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SECOND SUBSCRIPTION DRIVE – 2016 – WEEK TWO

A GREAT DAY, BUT HELP STILL NEEDED!

(We had a great subscription day yesterday, one of the best we've ever had.  Thank you to all who participated.  But that is only one day.  We must keep it going.) 

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JUNE 21,  2016

SHORT TAKES ON THE DRIFTING WRECKAGE – AT 5:40 P.M. ET:

EXPECT MORE LIKE THIS – FROM NBC:   Dozens of commuters ran out of a crowded Manhattan subway station Tuesday morning after one straphanger thought someone claimed to have a gun, according to the NYPD.  Straphangers stampeded out of the Central Park North - 110th Street subway station in Harlem at about 9 a.m. in what police are calling mass hysteria.  3 Nabbed With Loaded Guns, Knives, Armor on Way to NYC  Authorities said the commotion spurred from a fight between two people on a 2 train. It's not clear what led straphangers to believe someone had a gun. But police said that it doesn't appear that a gun was ever fired.  Rider Jessica Shockeness said that she heard three loud booms during a delay as her 2 train pulled into the station. She said after she got off she heard another commuter say "I think it was gunshots" and people started running out of the station.   Shockeness said she didn't think the noises she heard were gunshots, but she decided to run too.  "I see people running, I'm gonna run," she said.  It's the terror effect.  People are on edge, more so after an incident like Orlando.  Expect more incidents like this.

BUILDING THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY – FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER:   With the Supreme Court readying its decision on President Obama's illegal immigrant amnesty programs, a new report shows that nearly 5 million aliens would be eligible for just two of the president's initiatives, or nearly half of the total population of undocumented immigrants.  What's more, the interactive map of those eligible for amnesty finds that the 2016 presidential battleground states would be heavily impacted, since 716,000 live in those nine states.  Overall, some 4,948,000 illegals would be eligible for Obama's deportation deferral programs, Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA, and Deferred Action for Parents of Americans and Lawful Permanent Residents, or DAPA, according to a report from the Center for American Progress, which supports Obama.  I believe in a fair, just immigration system.  But let's face it, part of Obama's plan is to build support for the Democratic Party, particularly his left-wing branch of the party.

THE TROUBLE WITH TRUMP – The trouble with Donald Trump (among other troubles) is that a man who should appear larger than life now appears very small.  Stumbling statements, ridiculous boasting, and lack of knowledge, are defining him.  The latest problem, as we reported below, is a cash shortfall.  And Donald's response?  For the next two days he'll match every dollar contributed with a dollar of his own...up to two million dollars.  Oh, come on.  In presidential politics, that's the equivalent of a mom and pop store.  Things like this are also raising suspicions that Trump isn't worth as much as suggests he is.  He's simply got to establish the size and stature of a presidential candidate.  The next week will be crucial.  The revolt against him continues to build.

June 21, 2016       Permalink

BRAINWASHING OUR KIDS – AT 11:09 A.M. ET:  When our kids go to college, what do they find?  Left wingers, that's what.  And unless this changes, we're going to have a future led by brainwashed graduates. 

The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is one of our most important universities.  But look at this breakdown.  From College Fix:   

Professors registered as Democrats outnumber those registered as Republicans by a ratio of roughly 12 to one at the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill – and in 15 departments zero registered Republican professors can be found – according to educators’ registered party affiliations.

The College Fix researched the political party registrations of 1,355 UNC Chapel Hill professors using the state’s online public voter database, maintained by the State Board of Elections.

Of those, 615 were registered Democrats, while only 50 were registered Republicans, a ratio of about 12 to one.

The remaining party affiliations included 299 professors who are unaffiliated (in North Carolina, voters can register as unaffiliated), 291 professors whose names could not be found in the database, and 98 professors whose party affiliations could not be determined. Two professors are registered Libertarians.

