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.

JUNE 21,  2015

SHORT TAKES ON THE DRIFTING WRECKAGE – AT 11:55 P.M. ET:

GOP CONGRESSWOMAN PESSIMISTIC ON IRAN – From The Hill:  A high-ranking GOP lawmaker predicts that President Obama will use the "bully pulpit" to pressure lawmakers into backing a yet-to-be-seen deal to restrict Iran's nuclear program.  Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (Fla.), a former chairwoman of the Foreign Affairs Committee, wants her colleagues to buck the White House on what she calls a "very weak deal," but is bracing for Congress to approve it. The Republican says Democratic lawmakers will buckle after Obama presents stark options to the public about the deal — due by June 30.  "The president has so much power, he’s got the bully pulpit, and he's gonna tell everybody in all of our communities that if your member of Congress isn’t for this deal, then that member of Congress wants to go to war with Iran. That's not true. So I'm afraid of the president using the megaphone that he has to get members of Congress to go with him on this very weak deal," the Foreign Affairs Middle East and Central Asia subcommittee chairwoman tells The Hill's Molly K. Hooper.  I think she's right.  Obama will use one of the lowest tactics in politics – accusing his opponents of being warmongers.  That will scare the Democrats into voting for any Iran deal.  That is the state of American politics.

RUSSIA MARCHES ON – From The Times of Israel:   Saudi Arabia and Russia reached an agreement on Friday under which Riydah is reportedly to build up to 16 nuclear reactors under Moscow’s supervision, further bolstering ties between the two countries days ahead of the deadline for nuclear talks between Iran and six world powers.  According to Saudi owned al-Arabiaya TV, the agreement, which provides for the “peaceful use of nuclear technology,” was signed at a meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Saudi Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman at an economic forum in St. Petersburg. The Saudi report, which cited unnamed sources, was not immediately confirmed.  We seem to be losing everywhere in the world.  I have no great admiration for Saudi Arabia, but it used to be a reliable American ally.  Now it seems to be looking elsewhere as Obama cozies up to Iran.

WONDERFUL – From hereandnow.wbur.org: For the eighth year in a row, the entire senior class at Verbum Dei High School – an all-male college and career preparatory Jesuit high school in the Watts neighborhood of Los Angeles – has been accepted into college.  The 68 seniors, many of whom are the first in their families to go to college, will be leaving their inner-city neighborhood to pursue higher education across the country.  “The Verb,” as the school is called, caters to low-income students – some of whom are behind in their academic standing by about two or three years. The school packs six to seven years of high school into four, and does so with a four-day school week. Administrators say that rigorous course work, small college preparatory classes, corporate work experience and a supportive environment from teachers and family is the key to students’ success.  You see, it can be done, with discipline, determination, and respect for high standards.  Good luck to these kids, and a pat on the back for those who pushed them.

June 21, 2015       Permalink

BERNIE DOES LA-LA – AT 1:41 P.M. ET:  Bernie Sanders, in keeping with socialist tradition, hit the cocktail circuit in Los Angeles, appealing to die-hard "progressives" in their substantial, yet sensitive homes.  From Hollywood Reporter:

With the dust still settling after Barack Obama’s and Hillary Clinton’s glitzy fundraising trips to Hollywood this week, Clinton’s first official Democratic rival — Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders — slipped quietly into town Saturday for a pair of low-key events that didn’t raise seven-figure sums, but did warm the hearts of two overflowing crowds of Hollywood progressives.

Sanders’s supporters might be called the entertainment industry’s irreconcilables — the left flank of the Hollywood Dems’ most progressive faction, with activists deeply disappointed in Obama, who they supported, and unwilling to sign on to a Clinton presidential campaign. In the former Secretary of State, they see another moderate waiting to happen.

Early Saturday morning, they filled the already blazing frontyard of actress Mimi Kennedy’s Van Nuys home and — at midday — the living room of long-time activists Betty and Stanley Sheinbaum’s sprawling Brentwood Park mansion to hear the program of a candidate they see as everything Hillary is not.

“I’m here with my wife and my friends because we believe Bernie is providing us with the opportunity to have a voice and a role in the Democratic process at a time when progressives are on the rise,” said former California state Senator Tom Hayden, who introduced Sanders at the Van Nuys event.

