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SECOND SUBSCRIPTION DRIVE – 2015

(Our drive picked up a bit yesterday, its second day, but we must do better to meet our goals.)

This week we started our second subscription drive 2015.  Urgent Agenda publishes seven days a week, 365 days a year, and we have not missed a day since our first issue in January, 2008.

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SEPTEMBER 10,  2015

SHORT TAKES ON THE DRIFTING WRECKAGE – AT 11:51 P.M. ET: 

DISGRACEFUL – From The Politico:   Senate Democrats on Thursday successfully blocked a measure meant to kill President Barack Obama's nuclear deal with Iran, dealing a decisive defeat to Republicans’ attempts to derail the controversial agreement and ensuring its survival.  With a 58-42 vote, Democrats filibustered the disapproval resolution that Republicans and other deal opponents had tried to send to Obama's desk, where it would have been vetoed. But with more than enough support from Democrats to sustain that veto, the fight largely turned to the minutiae of Senate procedure and the suspense of whether Democrats would halt the bill from reaching the White House altogether.  This is democracy?  This is what America is all about?  The American people, whose support for the Iran deal has sunk to 21%, can't even get an up-or-down vote on the issue in the Senate, even though opponents of the deal are in the majority.  It is astounding, and a disgrace to this country.  It is also a disgrace to the once-great Democratic Party, which now acts as the private plaything of a dictatorial president.

GREAT MOMENTS IN JOURNALISM – From CBS: NEW YORK -- Former NBC News anchor Brian Williams will return to the air on Sept. 22 as part of MSNBC's coverage of Pope Francis's visit to the United States.  The network pinpointed the date on Thursday. It had been looking toward coverage of the pope's visit as the place to start him in his new job of covering breaking news stories during MSNBC's daylight hours.  Williams lost his job as anchor of NBC's "Nightly News" and was suspended for six months after a pattern emerged that he had lied about his role covering certain news stories.  I hope Williams doesn't say that he personally selected Francis for the job.

COME ON, DONALD, GROW UP – From CNN:  Washington (CNN) Donald Trump said Thursday that when he suggested Carly Fiorina's face would make her unelectable, he wasn't talking about her looks.  "I'm not talking about looks. I'm talking about persona," Trump told CNN's Chris Cuomo on "New Day."  That's how Trump defended the remarks he made about his fellow GOP presidential contender in a Rolling Stone profile published Wednesday.  "Look at that face!" Trump told the magazine while sitting with a Rolling Stone reporter as Fiorina appeared on TV. "Would anyone vote for that? Can you imagine that, the face of our next president?"  "I mean, she's a woman, and I'm not s'posedta say bad things, but really, folks, come on. Are we serious?" Trump said, according to the magazine.  Trump may be leading in the GOP polls right now, but I have a hunch he'll wear out his welcome with his rudeness and abrasive personality.  To a degree, that's what's happened to New Jersey Governor Chris Christie.  He also attracted initial attention for his bluntness and take-no-prisoners rhetoric.  But, eventually, that kind of style starts driving people away.  Trump's crazy attack on Carly Fiorina reflects his sledgehammer approach.  I don't too many voters who could take that personality in the Oval Office.

September 10, 2015       Permalink

THE CULTURE – AT 11:43 A.M. ET:   Stephen Colbert took over for David Letterman this week as host of CBS's Late Show.  Colbert immediately made it clear that his show would have a political bent, and that means it will go left.  How well is Colbert doing in his first week?  From Hollywood Reporter:   

After a strong debut Tuesday, Stephen Colbert earned a less overwhelming win on Wednesday. Shedding 35 percent in the overnight metered market ratings, CBS' Late Show was virtually tied with NBC's Tonight.

Jimmy Fallon's The Tonight Show, bolstered by a visit from the comedian's pal and frequent viral video partner Justin Timberlake, also jumped in key demo of adults 18-49 — easily topping Colbert in Local People Meters. Final ratings later Thursday will likely find Colbert and Fallon evenly matched with audiences, with a slight advantage to Colbert, and the key demo in clear favor of Fallon.

Looking at the raw numbers, Colbert's overnight rating dropped from a 4.9 to a 3.2 in households. Fallon's jumped from a 2.4 to a 3.1 rating. In Local People Meters' demo measurement, Colbert lost half of his 18-49 showing. The episode was off by nearly half, from a 1.5 to a 0.8 rating.

