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SEPTEMBER 25,  2014

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

GOP LEADS IN ALASKA SENATE RACE – From The Hill:  "Sen. Mark Begich (D-Alaska) trails former Alaska Department of Natural Resources Commissioner Dan Sullivan (R) by a six-point margin, according to a new poll conducted for the Chamber of Commerce and first shared with The Hill.  Sullivan leads Begich by 49 percent to 43 percent in the live-caller poll, conducted by GOP firm Dittman Research, a larger lead than he's held in any other public polling of the race. The Chamber is backing Sullivan.  President Obama's numbers are abysmal in the Republican state, according to the poll. Two-thirds of voters disapprove of his job performance, 65 percent, while just 32 percent approve."  Still much too early to put this one away.  Every day now is critical, and we open the home stretch next Wednesday, October 1st.  Republicans need a net gain of six to control the Senate.  Looks close.

EXPERT ADVICE, NOT – From Business Insider:  "The Rev. Al Sharpton said his civil rights organization, the National Action Network, is 'engaged in immediate conversations' with the White House as they work to name 'We are engaged in immediate conversations with the White House on deliberations over a successor whom we hope will continue in the general direction of Attorney General Holder,' Sharpton said in a statement.  Sharpton praised Holder, the first African-American attorney general, as the 'best' one in history when it comes to civil rights.  'The resignation of Attorney General Eric Holder is met with both pride and disappointment by the Civil Rights community,' he said. 'We are proud that he has been the best Attorney General on Civil Rights in U.S. history and disappointed because he leaves at a critical time when we need his continued diligence most.'"  Yeah, right.  Just what this nation needs – the wisdom and advice of Al Sharpton.  Next the administration will ask for nominations from Al Capone.

FBI HEAD HITS APPLE, GOOGLE – From National Journal:  "The FBI director criticized Apple and Google Thursday for adopting new policies that will block police from accessing private data on phones and tablet computers.  An FBI spokesman confirmed that Director James Comey told reporters he is "very concerned" that the new features could thwart critical police investigations. The bureau has contacted both companies to learn more, the spokesman said.   Last week, Apple announced that its new operating system will make it impossible for the company to unlock iPhones and iPads. Even if the police obtain a warrant, Apple would be unable to turn over information such as photos, video, or contact lists stored on the device. Google, which makes the popular Android operating system, announced a similar policy the following day."  This is not good.  It would be very wise for both companies to modify their technology so they could cooperate with criminal investigations.  Last time I looked, both firms are part of the United States.  They're not bigger than the United States.

GREAT MOMENTS IN IMMATURITY – From Fox:  "A National Guard recruiter was instructed to stop handing out promotional T-shirts at a New York high school after teachers complained that the shirts featured a soldier holding a weapon. 'A pointed gun is just not appropriate for a high school,' said Alan McCartney, the interim superintendent of the Ravena-Coeymans-Selkirk School District.  Last Friday, a recruiter for the New York Army National Guard was on campus handing out swag – including a shirt with the logo of a silhouetted soldier aiming a rifle. The silhouette was framed by an American flag and the words 'National Guard.'  'A couple of teachers realized it showed a silhouette of a rifleman on it,' McCartney said in a telephone interview. “I realize some students look at the T-shirt and all they see is the National Guard. And that is a good thing. Others look at the shirt and all they see is the rifle.'"  That is absurd.  "Educators" should worry about real kids with real guns, especially on weekends in Chicago. 

September 25, 2014       Permalink

THE CONVERSION – AT 8:55 A.M. ET:   Little by little, Barack Obama is moving in the direction of BUSH (!!) AND CHENEY (!!!!).  Of course, he won't admit it, and neither will his disciples.  But during his UN speech yesterday he actually described the Islamic State as "evil."  Remember when Bush used language like that?  The Dems had fainting spells, practically accusing President Bush of unspeakable crimes.  But, hey, it's Barack.  He knows evil when he sees it.  And then there's this bit of major-league hypocrisy.  From The Politico: 

NEW YORK — Less than two months after President Barack Obama’s administration called for repeal of the Congressional authorization for the 2002 Iraq war, he is formally citing the 12-year-old measure as a basis for newly expanded airstrikes against the Islamic State of Syria and the Levant.

Since June, Obama has been sending official war-powers notifications to Congress about the campaign he authorized against ISIL. Administration aides have repeatedly cited the 2001 war authorization against Al Qaeda and the Taliban as grounds for strikes in Iraq.

