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DECEMBER 11,  2018

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

THE CHILDREN'S HOUR – FROM NBC:   An early straw poll of members of the progressive group MoveOn.org shows a wide open competition for liberal voters in the forthcoming 2020 Democratic presidential contest, with Beto O'Rourke narrowly beating out Joe Biden.  The poll, obtained by NBC News, shows a plurality of respondents — 29 percent — either said they did not yet know whom they would support or wanted someone else not listed among the group's more than 30 potential candidate choices.  The most popular potential candidate was O’Rourke, D-Texas, who was selected by 15.6 percent of respondents, followed by Biden at 14.9 percent, and then Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt, with 13.1 percent.  It's another sign of O’Rourke's surprising popularity among national Democrats and a potentially troubling indication for Sanders, whom MoveOn endorsed in the 2016 Democratic primary. That year, 78 percent of MoveOn members voted to back Sanders over Hillary Clinton.  Of course, this a poll of progressives, not actually real people. 

CHRISTMAS GETS A THUMBS UP – FROM THE WASHINGTON TIMES:  Three-fourths of Americans agree that Christmas should be celebrated in public schools, says a Rasmussen Reports poll conducted the same week that a Nebraska elementary school principal banned Christmas in her school, right down to candy canes, Christmas trees, Santa Claus, the colors red and green and “Elf on the Shelf” items.  “Most Americans continue to believe Christmas should be celebrated in public schools, and that there’s a place for religious symbols on public land,” said the poll analysis, which found that 74 percent of the respondents agreed that Christmas should be celebrated in public schools.  Fourteen percent disagreed, 12 percent were unsure in the survey, conducted Dec. 6-9.  As long as religions are treated equally, I see nothing wrong with it.  Indeed, while public schools cannot advocate a religion, under the First Amendment, they can certainly teach about religion, and students should be permitted to show how it is practiced.  Who is hurt by this?

LOSING HOLLYWOOD – FROM PJ MEDIA:  On Monday I received an email from the Motion Picture Academy informing me that if I didn't pay my dues, I wouldn't be able to vote in the Oscar nominations in a couple of weeks. I debated for a few minutes. Dues have inflated since I joined in the eighties and are now a hefty $450 per annum. Nevertheless, spendthrift that I am, I bit the proverbial bullet and went for it. Call it the inability to break a bad habit. Or an addiction to the non-stop influx of screeners that arrive at my door every December, not that I watch many of them. (I suspect I'm not alone in that.)  But it wasn't just the money that had made me hesitate. On one level, I wouldn't have re-upped up for $4.50, let alone $450. I mean -- what was the point of this? Does anybody care who wins the Oscar anymore? I certainly don't -- and I'm a voter.  Hollywood began to die in the 1960s.  What you have today is just a series of conglomerates, without the glamour, class or audience appeal of the Golden Age.  The American audience has given way to the "international audience," and the left-wingers in Hollywood couldn't care less.

December 11, 2018       Permalink 

CULTURE CLASH – AT 7:16 P.M. ET:  THE GREATEST CULURAL CLASH IN THE ENTIRE HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES IS SHOWING SIGNS OF BEING RESOLVED.  FROM FOX 8:   

SAN FRANCISCO — A radio station in California has returned the song “Baby It’s Cold Outside” to the airwaves.

The station 96.5 KOIT pulled the song from rotation shortly after WDOK Christmas 102.1 in Cleveland did after complaints it is inappropriate in 2018.

The call-and-response song written in the 1940’s includes a woman singing that she has to leave a man’s house as he tries to lure her to stay. In the song, the female sings “I really can’t stay,” to which the man responds, “but baby, it’s cold outside.” Other lyrics include the woman singing “say, what’s in this drink?” and “I simply must go… the answer is no.”

According to a press release, after KOIT began its 100 percent Christmas music programming on Nov. 16, the station received complaints from listeners regarding the lyrics. On Dec 3, KOIT Program Director Brian Figula opted to place the song on hold while seeking further listener feedback.

A poll was then conducted on the station’s website.

“KOIT’s listeners have spoken, and the overwhelming message is they do want to hear Baby, It’s Cold Outside on our station, as they have throughout the years,” Figula said in the release. “More than seven out of every ten listeners who responded said although some lyrics of the song may reflect a different era and a different sensibility than today, still they love the tradition and history of the song, and want to hear it as part of their holiday season. At KOIT, we always listen carefully when our listeners take time to comment.  In this case, it was very obvious what they wanted us to do.”

COMMENT:  The hypocrisy flows.  The same people who object to this traditional song about flirting seem to have no problem with rap lyrics that are absolutely degenerate.  Why is that?