COMMENT:  That is the usual pattern.  People tune in to a new host just out of curiosity.  Some will stay.  Some will go back to old favorites.  The fact that Colbert lost half his 18-49 demographic so quickly will be troubling to CBS.  If there's a turning away from the decidedly liberal Colbert by the young audience, that could have some political implications.  Or, it could simply mean that Colbert isn't funny enough.  We'll watch it.

September 10, 2015       Permalink

ANOTHER HILLARY SETBACK – AT 11:21 A.M. ET:  It's one hit after another for the once inevitable Democratic candidate for president.  From The Politico: 

Hillary Clinton's Iowa edge is gone.

Bernie Sanders leads the former secretary of state for the first time among Iowa Democrats likely to caucus in February, according to a new Quinnipiac University poll unveiled Thursday morning — the latest in a string of surveys that show a tightening race in the Hawkeye State.

The Vermont senator's advantage is within the margin of error — he took 41 percent compared with Clinton's 40 percent — and another 12 percent said they would support Vice President Joe Biden, who has yet to declare his 2016 intentions. (Former Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley picked up 3 percent, while no other candidate registered above that mark, and 3 percent were undecided.)

But the shift is a significant one, coming on the heels of polls showing Sanders edging Clinton in New Hampshire, too. Together, the results suggest a candidate reeling from the controversy over her emails and struggling to put down a rebellion on her left flank.

COMMENT:  If Hillary were smart, and there are doubts, she'd forget about the left wing, and go for the rest of the party.  The left never changes.  It never moves.  It is a religion, not a political group.  It will never feel comfortable with Hillary because Hillary is seen as too hawkish on foreign policy.

Yesterday, she took two swipes at Obama – one suggesting he wasn't tough enough on Iran, the other suggesting he hadn't done enough for struggling working people.  Look, it could have been a coincidence.  On the other hand, she may be realizing that pandering to the left makes no sense, and that Obama is probably against her anyway.  She may, understanding the risks involved, struggle her way to the nomination and then set herself up as a moderate Democrat, and alternative both to the left and to the not-very-popular Republican Party.

Fascinating political year.  No guarantees anywhere.

September 10, 2015        Permalink

RUSSIA EXPANDS – AT 9:53 A.M. ET:  Reports coming out of Syria point to a dramatically increased Russian combat role.  Grand Admiral Kerry has been protesting to Moscow, and is being ignored.  Why are we not surprised?  When you flash weakness in international politics, you're ignored.  From Reuters: 

MOSCOW/BEIRUT/WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Russian forces have begun participating in military operations in Syria in support of government troops, three Lebanese sources familiar with the political and military situation there said on Wednesday.

The sources, speaking to Reuters on condition they not be identified, gave the most forthright account yet from the region of what the United States fears is a deepening Russian military role in Syria's civil war, though one of the Lebanese sources said the number of Russians involved so far was small.

U.S. officials said Russia sent two tank landing ships and additional cargo aircraft to Syria in the past day or so and deployed a small number of naval infantry forces.

The U.S. officials, who also spoke on condition of anonymity, said the intent of Russia's military moves in Syria was unclear. One suggested the focus may be on preparing an airfield near the port city of Latakia, a stronghold of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

U.S. officials have not ruled out the possibility that Russia may want to use the airfield for air combat missions.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry spoke to his Russian counterpart for the second time in four days to express concern over reports of Russian military activities in Syria, warning that it could fan more violence.

COMMENT:  Yeah, Johnny, it sure can fan more violence.  And I'm sure the Russkies are very concerned about that. 

If you look at Russia's policies, they're militantly expansionist.  We're back to the bad old days.  The Cold War that Reagan ended, in large measure because he had military strength behind him, is back, and the cold part of it is becoming dangerously warm.

And Field Marshal Obama?  He's busy sucking up to Iran.  I'm sure the Russians are impressed.

September 10, 2015       Permalink

THIS IS A BIG STORY – AT 9:46 A.M. ET:  With the potential to be another Watergate.  Could it possibly be true?  It has the ring of truth.  Please read, from Fox: 

Dozens of intelligence analysts working at the U.S. military's Central Command (CENTCOM) have complained that their reports on ISIS and the Nusra Front in Syria were inappropriately altered by senior officials, according to a published report.

The Daily Beast reported late Wednesday that more than 50 analysts had supported a complaint to the Pentagon that the reports had been changed to make the terror groups seem weaker than the analysts believe they really are. Fox News confirmed last month that the Defense Department's inspector general was investigating the initial complaint, which the New York Times reported was made by a civilian employee of the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA).

The assessments in question are prepared for several U.S. policymakers, including President Obama.