COMMENT:  The left has convinced itself that it's "on the rise."  It is not.  But they always think they're on the rise.  The revolution is just around the corner.  The workers are in the streets.  Bernie is in our living rooms.

I mean, Tom Hayden?  I thought he was in a wax museum.  Remember, he was married to Jane Fonda in the age of sail.

One thing about Bernie, though – he believes what he says, and has real principles.  For that I admire him.

June 21, 2015       Permalink

SCOTT'S PROGRESS – AT 11:46 A.M. ET:  Scott Walker is very methodical.  That much we have learned about him.  And he's running a disciplined, careful campaign for the White House.  He hasn't yet actually announced his formal candidacy, but that is coming.  Is his campaign, though, too careful? From The Hill:

Scott Walker edged closer to a White House bid this week, but his official entry into the race is still not expected until mid-July.

The Wisconsin governor’s slow-moving campaign launch could cause him to lose altitude, some observers say, since other top-tier candidates such as former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush and Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) are already in.

“The biggest risk is that, with every week, donors start to make decisions about who they want to invest in,” said Julian Zelizer, a professor of public affairs at Princeton University.

“The voters who are paying attention now are shaping their perceptions of who’s good and who’s bad, and they are not really thinking about him as much as the others,” Zelizer added.
When it comes to donors, however, Walker’s Thursday announcement of a new “testing the waters” committee might help. The new committee has more leeway than an official campaign under election-finance regulations, and its formation crystallizes the sense that Walker is indeed moving toward a presidential run.

He is widely expected to join the race on July 13 in his native Wisconsin, the state where he has been governor since 2011. He won a recall battle in 2012 and reelection in 2014.

And...

Walker is performing very well in opinion polls, especially in Iowa. In three of the four most recent polls among Republicans in the Hawkeye State, he led his nearest rival by either seven or eight percentage points. The other survey also showed him leading, but by a more modest margin of four points.

In New Hampshire, where Walker’s socially conservative outlook is less of an asset, he is nonetheless running a close second to Bush in the RealClearPolitics polling average. The equivalent national polling average shows the two in a de facto dead-heat.

Walker has made such strides while neither seeking nor attracting as much national media attention as Bush, Rubio or even candidates whose poll numbers are lower, such as Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.). Walker’s participation in Sen. Joni Ernst’s (R-Iowa) barbecue-and-motorcycle-riding “roast and ride” event two weeks ago — he rode his own Harley-Davidson — was one of his relatively rare high-profile events of late.

Some Republicans believe that Walker’s skills are being underestimated by a news media that don't recognize his blue-collar appeal.

COMMENT:  Walker is not Mr. Excitement, but he builds confidence in the voters.  He's a fighter.  He doesn't give up.  He won the governorship of Wisconsin, fought back against a recall attempt and came out with more votes than in his original victory, and won re-election.  Don't underestimate him.

June 21, 2015       Permalink

HILLARY'S DILEMMA – AT 11:14 A.M. ET:  We sense a growing disenchantment with Hillary Clinton.  While she still has a lock on the Democratic nomination, the locksmiths are at work, picking that lock.  We rarely quote Maureen Dowd, but she's written some very perceptive things about Hillary, like this, from The New York Times:

WASHINGTON — IT’S hard being Elizabeth Warren.

Especially when you’re not Elizabeth Warren.

Hillary Clinton had an awkward collision last week juggling her past role as President Obama’s secretary of state, her current role as Democratic front-runner and her coveted future role as president.

As secretary of state, she helped Obama push the Trans-Pacific Partnership that is at the center of the current trade fight. In Australia in 2012, she was effusive, saying that the trade pact “sets the gold standard in trade agreements to open free, transparent, fair trade, the kind of environment that has the rule of law and a level playing field. And when negotiated, this agreement will cover 40 percent of the world’s total trade and build in strong protections for workers and the environment.”

Now Hillary says she is unsure about the pact and would likely oppose giving President Obama the special authority to negotiate trade deals for an up-or-down vote in Congress. As a future president, of course, she would want the same authority to negotiate trade deals that Obama is seeking in the messy Capitol Hill donnybrook.