Of course, the same people who went after Judge Kavanaugh had only a bit of a problem with Bill Clinton.  Why is that?

"Baby It's Cold Outside" won the Oscar for best song in 1949, having been sung by Esther Williams and Ricardo Montalban in "Neptune's Daughter."  It was written by Frank Loesser, one of our greatest songwriters, who later wrote the score for "Guys and Dolls."  Its appearance in "Neptune's Daughter" cleared the Production Code, Hollywood's strict morals office at the time.  And yet, the politically correct crowd today tries to ban it.

December 11, 2018       Permalink

THE RUSSKIES ON THE MOVE – AT 2:15 P.M. ET:  Russia, over the decades, has made periodic attempts to move militarily into the Western Hemisphere.  The most spectacular of these attempts, of course, led to the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962, after Nikita Khrushchev tried to plant nuclear-tipped offensive missiles in Castro's Cuba.   Are we seeing the start of a repeat?  From Fox: 

The Russian government has been mum on how long two nuclear-capable strategic bombers will stay in Venezuela as Secretary of State Mike Pompeo decried the collaboration between "two corrupt governments."

Russia's Defense Ministry on Monday announced that a pair of Tu-160 bombers landed at an airport outside Caracas. The ministry didn’t reveal whether the bombers-- which flew over 6,000 miles to reach the socialist country-- carried any weapons. An An-124 heavy military transport plane and an Il-62 long-haul plane also arrived in Venezuela.

The Tu-160 bombers were deployed in Russia's campaign in Syria where they employed conventionally-armed Kh-101 cruise missiles. But the bombers are also capable of carrying nuclear-tipped cruise missiles with a range of 3,410 miles.

Pompeo criticized the move by Russia, issuing a short and a scathing statement on social media.
“#Russia's government has sent bombers halfway around the world to #Venezuela. The Russian and Venezuelan people should see this for what it is: two corrupt governments squandering public funds, and squelching liberty and freedom while their people suffer,” he wrote in a tweet.

Venezuela’s defense minister, Vladimir Padrino López, insisted that the bombers were not intended to be a provocation. “We are makers of peace, not war,” he told a state broadcaster, according to the Guardian. 

COMMENT:   Truly provocative on Moscow's part.  One wonders how smart it is.  Why would Russia appear to be trying to prop up a horribly failing government?

Oh, have you noticed any concern on the part of the Democratic Party?  Weren't they deeply worried about President Trump's "collusion" with Russia?  Guess that's yesterday's news.

December 11, 2018       Permalink

THE PRESIDENT HOLDS – AT 11:52 A.M. ET:  I find it remarkable how solid the president has been in polls despite all that is thrown at him.  I have no proof of what the cause might be, but perhaps he is benefiting from a kind of sympathy vote.  Americans seem to be filtering out much of the criticism.  From Rasmussen: 

The Rasmussen Reports daily Presidential Tracking Poll for Tuesday shows that 49% of Likely U.S. Voters approve of President Trump’s job performance. Forty-nine percent (49%) disapprove. 

The latest figures include 36% who Strongly Approve of the way Trump is performing and 39% who Strongly Disapprove. This gives him a Presidential Approval Index rating of -3. (see trends).

COMMENT:  We've had unsourced stories in the last few days suggesting that some Republicans fear the collapse of the Trump administration, and even wonder whether Trump will be the candidate in 2020.  I would doubt these stories.  This man fights, and there's really no important evidence against him at this point.

We stress always that polls are snapshots in time, and that Rasmussen tends to lean a bit right.  However, as the last surviving daily tracker, it is useful in following trends.

December 11,  2018     Permalink

DECEMBER 10,  2018

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

THE NERVE – FROM AFP:   Paris (AFP) – The French government on Sunday urged Donald Trump not to interfere in French politics after the US president posted tweets about the protests rocking the country and attacked the Paris climate agreement.  “We do not take domestic American politics into account and we want that to be reciprocated,” Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian told LCI television.  “I say this to Donald Trump and the French president says it too: leave our nation be.”  Trump had on Saturday posted two tweets referring to the “yellow vest” anti-government protests that have swept France since mid-November and sparked rioting in Paris.  “Very sad day & night in Paris. Maybe it’s time to end the ridiculous and extremely expensive Paris Agreement and return money back to the people in the form of lower taxes?” he suggested.  Trump had earlier posted: “The Paris Agreement isn’t working out so well for Paris. Protests and riots all over France. Okay, Trump went a little over the line in criticizing the French government.  But two weeks ago Macron went way over the line in slamming Trump.  All's fair.

