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SUBSCRIPTION DRIVE – WEEK TWO

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I appeared on Silvio Canto's talk show from Dallas yesterday.  It's here.

MARCH 16,  2015

SHORT TAKES ON THE DRIFTING WRECKAGE – AT 11:54 P.M. ET: 

AL GORE IS CHILLING – No, it isn't a pun.  Al Gore's rhetoric on climate change is getting ugly.  It's part of a trend, a new McCarthyism, that's getting worse.  Al gave a speech last week.  From ecowatch.com:  "The former vice president focused on the need to 'punish climate-change deniers, saying politicians should pay a price for rejecting ‘accepted science,' said the Chicago Tribune.  Gore said forward-thinking investors are moving away from companies that invest in fossil fuels and towards companies investing in renewable energy. 'We need to put a price on carbon to accelerate these market trends,' Gore told the Chicago Tribune, referring to a proposed federal cap-and-trade system that would penalize companies that exceeded their carbon-emission limits. 'And in order to do that, we need to put a price on denial in politics.'"  That truly is chilling.  Gore repeated the statistic that 99% of scientists accept global warming, even though a recent survey of climatologists by Purdue University found that only 52% bought into the "science" of global warming.  And now a leftist Dem congressman is demanding universities provide the funding sources of scientist who question climate change.  Joe McCarthy would be proud.

THE HILLARY WAY – Reporters at the State Department have now waited a week for an answer to a simple question:  Did former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton sign the standard State Department form upon leaving office, affirming that she'd returned to the department all property and and documents, which presumably includes e-mails?  A week?  Why would take a week?  Either the form is in Clinton's personnel file or it isn't.  And reporters still haven't gotten the answer.  It's pretty clear that a stall is underway, a stall probably ordered by the Clinton interests.  If Clinton didn't sign the form required of all personnel, why not?  If she did sign the sworn form, she probably committed perjury, since her departmental e-mails, kept on a private server, have just been discovered.

NANNY OREGON HOLDS VOTERS' HANDS – From Fox:  "Seventeen years after Oregon became the first state to hold all elections with mail-in ballots, it took another pioneering step on Monday to broaden participation by automatically registering people to vote.  Gov. Kate Brown signed a bill that puts the burden of registration on the state instead of voters.  Under the legislation, every adult citizen in Oregon who has interacted with the Department of Motor Vehicles since 2013 but hasn't registered to vote will receive a ballot in the mail at least 20 days before the next statewide election. The measure is expected to add about 300,000 new voters to the rolls."  The potential for fraud or error seems particularly great.  What is so wrong about asking a citizen to go and register himself or herself, providing the proper proof of age and citizenship.  It's an honor to vote.  People should be proud to register.  This Oregon plan looks more like an attempt to get certain low-information voters to the polls, where they will vote for the party that sends out the biggest checks.

ISRAEL VOTES – Israel votes tomorrow (Tuesday) in a major national election.  Pre-election polls show that it's possible Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will lose his job.  But the Israeli system is complex, with 11 parties competing for seats in the Knesset (parliament).  When the votes are counted the president of Israel, Reuven Rivlin, will choose an individual to form a new government.  The nod usually, but not always, goes to the leader of the party that received the most votes.  It may take weeks actually to put together a governing coalition.  It has been reliably reported that several Obama political operatives have been in Israel helping Netanyahu's opponents.  I'm not surprised. 

March 16, 2015       Permalink

HOW LOVED THEY ARE – AT 11:05 A.M. ET:   The popularity of both political parties has now fallen below 40%.  That may not be entirely bad news.  From The Hill:

Both major political parties are viewed favorably by less than 40 percent of the American public for the first time in nearly 25 years, according to a new poll.

In a survey from Gallup, 37 percent say they view the Republican Party favorably while 39 percent say they view the Democratic Party favorably.

Fifty-three percent now have an unfavorable perception of the GOP, and 51 percent view the Democrats unfavorably.