But as a candidate pressured by progressives like Warren and Bernie Sanders and by labor unions, she turned to Jell-O, shimmying around an issue she had once owned and offering an unpleasant reminder of why “Clintonian” became a synonym for skirting the truth.

COMMENT:  Ouch!  A "synonym for skirting the truth."  And that is the image of Hillary that people increasingly have in their heads.  You don't know what she believes, if anything.

And you wonder if some new competitor will emerge.  John Kerry anyone?  Now that may be laughable to us, but it may not be laughable to a Democratic Party looking for a better choice.

Or...the Dems could try a genuine draft of their heroine, Elizabeth Warren.  Terrible campaigner, but they love her, despite her own past, for which the word "honesty" does not always apply.

Stay tuned.  The Dem race may not be over.

June 21,  2015    Permalink

JUNE 20,  2015

SHORT TAKES ON THE DRIFTING WRECKAGE – AT 11:55 P.M. ET: 

PARTY OF THE PEOPLE – From the Washington Times:  "There’s nothing like a big-money fundraiser for House Democrats to bring President Obama and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi closer together.  Mr. Obama and Mrs. Pelosi, California Democrat, made a show of mending fences Friday night at a fundraiser at the home of billionaire environmental activist Tom Steyer overlooking the Golden Gate bridge in San Francisco. Friday was their first meeting since Mrs. Pelosi turned against the president last week by leading the opposition that temporarily derailed crucial trade legislation Mr. Obama is seeking.  Despite those tensions, Mr. Obama told more than 50 wealthy Democratic donors, who paid up to $33,400 each to help Democrats win in 2016, that Mrs. Pelosi has been instrumental to his achievements in office."  And so has big money, including Pelosi's deep pockets.

WHO LIKES TODAY'S IRAN?  NOBODY! – From the Algemeiner:  "Not a single one of the world powers negotiating a deal to lift international sanctions on Iran over its nuclear program held a favorable view of the Islamic Republic, quite the contrary, the results of a Pew Research Center poll released on Thursday showed the majority of people in these countries continued to view Iran in a negative light.  More than three quarters of U.S. respondents (76 percent) viewed Iran unfavorably, according to the poll, which was released about a week and a half shy of the deadline for the nuclear deal.  In France, Germany and the U.K., the European powers part of the so-called P5+1 group for nuclear talks, opinions were even more negative, at 81%, 71% and 62%, respectively.  Even in Russia and China, which many see as more keen to strike a nuclear deal, unfavorable views of Iran prevailed, at 44% compared to 34% favorable in Russia, and 61% perceiving Iran in an unfavorable light in China.  The unfavorable view among P5+1 countries reflected a global trend, in which Pakistan was the only nation polled where the majority of respondents (57%) held a favorable view of the country."  Obama is relieved.  At least he's a bit more popular than Iran.

POLICE HELD HIGH IN GALLUP POLL – From Newsbusters:  "A new Gallup survey has revealed that Americans have approximately twice as much confidence in law enforcement personnel -- 52 percent -- as they do in newspapers -- 24 percent -- and television news -- 21 percent.  The telephone poll was conducted June 2-7 and included Gallup's newest survey on confidence in U.S. institutions, which it has updated every year since 1993.  According to an article by Jeffrey M. Jones, 'Americans' confidence in most major U.S. institutions remains below the historical average for each one. Only the military (72 percent) and small business (67 percent) -- the highest-rated institutions in this year's poll -- are currently rated higher than their historical norms.'"  You'd think the media would be eager to do things to improve their reputation, but that would probably be seen as pandering to the flyover people.

June 20, 2015       Permalink

GREAT MOMENTS IN TECHNOLOGY – AT 8:31 A.M. ET:  I'm sure this is not what Apple had in mind.  From CBS: 

(CBS SF) – With Apple and other tech companies releasing smartwatches, universities in Australia have placed bans on the wearable technology, fearing the devices could be used to cheat on final exams.

The Chronicle for Higher Education reported universities in Sydney and Melbourne placed restrictions on wearing watches during this month’s testing period.

The University of New South Wales in Sydney told students about the ban in a statement posted this week.

“Due to advances in watch technologies the UNSW exams rules have been updated: No wrist or handheld watches are to be worn or placed on your desk during exams,” the university said.

Students who brought watches of any kind to an exam are asked to place them in clear, resealable bags under their chairs.