The Daily Beast report, which cited 11 individuals, claimed that the complaint being investigated by the Defense Department was made in July. However, several analysts reportedly complained as early as this past October that their reports were being altered to suit a political narrative that ISIS was being weakened by U.S.-led airstrikes in Syria.

"The cancer was within the senior level of the intelligence command," the report quotes one defense official as saying.

According to the report, some analysts allege that reports deemed overly negative in their assessment of the Syria campaign were either blocked from reaching policymakers or sent back down the chain of command. Others claim that key elements of intelligence reports were removed, fundamentally altering their conclusions. Another claim is that senior leaders at CENTCOM created a work environment where giving a candid opinion on the progress of the anti-ISIS campaign was discouraged, with one analyst describing the tenor as "Stalinist."

COMMENT:  Outrageous if true, and the story fits the mentality of the Obama secretariat.  Republicans should get on this, and make it a major campaign issue.  We are not being told the truth about our international military situation.  That will only lead to tragedy, but it will be some other president's tragedy.

September 10,  2015     Permalink

SEPTEMBER 9,  2015

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

CHILLING – From NBC:  A notorious al Qaeda magazine is encouraging lone-wolf terrorist attacks on U.S. economic leaders, including Bill Gates, Michael Bloomberg and Warren Buffett.  The list in Inspire magazine also included industrialist brothers Charles and David Koch, internet entrepreneur Larry Ellison, and casino magnate Sheldon Adelson. A prominent economist was also on the list but asked that his name be withheld. Federal Reserve chairman Ben Bernanke was named, though not Janet Yellen, who succeeded him.  Also pictured was Jim Walton, one of the heirs to the Wal-Mart fortune, although he was misidentified in the caption as his late father, Sam Walton. Several other names on the list were misspelled.  If I were any of these people, I'd take it seriously, although I'm sure they all have security. 

THE GUEST LIST – It must be terrible to be left out, when you probably know all the invited people, and have plenty on them.  From the New York Post:  Anthony Weiner will be conspicuously absent from the fundraiser his boss, Michael Kempner, is throwing for his wife’s boss, Hillary Clinton. Weiner has been kept away from Hillary since his second sexting scandal first broke in 2013, even though Weiner’s wife, Huma Abedin, has a bigger role than ever in Clinton’s presidential campaign.  Kempner and wife Jacqueline are hosting a fundraiser that Hillary will attend Sept. 24 at their home in Cresskill, NJ.  If they would only take away Anthony's iPhone, he might reform.  And they could save the $60-a-month Verizon fee. 

ANOTHER OBAMA SUCCESS STORY – From Powerline:   The Washington Post reports that nearly 1 in 4 of the people who picked a health care plan for 2015 through Obamacare marketplaces have dropped or lost their coverage. As of the end of June, 9.9 million people were paying for health care plans they obtained through the federal or state-run insurance exchanges created by the Obamacare legislation. That’s a decline from the 12.7 million who signed up for a 2015 plan.  What explains the drop? The obvious explanation, and the main one cited by the Post, is that a huge number of those who signed up either failed to pay their premiums or paid them for a while but then stopped.  Some may have stopped because they (or their spouse) got a job that provided health insurance or they became eligible for Medicaid. But it seems likely that the vast majority stopped paying (or never paid) because they didn’t want to pay. Sharp increases in some premiums likely contributed to this desire.  I feel so much healthier knowing my government has such a successful medical plan in place.

September 9, 2015       Permalink

GREAT MOMENTS IN JOURNALISM – AT 10:52 A.M. ET:  You know, appearances are important.  That message hasn't, apparently, reached some in the news business.   From the Washington Examiner: 

NBC News is partnering with TargetSmart, a political data firm founded by Democrats that was also hired by the Democratic National Committee to provide voter information for the 2016 election.

The partnership between NBC News and TargetSmart is intended to "enhance election coverage and study the voting process in America in depth," according to a Tuesday press release from NBC.

Data provided by TargetSmart, which was founded in 2006 by veteran Democratic operatives Jeff Ferguson and Paula Kowalczuk, will allow NBC News "to perform non-partisan analysis, research voting habits, and identify voting trends at the state and local levels," the release said.

But TargetSmart is also in business with the DNC, all the way through the 2016 election. In August 2014, the data firm announced that it had been hired by the DNC to "to help elect Democrats up and down the ballot and across the nation."

TargetSmart's CEO Drew Brighton said at the time, "We continue to enhance and innovate the Democratic Party's data infrastructure, which will allow the Democratic Party to maintain their strategic advantage …"

COMMENT:  Look, maybe TargetSmart can keep the two assignments separate, but this sure looks funny.  You'd think a news organization would be more careful.  On second thought, why should you think that?