It is also the first time since the survey house began polling on the parties' favorability in 1992 that neither has gotten over 40 percent. When Gallup began asking the question, both parties were viewed favorably by over 50 percent of the public.

The findings come amid continuing dysfunction in Washington — as the White House and Congress battle over everything from nuclear negotiations with Iran to the president’s executive action on immigration.

The poll also found that the percentage of Americans who view the Republican Party favorably has fallen by 5 points since the midterm elections, when they won a majority in the Senate and made gains in the House.

After the midterms, 42 percent said that they viewed the GOP favorably. That number, however, was up from 34 percent earlier in 2014.

COMMENT:  On balance, the news is better for Republicans than for Democrats.  We've been bombarded with theories that the Democrats can only rise in American politics because of demographic changes.  The fact that the GOP is within two points of the Dems in favorability, and within two points on unfavorability, damages that theory.  Remember that a greater percentage of Republicans vote than Democrats. 

The key, of course, is how these numbers will read in 2016, and who will actually vote in the 2016 presidential election.  But I'm not discouraged by the current standing.  We're not ten points behind.

March 16, 2015       Permalink

WONDERFULLY STATED – AT 9:51 A.M. ET:  Hillary is in trouble.   And she's not getting herself out of it.  As usual, Andrew Malcolm of IBD nails Hillary's plight exactly.  Oh, it's so juicy:

For someone who by all accounts except her own so far wants desperately to become president of the United States, Hillary Clinton is doing an excellent job of screwing up her chances.

Not just the shady acceptance of Clinton Foundation donations from foreign countries she dealt with as secretary of State. Not just her defiance of federal regulations obviously intended for people less important. Not just the way she's clumsily helping Americans remember many of the more tawdry aspects of her husband's presidency and her reign as first lady.

But the way she's handling herself through it all. Americans always want to see their potential leaders hungry for the job. Driven. Out there trying to convince them, one-by-one, to award their vote.

So far, Clinton has been the exact opposite. The astute columnist Peggy Noonan captured it perfectly after Clinton's awkward news conference last week:  "She didn’t look hungry for the battle, she looked tired of the battle."

Already?

Last time Clinton announced her candidacy 22 months before the 2008 election, even before what's-his-name from Illinois. It's now 20 months and she reportedly still hasn't decided when to pull the trigger. Gotta squeeze in a few more big-buck speeches. Gotta minimize chances of fumbling the ball, run out the clock.

Because, you see, the nomination is hers. Realistically, there's no one else on the Democrat side. Used to be a good thing for Dems.

Turns out, this is great news for Republicans, who'll spend the next 16 months scrapping for the GOP nod. The winner will leave Cleveland battle-tested and hungry. Clinton will leave Philadelphia crowned.

COMMENT:  Well said, with one caveat:  No matter how badly Hillary screws up, she will still have the mainstream media behind her.  Maybe not with the same enthusiasm that greeted Barack, come to save us, but she will have their support.  The Republicans will have to overcome that.  I believe they can.

After all, Reagan also had the media against him.  He was portrayed as a warmed-over movie actor who'd start World War III.  He went directly to the American people and made his case, even defying the Republican establishment.  And he won decisively.  It can be done, if we nominate a fighter.

March 16, 2015       Permalink

DEMS PREPARING TO BUCK OBAMA ON IRAN – AT 9:29 A.M. ET:  Despite all the artificial hoopla over the letter sent by 47 Republican senators to Iran, some Democrats in the Senate are prepared to defy the White House and, with their GOP colleagues, demand a role in nuclear policy toward Iran.  From the generally liberal Politico:   

Even as the White House ramps up pressure on Congress to stay out of its negotiations with Iran on a nuclear agreement, Republicans are on the brink of veto-proof majorities for legislation that could undercut any deal.

And that support has held up even after the uproar last week over the GOP’s letter to Iranian leaders warning against an agreement.