I COULDN'T HAVE LIVED WITHOUT HIS OPINION – FROM FOX:   He's been known to take long-distance shots, but this one might be the farthest out there.  NBA superstar Stephen Curry said he does not believe the U.S. landed on the moon, according to a podcast Monday.  The Golden State Warriors guard made the comments when he was a guest on the "Winging It" podcast, according to The New York Times.  Curry asked one of the hosts if he believed that the U.S. landed on the moon. When the host said no, Curry agreed, but said he didn't want to "start conspiracies."  Despite insurmountable evidence to the contrary, conspiracy theorists have claimed for years that man did not walk on the moon, that the landings were fake. Conspiracy theories have continued to pop up since man first walked on the moon on July 20, 1969, when Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin became the first men to ever set foot on the lunar surface.   They ought to send Curry up there to collect the old Coke bottles.

PATHETIC – THE OSCARS HAVE HAD IT – FROM FOX:   Following Kevin Hart’s announcement that he was bowing out of as host of the 2019 Academy Awards, a report on Monday suggested that organizers behind the annual event are considering airing next year’s telecast without a host.  The Academy of Motion Pictures Arts & Sciences is exploring all options, sources with knowledge of the situation told Variety.  The show may go sans host, an insider told the outlet, and instead would feature “a bunch of huge celebs, something ‘SNL’ style, and buzzy people to throw to commercial.”  Organizers reportedly are leery of booking a host considered too controversial or “off the cuff,” the report claimed.  There was a time when hosting the Oscars was one of the greatest honors in the industry.  Now look at it.

December 10,  2018     Permalink 

NOT A GOOD SIGN FOR 2020 – AT 8:12 A.M. ET:   It is clear that the Clintons want to get back into the White House.  Maybe Bill left his Lionel trains behind.  But there are suggestions that the return trip is unlikely to happen.  From Daily Mail: 

Bill and Hillary Clinton have been forced to resort to selling half price tickets for their 13-city tour on Groupon in a desperate bid to put bums on seats. 

The former president and first lady launched their tour in a Canadian hockey arena last Tuesday to an underwhelming crowd and swaths of empty seats.

Ticket prices were plummeting shortly before the event, with the cheapest seats selling on Stubhub for single-digits -  $6.55 Canadian Dollars, or less than $5.

Now the couple are taking drastic action to avoid another embarrassment on the next stop on their An Evening With the Clintons tour.

They have slashed tickets by up to 60 per cent, and even offered them on Groupon, to try and entice more fans to come and listen to them speak. 

On the official site, there were still seats for the tour available for up to $325, with other floor seats going for $83 plus a hefty service charge, but on Groupon, they can be picked up for as little as $35.

The tour is currently on a break for the holidays and reconvenes in New York on April 11, 2019, before moving on to nine other cities including DC, Boston, LA and Las Vegas. 

COMMENT:  Why do I think the April tour may not come off?  Why do I think Hillary will accept a position as head of a college, or think tank? 

Why do I think it's over? 

December 10, 2018       Permalink

NOW WE KNOW THE TRUTH – AT 8:02 A.M. ET:  The truth about Google has come out.  We knew all along.  From College Fix: 

A professor from UCLA and the University of Southern California recently told an audience to “stop telling students to Google things” … because the search engine behemoth is racially biased.

Such is the topic of Safiya Noble’s new book, “Algorithms of Oppression: How Search Engines Reinforce Racism.” Noble was the keynote speaker for the “Year of Data” conference held at Princeton University’s Center for Digital Humanities on Thursday.

Noble said that in her previous career she had assisted clients to “get better representation” in Google search results, and as such knows how the game is played, so to speak.  According to The Daily Princetonian, Noble said “corporations who pay the most money secure appearance on the first page, and thus those corporations gain the most prominent representation.”

She believes her research “fill[ed] a void” in the conversation regarding “the politics and power systems embedded in different kinds of platforms.”

“[T]here weren’t people who were centering around black women or vulnerable people at the epicenter of the questions they might ask,” she said. “Of course that was leading them to look for different kinds of evidence, or it precluded their ability to see evidence [of racism] that was everywhere.”

COMMENT:  Stuff like this isn't a joke anymore.  The future of this country depends heavily on its educational system, and especially its great research universities.  These places are becoming, increasingly, sandboxes filled with kooks and trivia hunters.  Words like "racism" are thrown around so loosely they have lost their power.

There is certainly racism, but that is far from the American story.  Unless we tell that story to the next generation, we are doomed.

December 10,  2018     Permalink