Some administration officials had indicated in background comments that Obama might invoke the Iraq war authorization if the bombing campaign spread to Syria, but he officially did so in a letter to Congress Tuesday. The authorization cited the measure only with a reference to its Public Law number, 107-243.

COMMENT:  I mean, can't Obama get his own law?  Are we running out of paper?  Just the idea of Obama using Bush's law is hilarious, if it wasn't so serious.  Maybe it's intentional.  Polls show that Bush is now more popular than Obama.

We'll know that Obama is ready for the full conversion when he puts on a ten-gallon hat and establishes his vacation White House in an oil field.  Then he'll mutter, "Let Hillary try to run to the right of this!"

September 25, 2014       Permalink

NEWS FROM THE PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC – AT 8:41 A.M. ET:   Are these people serious?  Well, it's Seattle, the San Francisco of the north country, so I assume they are.  This is what the start of a nanny state looks like.  From Breitbart: 

The City of Seattle just passed a new trash ordinance that would fine residents and businesses for throwing away too much food.

The new rules would allow garbage collectors to inspect trash cans and ticket offending parties if food and compostable material makes up 10 percent or more of the trash.

The fines will begin at $1 for residents and $50 for businesses and apartment buildings, according to the Seattle Times.

Seattle Public Utilities requested the new rules after falling short of its recycling goals of 60 percent of trash by 2015, according to the Times. The recycling rate in 2013 was 56 percent.

The Seattle city council vote on the new rules was 9-0.

COMMENT:  Are they going to have a corps of inspectors for this?  Like meter maids?  What happens if your refrigerator breaks down and you have to throw away a load of food?  What happens if your diet suddenly changes because of illness?  What happens if you had a party and there's the usual half-eaten stuff left over?  Do you need things like doctor's notes?  Notes from mommy?  Permission from the commissioner of delicious trash? 

How are they gonna measure ten percent?  Weight? 

Do you get the feeling that some bureaucrats in Seattle have too much time on their hands?

Gee, I remember when Seattle was known for building Boeings.  Those were the days.

September 25, 2014       Permalink

EVEN IN THE BLUE STATES – AT 8:28 A.M. ET:  The conventional thinking is that President Obama is in trouble only in red states, that his base in the blue states is secure.  That does not, however, appear to be true.  Dissatisfaction with Obama is seeping heavily into the bluest of the blue states, New York and California, the Democratic coastal anchors.  From The Hill: 

Just weeks after President Obama's approval rating hit record lows in the liberal bastion of California, a new survey shows the president in trouble in another deep blue state: New York.

Only 39 percent of registered New York voters surveyed in a Marist College poll said Obama is doing an "excellent" or "good" job, the lowest level for Obama in the poll since the beginning of his presidency.

That's down 6 points from July, when 45 percent said they approved of his job performance. Sixty-one percent of survey respondents judged Obama as doing a "fair" or "poor" job in office.

Earlier this month, only 45 percent of California voters said they approved of how Obama was handling his job, according to a Field Poll released by the Sacramento Bee. That was down 5 percent from June.

The president has seen his support erode steadily throughout the summer as he grappled with a series of international crises, including the rise of the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria, Russia's repeated incursions into Ukraine, and fighting between Israel and Palestine.

The Marist poll could change the calculus for national Democrats, who had hoped Obama could be an asset in New York during the home stretch of the midterm election campaign.

COMMENT:  In fairness we should wait to see the "internals" on these numbers.  It may be that some of the truly looney tunes voters in California and New York are turning on Obama because he isn't leftist enough.  They expected someone rivaling Lenin.  Or at least Fidel.

We also should caution that, while presidential popularity can influence elections to Congress, it is only one factor.  These elections are local, and usually depend on locally important issues and the direct appeal, or lack of it, of the candidates.  We still have a long way to election day.

September 25, 2014       Permalink

MITT? – AT 8:19 A.M. ET:  The Romney 2016 buzz is back.  And maybe there's really some substance to it after all.  From Byron York at the Washington Examiner: 

Is Mitt Romney, who ran for the Republican presidential nomination and lost in 2008, ran again and won the nomination but lost the general election in 2012, really thinking about running yet again for president in 2016? Many Republicans have simply assumed not. Romney has seemed to discourage such talk in media appearances, and there has been a general belief that after losing as the party's nominee, the 67 year-old Romney would return to private life for good.