Though several Democratic senators told POLITICO they were offended by the missive authored by Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.), none of them said it would cause them to drop their support for bills to impose new sanctions on Iran or give Congress review power over a nuclear deal.

That presents another complication for the administration ahead of a rough deadline of March 24 to reach a nuclear agreement with the country.

The letter’s incredibly unfortunate and inappropriate,” said Sen. Heidi Heitkamp of North Dakota, a centrist Democrat who voted for the sanctions bill in committee and is a sponsor of the congressional approval legislation. “That doesn’t diminish my support for the legislation that we introduced.”

The president’s challenge in Congress on the issue isn’t limited to the 47 Republican senators who signed last week’s missive arguing that a nuclear agreement could be revoked by the next U.S. president. In a letter released Saturday, White House chief of staff Denis McDonough implored Senate Foreign Relations Chairman Bob Corker (R-Tenn.) not to push for a vote on his bill that would give Congress 60 days to reject or approve of any deal.

McDonough argued that Corker’s measure, which has nearly a dozen Democratic supporters, “goes well beyond ensuring that Congress has a role to play in any deal with Iran.” And he asked Corker, who’s sought to maintain a cordial relationship with the White House, to let the administration finish its negotiations with Iran, indicating it may take until the end of June. A framework is expected by the end of this month.

Corker shrugged off the request in response. And in an interview late last week, he said he hasn’t lost the support of any Democrats despite the turbulent atmosphere surrounding Iran politics.

COMMENT:  We hope that is correct.  We are either heading for no deal with Iran, or a bad deal.  No one expects a good one.  Indeed, reports over the weekend indicated that Iran has actually stiffened its demands, not surprising in light of America's weakness and the fact that the hardliners in Tehran are gaining strength again.

A critical two weeks coming up.  Now is crunch time.

March 16, 2015       Permalink

REMARKABLE – AT 8:46 A.M. ET:   A stunning statement by Vladimir Putin indicates just how weak America has become under Obama.  From the Washington Post: 

MOSCOW — Russian President Vladimir Putin personally directed his nation’s capture of Ukraine’s Crimean Peninsula, he said in a documentary aired Sunday, in which he offered details of his deep involvement in last year’s quick and effective takeover.

Putin said that Russia had flooded the Black Sea peninsula with special forces officers in the days after President Viktor Yanukovych fled Kiev in February 2014, and Putin said that the success of the precision operation surprised even him. With Kiev in chaos, Putin said, he was ready at the time to put Russia’s nuclear forces on alert.

The more than two-hour-long documentary, called “Crimea: Path to the Homeland,” offered new details about Putin’s actions between Yanukovych’s late-night escape from Ukraine’s capital on Feb. 21, 2014, and Russia’s annexation of Crimea less than four weeks later. Russia is planning celebrations this week to mark the March 18 anniversary of the annexation, and the lavishly financed film was a kickoff.

COMMENT:  None of that would have been possible without the wilful weakness of the president of the United States, a man who, each week, demonstrates his contempt for his own country and his own country's noble history in preventing World War III while winning the Cold War.

March 16,  2015     Permalink

MARCH 15,  2015

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

ARRESTED – From Fox:  "CLAYTON, MO (KTVI)- St. Louis County Police have confirmed that the suspected shooter of two police officers early Thursday morning outside of the Ferguson police department is in custody. Jeffrey Williams, 20, of north St. Louis County, has been charged with two counts of first-degree assault, firing a weapon from a vehicle, and two counts of armed criminal action. He is in custody with cash-only bail set at $300,000.  The two officers were shot just after midnight, as many protestors were headed home following a night of protests after the resignation of the city’s police chief. The two were standing with other officers in front of the police department on South Florissant Road working crowd control when shots were heard. It is believed that they were fired from behind the protestors."  We are prepared to hear CNN describe Mr. Williams as a "gentle giant," a "picture of compassion," and someone who dearly loves his mother.

