.M. ET:  A new jobs report is out, and it's awful.  This is no ornament to the Dems' 2014 campaign.  From Breitbart:

U.S. employers added a scant 74,000 jobs in December, the fewest in three years. The disappointing gain ends 2013 on a weak note and could raise questions about the economy's recent strength.

The Labor Department says the unemployment rate fell from 7 percent in November to 6.7 percent, the lowest level since October 2008. But the drop occurred mostly because more Americans stopped looking for jobs. The government counts people as unemployed only if they are actively searching for work.

Stock futures fell after the report was released.

The slowdown in hiring could cause the Federal Reserve to rethink its plans to slow its stimulus efforts. The Fed decided last month to cut back on its monthly bond purchases by $10 billion. It could delay further reductions until it sees evidence that December's weak numbers were temporary.

COMMENT:  If there's any recovery at all in the economy, it's a jobless one.  We need to create 150,000 new jobs each month just to keep up with population growth.  So last month we actually lost ground dramatically.

The Dems have been counting on a recovering economy to distract attention from the catastrophe of Obamacare.  That strategy will fail unless job numbers improve, and people actually feel improvement in their own lives.

Now Republicans must come up with a job-oriented economic agenda.   And it must put that agenda in the hands of capable, winning candidates in the 2014 midterms.  No party has ever been given a greater opportunity.

January 10, 2014       Permalink

THE CONTRAST II – AT 9:04 A.M. ET:  It's great when a writer does the legwork to prove a thesis, and does it fairly.  We now can present proof that press bias has reared its ugly (or pretty, depending on what side you're on) head in the Christie base, bigtime.  From Paul Bedard at the Washington Examiner:   

The Big Three networks, in a frenzy over New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie's traffic headache dubbed “Bridgegate,” have devoted a whopping 34 minutes and 28 seconds of coverage to the affair in just the last 24 hours.

By comparison, that's 17 times the two minutes, eight seconds devoted to President Obama's IRS scandal in the last six months, according to an analysis by the Media Research Center.

“While routinely burying new stories on the IRS scandal, the media practically fell over themselves to start taking shots at the potential 2016 Republican presidential nominee,” said the conservative media watchdog.

Since Wednesday night, NBC News included six reports over 14 minutes and 14 seconds. CBS devoted five reports over 12 minutes and 27 seconds. ABC managed 4 stories over seven minutes and 47 seconds, said MRC.

As a comparison over the last six months, NBC featured five seconds on updating the IRS story. CBS responded with a minute and 41 seconds. ABC produced a meager 22 seconds.

COMMENT:  Are you hearing that, Republicans?  There is an academic-media complex in this country that is frightening in its power and its recklessness.  Ronald Reagan knew how to deal with the press, by talking over the heads of reporters and directly to the American people.  We need to learn again.

January 10,  2014     Permalink

THE CONTRAST – AT 8:41 A.M. ET:  Much buzz continuing about Chris Christie's two-hour press conference yesterday, explaining Bridgegate, the scandal involving the closing of lanes on the George Washington Bridge to cause a traffic jam in a New Jersey town whose mayor refused to endorse Christie'e re-election bid.

Most observers feel Christie gave a stellar performance and, if it's shown he told the truth, he may have even enhanced his reputation for directness.

The Wall Street Journal contrasts Christie's style with that of one Barack Hussein Obama Jr, who never seems to have heard of anything that happens on his watch. 

Which brings us to the Obama Administration, which quickly leaked to the media that the U.S. Attorney is investigating the lane closures as a criminal matter. Well, that sure was fast, and nice of Eric Holder's Justice Department to show its typical discretion when investigating political opponents.

This is the same Administration that won't tell Congress what resources it is devoting to the IRS probe, and appears to be slow-rolling it. It has also doubled down by expanding the political vetting of 501(c)(4) groups seeking tax-exempt status. Lois Lerner, who ran the IRS tax-exempt shop and took the Fifth before Congress, was allowed to "retire," presumably with a pension. Acting IRS commissioner Steven Miller resigned under pressure but no other heads have rolled. Yet compared to using the IRS against political opponents during an election campaign, closing traffic lanes for four days is jaywalking.