That belief is wrong. Romney is talking with advisers, consulting with his family, keeping a close eye on the emerging '16 Republican field, and carefully weighing the pluses and minuses of another run. That doesn't mean he will decide to do it, but it does mean that Mitt 2016 is a real possibility.

Nearly all of Romney's 2012 circle of advisers, finance people, and close aides remains intact. Many developed an extraordinary loyalty to Romney, who, in turn, has kept in close touch with them. Romney talks to some of them quite frequently in conversations that cover daily news, foreign and domestic policy, Hillary Clinton, the Republican field -- everything that might touch on a 2016 campaign. "Virtually the entire advisory group that surrounded Mitt in 2012 are eager for him to run, almost to a man and a woman," says one plugged-in member of Romneyland.

And...

The key question for Romney, according to those who have talked to him, is whether former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush decides to run. Romney is said to believe that, other than himself, Bush is the only one of the current Republican field who could beat Hillary Clinton in a general election. If Bush jumps in the race, this line of thinking goes, Romney would not run. But if Bush stays out -- well, Romney's wife Ann raised more hopes in Romneyland during a conversation this week with Fox News' Neil Cavuto:

CAVUTO: One scenario out there, Mrs. Romney, is that Jeb Bush doesn't run after all, and your husband will size up the landscape and that a lot of his supporters, past and present, said, you have the name recognition, you have the Reagan example of the third time was the charm for him, and that it's been done before.

ROMNEY: Mm-hmm.

CAVUTO: And -- and that would be appealing.

ROMNEY: Well, we will see, won't we, Neil?

COMMENT:  Yes, we will see.  It seems to me there'd be a clear place for Romney if no other Republican breaks through and starts exciting the party.  The Republican field for 2016 is broad but not deep.  There's no Reagan, who brought a movement of his own.

But 2016 is also two years away.  That's about 20 lifetimes in politics.  Clearly, Hillary's intentions will influence the GOP field.  So will biology.  A potential candidate, and that includes Hillary, might have a health issue.  World events will influence.  The economy will certainly influence party choices.

Anyone who tries to predict at this point is nuts, or short of material.

September 25,  2014     Permalink

SEPTEMBER 24,  2014

SHORT TAKES ON THE DRIFTING WRECKAGE – AT 10:54 P.M. ET: 

VALUES – From CNS:  "A recent survey found that Democrats believe the threat posed by climate change is greater than the threat posed by either al Qaeda or the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS/ISIL).  The Pew Research Center/USA Today survey, conducted between Aug. 20 and 24, shows that 68 percent of Democrats said global climate change is a 'major threat' to the U.S. while 67 percent chose al Qaeda and 65 percent chose ISIS as a major threat to the country.  On the Republican side, 80 percent said al Qaeda was the major threat and 78 percent chose ISIS, while only 25 percent said global climate change was a major threat.  Among Independents, 69 percent chose al Qaeda as the major threat, 63 percent chose ISIS, and only 44 percent said climate change.  Among Democrats, global climate change topped the list of greatest threats to the U.S. But among Republicans and Independents, it placed last on a list of nine 'major threats.'"  Of course, Democrats are so well-read and so scientifically sensitive, as we've seen by their rollout of Obamacare.

ANOTHER STEP FORWARD (CHOKE) – From NRO:  "The number of working-age adults in the United States with limited proficiency in English has more than doubled since 1980, according to a new Brookings Institution study. Immigrants proficient in English, the study notes, tend to earn substantially higher incomes.  'English proficiency is a strong predictor of economic standing among immigrants, regardless of the amount of education they have attained, and it is associated with the greater academic and economic success of the workers’ children,' the study found.  The Wall Street Journal reports that the rise comes out to nearly 1 in 10 adults who lack sufficient English skills, two and a half times more than three decades ago. Two-thirds of those lacking proficiency are Spanish speakers."  Ah, the joys of multiculturalism.  Of course, for some there's a positive to this:  the local political machine leaders love it when constituents can't advance much.  Then they stay constituents, trapped by their circumstances. 