September 9, 2015       Permalink

SOME COMMON SENSE? – AT 9:58 A.M. ET:  Hillary Clinton is in a lot of trouble, and declining in the polls.  But this morning she actually showed some sense in discussing the Iran nuclear deal, providing distance between herself and Barack Obama.  From the Washington Times: 

Democratic presidential front-runner Hillary Rodham Clinton on Wednesday declared her support for President Obama’s nuclear deal with Iran but pledged to back up the deal with the threat of military action, subtly breaking with the president she served as secretary of state.

“I will not hesitate to take military action if Iran attempts to obtain a nuclear weapon,” Mrs. Clinton said in a speech at the Brookings Institute, a liberal think tank in Washington.

The tough stance was a departure from Mr. Obama, who has said that military options would only be a last resort.

Mrs. Clinton said that the deal was the best avenue to prevent Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon, but would only be the beginning of a strategy to ensure Iran complies the agreement.

And she said the next president should be prepared to be tested by Iran, either by it breaking the agreement or by its dangerous interference in the region.

COMMENT:  In a way, it's sad.  Hillary has been reported to be far stronger on national defense than Obama.  But she's trapped by the political left in her own party, and by her obvious lack of character.  Joe Biden, by contrast, is widely regarded as a decent man, but just as widely ridiculed for a career lacking in good policy judgment.  He even opposed the bin Laden raid.  He opposed the Reagan defense buildup.

Hillary is being called the Democratic Nixon, and for good reason.

September 9, 2015      Permalink 

TROUBLE ALREADY – AT 9:32 A.M. ET:  Usually, nations that have just signed on to a major international agreement wait a respectable period before starting trouble again.  But not Iran.  You've got to admire their spunk, their blatant treachery, their proud hypocrisy.  Give 'em a hand!  From
the Algemeiner: 

Ali Larijani, Iran’s Parliament speaker, rejected the U.S. reading of the nuclear deal between Iran and world powers, particularly regarding sanctions, NPR reported on Wednesday.

Speaking to NPR during a trip to New York, Larijani warned that if the U.S. imposed new sanctions on Iran, the country would reconsider its commitments to the nuclear deal.

“If something … happens in the U.S. Congress, or if there are new types of sanctions on us, then they should not expect us to go — to implement. Or if the Americans don’t stay true to their obligations on their part, they shouldn’t expect us to do it,” said Larijani, a conservative politician who has been speaker of the Majlis or parliament since 2008.

Larijani claimed that his country views its concessions — such as sealing off the heavy water reactor at the Arak complex — as permanent, and worried that the U.S. did not see its own commitment to remove sanctions in the same light.

COMMENT:  No, we actually don't.  We have the right to reintroduce sanctions if the Iranians cheat.  Apparently, Iran doesn't think so.

Iran is making threats because its threats have worked so well thus far.  Every time Iran made a threat, Obama and Kerry made more concessions.

Why do I think this whole deal will eventually collapse? 

And it will be left for the next president to clean up the mess.

September 9, 2015       Permalink

THE PEOPLE SPEAK – AT 9:21 A.M. ET:  Public support for the Iran nuclear deal is down to a stunning 21% in the respected Pew poll.  This, as Congress debates the deal.  Is anyone in Washington listening?  From Weekly Standard: 

A new Pew poll finds shrinking support among the American people for the nuclear deal with Iran. The poll found 49 percent are opposed to the deal, with 21 percent in support and 30 percent who say they don't know.

That's a 12-point drop in support for the deal from Pew's poll two months ago, which found 33 percent supported the deal and 45 percent oppose it. Here's more from Pew:

While the partisan divide over the nuclear agreement remains substantial, support for the deal has slipped across the board since July. Currently, 42% of Democrats approve of the agreement, while 29% disapprove and an identical percentage has no opinion. In July, 50% of Democrats approved, 27% disapproved and 22% had no opinion.

Republican support for the agreement, already low, has dropped even further (from 13% to 6%). Independents’ support for the agreement also has fallen (from 31% to 20%), although – as with Democrats – the share disapproving has held steady since July, at 47%.

COMMENT:  And the Democrats in Congress, whipped to believe in the greater glory of Barack, will be supporting the nuclear deal almost solidly.  Oh yes, some express their "reservations," a way of protecting themselves (they think) if the deal results in a train wreck, but support of our Supreme Leader seems to overcome any legitimate concerns.

September 9,  2015     Permalink