And...

Republicans operate under a double media standard that holds them to a much lower scandal threshold. In that sense the pathetic New Jersey traffic-lane scandal may be, as Mr. Obama likes to say, a teachable moment.

COMMENT:  It is just that, a teachable moment.  Once again Republicans are reminded that they will not be treated fairly by the press, no matter how many congenial relationships they have with reporters.  John McCain admitted that he was blindsided by the hostility of the press during his 2008 run for president.  Reporters had been so nice to him.  But in the face of the campaign of Barack Obama (come to save us), the press turned.  Obama was their 1960s dream, not to be disrupted by a senator they'd liked.

The liberal press has a set of priorities, and reporting the news in a balanced manner isn't one of them.

January 10,  2014     Permalink

JANUARY 9,  2014

SHORT – AT 11:31 P.M. ET:

BULLETIN – We've been reporting on the disappearance of Caleb Jacoby, the 16-year-old son of conservative Boston Globe columnist Jeff Jacoby.  Caleb vanished on Monday while on his way to school in Brookline, Massachusetts.  It's just been reported by Brookline police that he was found safe in Times Square, New York, tonight.  We have no further details.

CHRISTIE – It's all-Christie all the time on the cable news outlets.  Reporters who could not interest themselves in the scandals of the Obama administration are all over Chris Christie, who admitted this morning that members of his staff engaged in inappropriate behavior and then lied to him about it.  He terminated them, but there will still be federal and state investigations.  Apparently, some in Christie's employ orchestrated a shutdown of some lanes on the George Washington Bridge, which connects New York with New Jersey, in order to create a traffic jam in Fort Lee, New Jersey, whose mayor refused to back Christie's re-election bid.  Christie claims he knew nothing about it.  If that is true, and nothing incriminating turns up, he should survive this, perhaps enhancing his reputation as an honest guy who manages things well.  But Dems will try to find anything, even a phrase, that links Christie to the act of petty politics.  They are out to destroy his presidential chances, and they will have the help of powerful journalists.

THE ASYLUM – From Fox:  "First cigarettes, now gas pumps.  A group of San Francisco environmentalists want to remind drivers that refilling their cars with gas is leading to global warming by slapping a sticker on gas pumps similar to those you find on a carton of cigarettes, The San Francisco Chronicle reported.  'The goal isn't to take transportation away from people and say, "You're a bad person,' Jamie Brooks, a member of the Bay Area chapter of 350.org, told the paper. 'The goal is to create a signal saying, "You need to change your behavior.""  Note the condescending, lecturing tone.  "We are superior to you, and we are telling you how you must live."  That's the voice of the left.  Perhaps Brooks can tell us how someone who needs a car to get to work can change his behavior.  A covered wagon, maybe?  Move to a tent outside the place of employment?  Give up everything and live as one with the forest? 

MAJOR ECONOMIC NEWS – From the Chicago Sun-Times:  "The Rev. Jesse Jackson called for a revival of the 1960s-era War on Poverty, President Lyndon B. Johnson’s initiative that brought us Head Start, Medicare, Medicaid, food stamps, various job training programs and also ramped up funding for welfare and public housing.  In a news conference Wednesday, the 50th anniversary of Johnson’s War on Poverty speech, Jackson said that many of these programs are under attack or have been eliminated and that the number of poor has grown to record levels."  Wait.  Isn't this happening under Barack Obama, the most left-wing president in American history?  And by the way, Mr. Reporter, Medicare was not part of the War on Poverty, and Food Stamps originated in 1939. 

January 9,  2014      Permalink

THE TITANIC SINKS FURTHER – AT 9:58 A.M. ET:   The Obama administration fades in the polls.  From IBD: 

One in five Democrats now opposes ObamaCare, a record high, according to the latest IBD/TIPP Poll. And more than one in six Democrats now say they want it repealed, another new high.

Overall, 55% of the public oppose the law, the highest since IBD/TIPP started asking this question in 2010. Just 37% support ObamaCare, matching a record low.