ADVENTURES IN FACT CHECKING – From the Washington Free Beacon:  "President Barack Obama favorably quoted and praised on Wednesday in his speech before the United Nations a controversial Muslim cleric whose organization has reportedly endorsed the terror group Hamas and supported a fatwa condoning the murder of U.S. soldiers in Iraq.  Obama in his remarks offered praise to controversial cleric Sheikh Abdallah Bin Bayyah and referred to him as a moderate Muslim leader who can help combat the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant’s (ISIL or ISIS) radical ideology.  However, Bin Bayyah himself has long been engulfed in controversy for many of his views, including the reported backing of a 2004 fatwa that advocated violent resistance against Americans fighting in Iraq.  This is not the first time that the Obama administration has extolled Bin Bayyah, who also has served as the vice president of a Muslim scholars group founded by a radical Muslim Brotherhood leader who has called 'for the death of Jews and Americans,' according to Fox News and other reports."  Another day of glory for the White House amateur.

THAT OBAMA "SALUTE" – From the New York Post:  "Outraged veterans and their supporters were still steaming Wednesday about President Obama’s indifferent 'latte salute' to a pair of ramrod-straight Marines a day earlier.  'What a jerk! He should [respect] the people who protect his butt,' griped retired Air Force Lt. Col. Michael Cermele, 72, a Vietnam veteran visiting the Big Apple from San Antonio with his wife, Dale, 62.  Others took to social media to rant — including the White House’s Instagram page, which posted a video of the president awkwardly giving a half salute with a coffee cup in his right hand as he disembarked the Marine One chopper in New York on Tuesday."  Okay, it may have been an awkward moment, but isn't it odd that Ronald Reagan never had those moments?  I recall seeing a picture, early in his term, of Bill Clinton in the Oval Office wearing a running suit.  I said to a friend, "This guy is gonna get in trouble."  You can tell something of the character of a president by his style, those little things.  By the way, Reagan always wore a jacket in the Oval Office.  He said it was a sign of respect.   

September 24, 2014       Permalink

SAFE IN KENTUCKY? – AT 10:58 A.M. ET:  One Senate race that the GOP has been sweating is in Kentucky, where Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell has been in the battle of his career against attractive Democratic candidate Alison Lundergan Grimes.  But it appears that McConnell has now taken charge.  From The Hill: 

A once-golden opportunity in the Kentucky Senate race could be slipping away from Democrats.

After more than a dozen consecutive polls have shown nominee Alison Lundergan Grimes lagging behind Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R), some Kentucky Democrats are warning that Grimes might need a strategy shake-up. Last week, the state’s largest newspaper wondered whether she needed a “campaign reset.”

Grimes’s campaign and her allies insist they’re exactly where they need to be, pointing out several polls were within the margin of error or partisan surveys. They said their strategy of unseating the unpopular GOP leader is going according to plan.

But the public numbers have some veteran Bluegrass State Democrats worried. Longtime strategist Jimmy Cauley, who ran Gov. Steve Beshear’s (D-Ky.) 2007 race, warned that if Grimes doesn’t shift her strategy soon, it might be too late.

“I genuinely believe, if it’s an hourglass, the sands are running out,” he told The Hill.

Conversations with several Democrats in the state revealed near-universal concern that Grimes has let McConnell and his moneyed allies define the candidate before she could define herself.

COMMENT:  Translated:  She isn't running a very good campaign.  Now, Mitch McConnell isn't the most lovable guy around, but he's a pro in a contest that requires a pro.  Also, the fact that he was in some trouble was detected early, and corrections were made.  In general, Republican campaigns are better run this year than the last time around.  We're getting into crunch time now.

September 24, 2014       Permalink 

ARE DEMS HEADING FOR ELECTORAL DISASTER? – AT 9:46 A.M. ET:  We stress that this is one interpretation of electoral data, but we like it, it makes us feel good, so here it is.  From the Washington Times: 

A game-changing revolution is brewing across the nation’s political landscape, though it’s getting little serious attention in the liberal news media right now.

A growing pile of voter-preference polls now show that the Republicans are on the brink of taking control of the Senate and strengthening their hold on the House in what is shaping up to be a complete repudiation of the Democrats and Barack Obama’s failed presidency.

But neither the Obama White House nor the Democrats on Capitol Hill are vocally sounding the alarms about their impending defeat in the upcoming midterm elections.

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi lives in her own little, delusional world that a miracle will happen and she will be speaker of the House once again. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, like Mrs. Pelosi, has never uttered one word of criticism about the consistently underperforming Obama economy, even though unemployment in his state is still nearly 8 percent.