Even with the high number of professor party affiliations that could not be determined, the results found Democrat professors outnumber Republican ones in every single department surveyed, and what’s more, nearly half of the 34 departments probed found no registered Republicans at all.

Those 16 departments are:

African-American Studies
American Studies
Anthropology
Art
Asian Studies
Biology
Classics
Communications
Environmental Science
Genetics
Geology
History
Linguistics
Marine Sciences
Public Policy
Women’s Studies

Asked by The College Fix to comment on the results, University of North Carolina Chapel Hill spokesman Jim Gregory said via email that the university “does not hire faculty based upon their political affiliation, but instead upon academic merit.”

“That said, we also feel that it is important for students to be confronted with views that they may not agree with or have not previously been exposed to, which we believe leads to the development of critical thinking skills,” he said.

COMMENT:  What a laugh.  In practice the "views" that students are exposed to are all on the left.  And it's clear that many professors see their role not as educators but as "change agents." 

June 21, 2016       Permalink

FOLLOW THE MONEY – AT 9:54 A.M. ET:   With all of Donald Trump's boasting about his business skills, the fact is that his campaign is in terrible shape financially.  It's embarrassing, and could subject him to major ridicule.  After all, money is his business.  From CNN: 

Washington (CNN) Donald Trump faces an extraordinary money deficit unheard of in modern presidential politics, entering the month with tens of millions of dollars less than Hillary Clinton.

Clinton's campaign had $42 million in the bank as of May 31, according to its report filed with the Federal Election Commission Monday. Her super PAC Priorities USA has $52 million.
Trump's campaign has $1.3 million.

The gulf emerges as Democrats lay out plans to spend that cash on an onslaught of television advertising that Trump has shown no urgency in matching. Clinton and her allied groups are planning to spend $117 million between Tuesday and Election Day on television -- much of it anti-Trump television -- while Trump and his groups have $700,000 in time awaiting him thus far.

Trump, who just began actively fundraising last month with a $3.1 million haul, also has a super PAC benefiting him -- but it has only $500,000 in the bank. Two other big-money groups will not be required to disclose their fundraising position until next month.

The New York billionaire can presumably close the money gap with one check, but hasn't indicated he will do so. The candidate and his allies have consistently emphasized the ability to run a leaner campaign than Clinton's.

On Tuesday, Trump appeared to dismiss the fundraising issue, telling NBC's "Today," he's willing to "do what i did in the primaries."

"I spent $55 million of my own money to win the primaries. 55, that's a lot of money by even any standard," Trump said. "I may do that again in the general election."

Trump added that he had "a lot of cash" but added that "it would be nice to have some help from the party."

COMMENT:  I'd be more concerned about that massive Clinton ad buy.  The Clintonistas are attempting to define Donald Trump even before the general-election campaign starts its September home stretch, and they will probably succeed.

The Republican convention begins July 18th.  If Trump doesn't show some serious life by then, the convention may become a nasty, contested affair.

June 21, 2016        Permalink

POLLING LATEST – AT 9:31 A.M. ET:  A new CNN poll shows Trump five points behind Hillary.  That's not bad overall, but the internal numbers show a worsening position for Donald. 

Presidential elections aren't held nationally.   As you know, they're held state by state.  From CNN:

(CNN) Democrat Hillary Clinton tops Republican Donald Trump by a 47% to 42% margin in the race for the presidency, according to a CNN/ORC Poll released Tuesday, and just 22% of registered voters say their minds could change between now and November.

Clinton continues to lead Trump when Gary Johnson of the Libertarian Party and Jill Stein of the Green Party are included in the list of options. Nationwide in that match-up, Clinton holds 42%, Trump 38%, Johnson 9% and Stein 7%.

Neither Johnson nor Stein is guaranteed a ballot slot in all states, but one or both will appear in several key competitive states, including Florida, Colorado and Ohio. Johnson will appear in a town hall on CNN this week.