And while support for outright repeal of the law inched down in January, that was because it fell among Republicans and independents. Among Democrats, support for repeal jumped 4 points.
ObamaCare is also clearly driving down President Obama's approval rating, which dropped to just 38% in January from 43% in November. Among Democrats, Obama's approval has dropped 10 points since November.

Obama also has fallen to all-time lows in the IBD/TIPP Presidential Leadership Index. At 42.6, his support is lower than President George W. Bush's in the wake of his administration's poor handling of Hurricane Katrina.

These falling approval ratings come even as the public is generally more upbeat about the economy and direction of the country, according to the Jan. 4-7 survey of 901 people.

Other ominous ObamaCare findings from the January IBD/TIPP Poll:

Nearly two in five (39%) worry they will lose access to their doctors because of the law.

Just 31% think the government can be trusted to run the health care system successfully.

One in 10 says they or someone in their household had their work hours cut, and 4% say they lost their jobs, due to ObamaCare.

Hoping to revive his and his party's political fortunes, Obama is embarking on a campaign to focus public attention on poverty and income inequality.

COMMENT:  These are not great numbers, going into a critical midterm election.  But don't despair, Obamans.  The kept press will come to your aid. 

January 9, 2014       Permalink

SOCHI AND NBC – AT 9:21 A.M. ET:  The Sochi Olympics begin in less than a month.  The Olympics are always a big deal, but these games are overshadowed by fear – the fear of a terrorist attack.   An attach has been threatened by Islamic extremists. 

NBC, which is broadcasting the Olympics, is already making plans for a possible disruption.  From Capitalnewyork.com: 

The 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia, will be one of the biggest news stories of the coming months. There will of course be the games themselves, but in the minds of many of those attending and covering it at NBC, the uncertain security situation in the region holds a prominent spot.

“I think we all know as we head to Sochi that we are in for an interesting ride,” said NBC “Today” co-anchor Matt Lauer, speaking to press inside Studio 8H at 30 Rockefeller Plaza Tuesday afternoon.

Lauer recalled the 1996 games, where the crash of TWA Flight 800 caused him and his crew to leave Atlanta to cover the breaking news, only to have the Olympic Park bombing strike when they returned to the games.

“There are a lot of groups that would like to take advantage of the Olympics to make a point, whether it is a positive point or a negative point, so we go there with our eyes wide open,” he added.

And...

For the Sochi games, security concerns are significantly higher than previous Olympics. While every Olympic Games are considered possible targets for violence, Sochi is a unique case.

For starters, one of the largest terrorist groups operating in Russia, the Caucasus Emirate, has promised to attack the games. While previous Olympics were widely believed to be targets, there hasn’t been a declaration of attack as there is with Sochi. Last month, two suicide bombers struck in Volgograd, Russia, killing 30 people. Those attacks heightened fears of possible attacks in Sochi, just over 600 miles away.

And...

NBC, which paid nearly $1 billion for the exclusive TV rights to the Sochi Olympics, has put together a game plan for coverage, in the event that it needs to use it.

NBC News senior V.P. Alex Wallace tells Capital that they already have foreign correspondent Jim Maceda in Sochi, covering the aftermath of the Volgograd bombings. In addition, chief foreign correspondent Richard Engel is in the region “to kind of become steeped in all the issues of the Caucasus,” Bell says. "These games are taking place in something close to a volatile region," he added.

COMMENT:  There has to be apprehension.  We'll never be told about all the security precautions, but I'm certain the Russians, who aren't gentle, are kicking the usual butts to be sure that Putin's Olympics are not disrupted.  Still, it isn't hard to pull off a two-man attack.

I intend to watch.  I love the Olympics.  But the circumstances are far from ideal.

January 9, 2014       Permalink

CHRISTIEGATE? – AT 9:02 A.M. ET:   Well, it hasn't been called that yet, but give it a few hours.  Chris Christie of New Jersey, currently the leading contender for the 2016 GOP presidential nomination, is in trouble. 

The issue is almost silly – the allegation that his office, with him possibly involved, ordered a series of lane closings on the iconic George Washington Bridge, linking New York and New Jersey, to create traffic jams in Fort Lee, on the New Jersey side.  The purpose was to punish the mayor of Fort Lee for not supporting Christie at the polls.