The Democrats’ impending demise has been building for months. But the network news programs have virtually ignored the story, believing it will go away, and the major national newspapers are still churning out cover-up stories of vulnerable Democrats who, just maybe, could pull “an upset” on Nov. 4.

And...

Consider recent polling data that show the Republicans are now seen as much more positively by voters, while the Democrats’ polls have fallen over the course of Mr. Obama’s troubled second term — from a 51 percent high in January 2013 to a 42 percent low this year. Now both parties are roughly at parity, with the GOP rising and Democrats in decline.

“Americans have typically rated the Democratic Party more positively than the Republican Party since the question was first asked in 1992, so the current parity between the two is a positive sign for the GOP and a negative one for the Democratic Party,” Gallup reported last week.

“Indeed, current opinions of the Democratic Party are among the worst Gallup has measured in the past 20 years,” the veteran polling organization added.

COMMENT:  Well, I hope so.  But we always remind readers that the only poll that counts is the one on election day.  Republicans have snatched defeat from the jaws of victory before, and their ability to mess things up is unmatched.  However, the campaign is going well thus far.  We still have to work as if we're 20 points behind. 

September 24, 2014       Permalink

AUSTRALIA CAME CLOSE – AT 9:14 A.M. ET:  For some reason, it hasn't registered with the mainstream media how close Australia came recently to a series of ghastly plots by jihadists.  I don't know why Australia was especially targeted, but the country's security services are to be commended for their quick work in breaking up the plots.  From the West Australian: 

An 18-year-old who was shot dead after he stabbed two officers in Melbourne was planning to behead them, cover their bodies in an Islamic State flag and post photos to social media, according to reports.

The teenager, who recently had his passport cancelled on security grounds and had been spotted at a shopping centre draped in an IS flag, stabbed an AFP officer three to four times before twice stabbing a Victorian officer in the forearm after greeting them with a handshake, police said.

The teen, who has been named in media reports as Numan Haider, was searched and found to be carrying a larger knife and an Islamic State flag in his pocket, Fairfax reports.

He is a known terror suspect who authorities had been monitoring for months.

COMMENT:  These terror movements are based on ideas.  How do you stop an idea?  We're a bit naive in this country about ideological movements.  We always have been.  During World War II the United States Navy could not comprehend the Japanese kamikaze.  The notion of committing suicide in battle was outside our experience and our ethic. 

It is perfectly obvious that, despite assurances from Barack Obama, terrorism is not on the run, and is not about to be defeated.  Indeed, in recent days some military officers have said openly that it will take years to defeat the Islamic State.  Maybe the grown-ups in Washington are reasserting themselves. 

September 24, 2014        Permalink

LONE WOLF WARNING – AT 8:55 A.M. ET:  This has become a major story on networks and across the internet.  From CBS: 

The U.S. government is warning about the potential for retaliatory attacks from home-grown, lone-wolves who may be inspired to act in the name of al Qaeda and the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria.

The FBI and Department of Homeland Security issued a bulletin after the airstrikes were launched against extremists in Syria, telling law enforcement to "be vigilant." Officials have said there is no credible specific threat at the moment.

One of the groups targeted in Syria is an al Qaeda-offshoot called Khorasan.

Taking advantage of the lawlessness inside Syria, Khorason -- a terror cell of veteran al Qaeda operatives -- has been working on new hard-to-detect bombs that can be smuggled aboard airplanes, reports CBS News correspondent Bob Orr.

Lt. Gen. William Mayville, director of operations for the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said Tuesday the group was "nearing the execution phase of an attack either in Europe or the homeland."

Al Qaeda has experimented with non-metallic bombs that may be hidden in shoes, clothing, cell phones, laptops and tubes of toothpaste.

That intelligence prompted the TSA in July to tighten security for U.S.-bound flights from two dozen foreign airports.

Sources tell CBS News Khorasan, which takes orders from al Qaeda chief Ayman al Zawahiri, includes explosives experts who may have been trained by al Qaeda's top bomb-maker, Ibrahim al Asiri. Asiri, who is based in Yemen, is the architect of bombs hidden in underwear and computer printers.

COMMENT:  I would take this warning seriously.  I'd also take seriously the possibility that plans already underway before the American air strikes on Syria and Iraq are still intact.  The "lone wolf" scenario is frightening, but the well-organized mass attack, like 9-11, is more frightening.

September 24,  2014     Permalink