REALITY SHOW – From AP:  "NEW ORLEANS (AP) — The arrest of Robert Durst, a wealthy eccentric linked to two killings and his wife's disappearance, came on Sunday just before the finale in an HBO show about his life in which he said he 'killed them all.'  Durst was arrested on a murder warrant just before Sunday evening's finale of an HBO serial documentary about his links to three sensational killings.  In the finale, Durst was asked about similarities in handwriting in a letter he wrote and another linked to one of the killings. Later, filmmakers said Durst wore his microphone into the bathroom.  What followed was a bizarre rambling in which Durst said, apparently to himself, 'There it is. You're caught' and 'What the hell did I do? Killed them all of course.'"  There have been a number of TV programs about Durst, some shown on Investigation Discovery.  In this case the filmmakers caught the guy confessing into an open mike.  Maybe justice will finally be done. 

HILLARY IN DEEPER – From ABC News:  "House Speaker John Boehner is expected to announce this week a new investigation into Hillary Clinton's email practices as Secretary of State, including her admission that more than 31,000 emails were destroyed because she determined them to be personal, top House Republicans told ABC News today.  During a news conference last week, Clinton did not go into the details of how the review of her email was conducted, but said it was 'thorough' and that she went 'above and beyond' what she was required to do in turning over many of her emails to the State Department."  The probes will apparently be conducted during the very period in which Hillary will announce her candidacy.  Not a great way to start a campaign.  Somewhere, Obama is smiling.

March 15, 2015       Permalink

CARLY?  – AT 11:41 A.M. ET:  One of the people who gets very little press in the presidential race is former Hewlett-Packard CEO Carly Fiorina, who's running for the Republican nomination.  She's the only woman on our side in the race.  She's given little chance of winning, but may make an attractive vice-presidential choice.  She also has plenty to say, and says it very well.  From National Journal: 

Hundreds of conservative and evangelical activists had been listening politely and applauding on cue as Carly Fiorina talked about God, and opportunity, and work ethic. For many of those attending the Iowa Freedom Summit, it was the first time they'd heard her speak. For some, it was the first time they'd heard of her at all.

Then, more than 10 minutes into the speech, she mentioned Hillary Clinton.

"Like Hillary Clinton, I too have traveled hundreds of thousands of miles around the globe," said Fiorina, former CEO of Hewlett Packard. "But unlike her, I've actually accomplished something. You see, Mrs. Clinton, flying is not an accomplishment; it is an activity."

The audience roared and was suddenly engaged, hanging on her words as she criticized Clinton on one issue after another. And when she landed on Benghazi—"Unlike Hillary Clinton, I know what difference it makes that our American ambassador and three other brave Americans were killed in a deliberate terrorist attack"—the crowd surged to its feet with a standing ovation.

"That's the first time I've ever seen her in person, and, frankly, I was moved by the speech. That takes a lot," says Sam Clovis, a former conservative radio host and tea-party favorite in Iowa. "It was the perfect speech on the perfect topic at the perfect place at the perfect time given in the perfect manner."

Fiorina, the only Republican woman actively considering a run for the White House, is taking on Clinton more forcefully and directly than any other GOP contender.

And...

It's not that Jeb Bush, Scott Walker, Ted Cruz, or other candidates are stepping lightly. Just last month, Clinton's name rang through the Conservative Political Action Conference dozens of times, as Republicans quipped about foreign donations to Clinton's foundation, tacked her name onto criticism of President Obama's policies, or, as Marco Rubio did, called her a candidate of "yesterday."

But Fiorina's offensive is in a class of its own, and for one reason: She's a woman, so she can.

COMMENT:  An interesting candidate, and she's from the business world, and that's both a plus and a problem.  Carly is refreshing, not the usual warmed-over politician.  She speaks sense and she speaks from experience.  But the bottom line is that her tenure as CEO of Hewlett-Packard was tumultuous.  She got poor grades from other executives and the business press, and was eventually forced out.  The very business experience she can point to is her Achilles Heel.   She also ran for the Senate in California, against Barbara Boxer, and lost. 