At La Trobe University in Melbourne, students are banned from wearing all smartwatches to tests and those with regular watches were asked to place them on their desks.

According to CNET Australia, the Apple Watch was first available to Australians on April 24th. Starting this week, Australian consumers can now pick up the watches at Apple stores.

COMMENT:  I guess they want to show that all watch cultures will be treated equally.  You can't wear a smart watch, but you can't wear a Mickey Mouse watch either. 

What is the problem with Mickey?  Does he give advice during tests? 

As for the Apple Watch, I've seen it.  I get the feeling that any use of the watch, which would require the use of the other hand, would be easily detected by test monitors.  It would be much better for students to declare themselves oppressed and ask for more time.

June 20, 2015        Permalink

CARLY'S VALUE – AT 8:17 A.M. ET:  Fascinating take on the value of Carly Fiorini to the Republican Party.  We have, I say with complete lack of modesty, expressed similar ideas here.  She has been superb in virtually every public appearance.  From The Hill:

Misleading headline alert: Carly Fiorina is not going to be the GOP presidential candidate. She's polling at 1.8 percent in the most recent Fox News poll. That puts her in a solid 13th place. It would take every Sherpa in Nepal to guide her to the top against those odds.

But she will win, in one sense, because she's positioned herself perfectly for the right side of the slash. As in, Rubio/Fiorina, Walker/Fiorina or Bush/Fiorina.

Whatever man emerges from the GOP pack would be making a huge mistake in not choosing Fiorina as a running mate. With Hillary Clinton looking like a foregone conclusion right now, gender issues are going to make their presence felt in the 2016 election. From CNN to MSNBC to internet memes, the media will use the gender angle to attack the Republican nominee. It's a long campaign, and there are a lot of smartphones out there. The GOP candidate will be caught on camera "mansplaining," "manspreading" and "manslamming." That last one, according to HuffPost Women, is when men run into women on the sidewalk when the women don't move out of their way. And, by mid-2016, there will be an entire dictionary of manshaming words for Clinton to use. And they will cover the entire gamut of annoying things men do.

Whatever GOP man is at the top of the ticket, he will need a woman on the ticket to protect him. That's right: He will need a woman to protect him.

COMMENT:  Very well said.  Read the rest of the piece.  It's worth it.  The Republican presidential field is deep, but there are very few stars who can light up a room.  Carly Fiorina has proved she is one.  No, she probably won't get the top nomination.  But, as the piece says, she'd be a superb vice-presidential nominee.

June 20, 2015       Permalink

REMARKABLE ADMISSION – AT 8:08 A.M. ET:  Britain's Prime Minister David Cameron has been far more forthright about the dangers of Islamic extremism than has our own fearful leader, who doesn't even acknowledge that it exists.  Now Cameron is speaking bluntly about some British Muslims and their political activities.  From AP:

BRATISLAVA, Slovakia (AP) — Prime Minister David Cameron charged Friday that some British Muslims quietly condone the radical ideology of the Islamic State group, prompting accusations that he is scapegoating the large and diverse community.

Speaking at a security conference in Slovakia, Cameron urged British Muslims to do more to stop the group from recruiting young Britons. He said disaffected youths are being drawn to an ideology that believes “the West is bad and democracy is wrong, that women are inferior, that homosexuality is evil.”

Saying this ideology “is quietly condoned” among some Muslims, Cameron blamed radicalization in part on “people who hold some of these views who don’t go as far as advocating violence, but who do buy into some of these prejudices, giving the extreme Islamist narrative weight.”

About 2.7 million of Britain’s 64 million people are Muslim. Police say at least 700 of them have traveled to IS territory, including a 17-year-old who blew himself up in Iraq last week and three sisters from northern England believed to have gone to Syria with their nine children.

COMMENT:  Of course, British Muslim groups are angered by Cameron's remarks, but he clearly wasn't aiming them at all, or even most, Muslims.  Like Angela Merkel, Cameron has also suggested that multiculturalism as a political stance has failed, which it has.  Multiculturalism, at its base, isn't really about understanding and respecting other cultures.  It's about trashing Western cultures and turning a blind eye to the horrors of some others.

Cameron has a spine.  I don't know what Obama has.

June 20,  2015     Permalink