And...

When asked whether they would be excited by a Trump or Clinton presidency, fewer than 3-in-10 muster that level of enthusiasm for either. More say they would be afraid (56% if Trump were elected, 46% Clinton) or embarrassed (56% if Trump won, 39% if Clinton did), and just a handful say they would be proud (35% say so about Clinton, 24% Trump). About half (47%) say they would be hopeful if Clinton won, while 44% say so if Trump were to win.

And...

(CNN) A new poll of three crucial battleground states shows Hillary leading the Donald Trump in Florida while the two are statistically tied in Ohio and Pennsylvania.

According to the Quinnipiac University poll released Tuesday, the presumptive Democratic nominee has her largest lead in Florida, where she bests the presumptive Republican nominee 47% to 39%. But in Pennsylvania, where she leads Trump 41% to 40%, her edge falls within the poll's margin of error. And Clinton and Trump are tied 40% to 40% in Ohio.

If third party candidates are factored into the poll -- including Libertarian Gary Johnson and Green Party candidate Jill Stein -- Clinton still leads Trump in Florida by 6 points and edges him in Ohio and Pennsylvania by 2 and 3 points, but both candidates receive lower total support. Johnson garners around 7-8% support, while Stein draws about 3-4% in each state.

COMMENT:  Imagine what a politically capable Republican nominee would be doing right now.  Trump has made every mistake in the book, and is still within shooting distance.  If he stops making mistakes, shooting off his mouth, blundering very day, he might actually win this thing. 

Trump fired his campaign manager yesterday, and we were promised a new direction.  Prove it to me.

June 21,  2016     Permalink

JUNE 20,  2016

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

TRUMP IN CRISIS – FROM FOX:  Donald Trump said Monday night he's ready to run "a different kind of campaign" while explaining his decision to fire campaign manager Corey Lewandowski earlier in the day.  The presumptive Republican presidential nominee told Fox News' Bill O'Reilly in an interview on "The O'Reilly Factor" that Lewandowski was "a good man" who helped him run a "small, beautiful, well-unified campaign" during the primary season.  "We're going to go a different route," Trump said.  He added that he plans to ramp up campaign operations heading into the general election phase of the campaign, and that he may even have some cabinet picks in place before the Republican National Convention in July.  I'm cautiously encouraged that Trump now realizes he's sinking – that the games have to end, that his campaign cannot continue to be a mom and pop store.  The Republican convention starts July 18th, less than a month from now.  There's a revolt building within the party to deny Trump the nomination.  That revolt will grow if the polls continue to drop.  But if Trump can show real seriousness in the next four weeks, he might head off the backlash against him.

BLUNDER – Attorney-General Loretta Lynch was on a number of talk shows yesterday explaining that the FBI would publish transcripts of the Orlando killer's telephone calls to 911 the night of the massacre, but would redact any references to Islam.  There was an immediate uproar from press and public, and Lynch eventually backed down, publishing full transcripts of some phone calls, with nothing held back.  Lynch wound up looking foolish and embarrassed, and properly so.  The full transcripts confirm the killer's stated devotion to ISIS and the Islamist cause.  The American people deserved to read them.  Maybe there's the start of a recognition that this political correctness that is cursing us cannot go on. 

AND NOW THE SECRETARY OF DEFENSE – FROM THE WASHINGTON FREE BEACON:   Secretary of Defense Ash Carter said in a speech Monday that the Orlando terrorist attack demonstrated the urgency of defeating the Islamic State terrorist organization, drawing a clearer connection between radical Islamic terror and the massacre than others in the Obama administration.  The killer of 49 people at a gay nightclub pledged allegiance to ISIS in calls with negotiators and described himself as a soldier of the caliphate.  Second time in a week that a high Obama official seemed to distance himself from the official line, that ISIS (Or ISIL, which Obama prefers) is on the run.  The first dissenter was CIA Director John Brennan.
Now comes Ash Carter.  We've just had a major terrorist attack in the United States.  If there is another, linked to ISIS, it could have a profound impact on the presidential campaign.  There is just so much deceit the American people can take.