We'll follow her.  It's a tough climb, but she adds diversity and good ideas to the race.

March 15, 2015       Permalink

SAVED BY FRANCE? – AT 11:03 A.M. ET:  One of the most fascinating aspects of the Iran nuclear negotiations is the role played by France.  Americans often criticize the French for being difficult, but now we should be praising Paris.  The French are holding out for the kind of agreement with Iran that makes sense to a mature adult.  Obama seems to want a piece of paper.  From AFP: 

PARIS, France (AFP) — As the drive to reach an accord with Iran on its nuclear program heads towards a March 31 deadline, France is digging into its role as chief hawk — a position inclined to annoy US allies, but not likely to scuttle an eventual accord, diplomats say.

The French hard-line among its US, British, Chinese, Russian and German partners to hammer out a nuclear agreement with Tehran is rooted in ideological, historical, and even personal concerns that tend to stiffen as Paris recognizes Washington’s increasing pragmatism in seeking to conclude a deal swiftly.

“France has taken the opposite path to that of the United States, which changed strategies with the arrival of Barack Obama,” said Bernard Hourcade, an Iran specialist at the National Centre of Scientific Research, who says France’s current Socialist-led government adopted and defends the wary, intransigent stance towards Iran set down by previous conservative president Nicolas Sarkozy.

“Paris has clearly made the choice of going with Gulf oil monarchies and with a conservative stability” in the region, and frontally opposing Iranian interests and influences that Paris blames for violence and turmoil in Syria, Lebanon and Iraq, Hourcade said.

COMMENT:  On this the French are the realists, along with the Israelis and a number of Arab countries. 

It is crunch time in the talks with Iran.  Congress accepts the date of March 24th as the deadline to achieve a general agreement.  John Kerry is now hedging on whether an agreement will be reached by that date.  If it isn't, what will happen?  If it is, what will happen?  Republicans in Congress have said they will move forward with legislation that will give Congress an active role in evaluating any agreement reached with Iran, legislation that Obama has said he will veto.  Another idea being floated is that any agreement will be taken to the UN first for ratification, with Congress left out.

One of the most serious governmental clashes in modern American history may be coming.  The next few months will be critical. 

March 15, 2015       Permalink

CLINTON AND SCANDAL, TOGETHER AGAIN! – AT 10:52 A.M. ET:  We don't quote Maureen Dowd of The New York Times often here, but when she hits a home run, it's out of the park.  Her weekend column on Queen Hillary is a gem:

WASHINGTON — SINCE open letters to secretive and duplicitous regimes are in fashion, we would like to post an Open Letter to the Leaders of the Clinton Republic of Chappaqua:

It has come to our attention while observing your machinations during your attempted restoration that you may not fully understand our constitutional system. Thus, we are writing to bring to your attention two features of our democracy: The importance of preserving historical records and the ill-advised gluttony of an American feminist icon wallowing in regressive Middle Eastern states’ payola.

You should seriously consider these characteristics of our nation as the Campaign-That-Must-Not-Be-Named progresses.

If you, Hillary Rodham Clinton, are willing to cite your mother’s funeral to get sympathy for ill-advisedly deleting 30,000 emails, it just makes us want to sigh: O.K., just take it. If you want it that bad, go ahead and be president and leave us in peace. (Or war, if you have your hawkish way.) You’re still idling on the runway, but we’re already jet-lagged. It’s all so drearily familiar that I know we’re only moments away from James Carville writing a column in David Brock’s Media Matters, headlined, “In Private, Hillary’s Really a Hoot.”

When you grin and call out to your supporters, like at the Emily’s List anniversary gala, “Don’t you someday want to see a woman president of the United States of America?” the answer is: Yes, it would be thrilling.

But therein lies the rub.

What is the trade-off that will be exacted by the Chappaqua Republic for that yearned-for moment?

COMMENT:  Read the whole thing.  Maureen hits the bulls-eye.

March 15,  2015     Permalink