The New York Times, natch, dug up e-mails that do seem to implicate some members of Christie's staff.   The Times has been out to get Christie, to destroy him, just as it tried to destroy John McCain in 2008 by alleging a romantic affair, which was never proved.  By contrast, The Times is out to clear the way for Hillary Clinton.  Its recent "report" on what happened at Benghazi, largely laughed at, never mentioned Clinton's name once.

Demands are already starting for Christie to be investigated, impeached, imprisoned, or put on a diet.  He'll hold a press conference today.  From Fox:

The political traffic jam that New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie is facing over his office's involvement in controversial lane closures last year could intensify on Thursday as an official at the heart of the scandal is slated to testify.

The governor is also preparing to give a press conference late Thursday morning. The governor is trying to get a handle on the controversy, which could threaten the potential 2016 presidential candidate's political aspirations.

The developments come after newly published emails show the governor's deputy chief of staff, Bridget Anne Kelly, was involved in a bizarre incident last September, when lanes at the George Washington Bridge from Fort Lee, N.J., were closed for four days. Christie faced accusations at the time that the lanes were blocked in retaliation over Mayor Mark Sokolich's refusal to endorse him for re-election last November.

Christie maintained Wednesday that he was "misled" and had no knowledge of his staff's apparent involvement.

But Christie confidant and ex-Port Authority official David Wildstein, who was deeply involved in the closures, was set to testify Thursday at a state legislative hearing. His version of events could provide new details about what happened -- though he is trying to quash the subpoena, and it's unclear whether he will ultimately testify.

Christie, for his part, is denying involvement.

"What I've seen today for the first time is unacceptable," Christie said. "I am outraged and deeply saddened to learn that not only was I misled by a member of my staff, but this completely inappropriate and unsanctioned conduct was made without my knowledge. One thing is clear: this type of behavior is unacceptable and I will not tolerate it because the people of New Jersey deserve better. This behavior is not representative of me or my Administration in any way, and people will be held responsible for their actions."

COMMENT:  Christie is a smart guy and a solid political strategist.  Clearly, some heads must roll.  If Christie personally was involved, the scandal could be damaging.  If not, and he handles the situation well, this could actually turn out to be a plus – a test of his integrity and ability to handle trouble.

Christie should welcome an investigation.  At the same time, he could lead the way in asking for other probes, such as an inquiry into Benghazi and into the hundreds of millions spent on the catastrophic Obamacare rollout.

The key here is to turn a negative into a positive.  I don't think a traffic jam will derail a presidential quest, but the Dems will do anything to stop Christie, and the Clinton press is already presenting this as the greatest tragedy in American or world history.  Let's see how Christie does at his press conference.

January 9, 2014    Permalink

SNAG – AT 8:48 A.M. ET:  The nuclear talks with Iran to implement the six-month agreement already reached have hit a snag.  From Reuters:

UNITED NATIONS - Negotiations between Iran and six world powers on implementing a landmark November deal to freeze parts of Tehran's nuclear program in exchange for easing some sanctions have run into problems over the issue of centrifuge research, diplomats said.

The dispute over centrifuges highlighted the huge challenges facing Iran and the six powers in negotiating the precise terms of the Nov. 24 interim agreement. If they succeed, they plan to start talks on a long-term deal to resolve a more than decade-long dispute over Tehran's nuclear ambitions.

Among the issues to be resolved in political discussions due to begin in Geneva later this week is that of research and development of a new model of advanced nuclear centrifuge that Iran says it has installed, diplomats said on condition of anonymity.

Centrifuges are machines that purify uranium for use as fuel in atomic power plants, or, if purified to a high level, weapons.

"This issue (centrifuges) was among the main factors in stopping the previous technical discussions on Dec. 19-21," a Western diplomat told Reuters on condition of anonymity.

COMMENT:  Does it really matter?  Press reports say that European and American companies are lined up in Tehran to start business deals, anticipating that sanctions on Iran will be eased.  And I think it's clear Obama has no stomach for a confrontation with Iran.  I suspect the "negotiations" will get by this bump, the appeasing agreement will be implemented, business will flow, and Iran will win the round handily.  And Obama won't care.

January 9,  2014     Permalink