June 20, 2016       Permalink

STUNNER – AT 10:29 A.M. ET:  Responding to a decline in his polling numbers and a rising belief that he's a stumblebum of a candidate, Donald Trump is parting ways with his campaign manager.  From Fox: 

Donald Trump campaign manager Corey Lewandowski is leaving the campaign, just weeks before the Republican convention where Trump is set to claim the GOP presidential nomination.

A Trump senior campaign aide confirmed to Fox News Monday morning that Lewandowski is no longer with the campaign.

It's unclear what specifically led to the shake-up. The high-profile departure of one of Trump's most senior and loyal advisers follows what was widely seen as a rough patch for the campaign.

Trump's polling numbers against presumptive Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton have slipped in recent weeks, and Trump has found himself caught up in several controversies over his own comments.

COMMENT:  The key here is whether Trump understands that he's his own worst enemy, or simply blames Corey and continues to do the same thing.

While the Trump campaign is in turmoil, the Hillary campaign is getting better organized each day.  It's about to unleash a major media assault on Trump, seeking to define him during the summer months. 

It's not a good time for Trump.  He's failing.  A revolt against him is building in his own party.  Now...let's find out what kind of leader he really is.

June 20, 2016       Permalink

ABOUT TIME – AT 9:38 A.M. ET:  I was wondering when Hillary Clinton would wake up and act like a presidential nominee, and stop kowtowing to the Sanderistas in her party, who will never be satisfied, no matter what she does.  Apparently, the awakening has begun.  From the Washington Times: 

Progressive leaders are still hoping to force likely Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton to the left, but a party insider said Thursday she’s rapidly losing interest in accommodating any more demands from Sen. Bernard Sanders and his followers.

The insider, who requested anonymity, said the struggles of presumptive GOP nominee Donald Trump give Mrs. Clinton far more room to maneuver, leaving her less beholden to the liberal voters who backed Mr. Sanders.

That could leave her on a collision course with progressives, who are still pressing for Mrs. Clinton to drift further toward Mr. Sanders‘ positions on everything from a national $15 minimum wage to stiffer action on climate change.

And...

“I think she will need to find ways to find common cause on policy with Sen. Sanders and his supporters. She is going to need them in November. But she can’t allow them to push her so far to the left that it becomes a liability in November,” said Clinton backer Jim Manley, director of the communications practice at QGA Public Affairs and former spokesman for Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid.

Indeed, the Democratic Party insider told the Washington Times Mrs. Clinton now is “going home” to her “neoconservative ways” and no longer is interested in chasing the affection of Sanders-supporting liberals.

COMMENT:  I hope that's true.  Clinton has a reputation for being much tougher on national defense than Obama ever was, and national defense is always my first issue. 

I suspect Bill Clinton will play a major political role, and his political advice is worth hearing.  He was elected president in large measure because he moved the Democrats back toward the center from the island of McGovern where they'd gone to live.  It worked.

June 20, 2016       Permalink

SEVEN MONTHS – AT 9:10 A.M. ET:  Barack Obama leaves office seven months from today.  We have every reason to believe that he will leave under a gusher of undisciplined praise from a press corps that worked mightily to put him in office.

Odds are that, unless something very unusual happens, Obama will be succeeded by either Hillary Clinton or Donald Trump.  The mainstream media is currently developing the narrative that Trump is unelectable and that Hillary will be made queen.

Obama has been an awful president, and a cynical one.  He reserved virtually all of his truly controversial measures for his last 18 months in office, after he was freed of his obligations to the Democratic Party.  His administration has become increasingly dictatorial, doing by executive order what Obama could not get done by proper Congressional action.

He has violated the most basic understanding of our form of government by presenting the Iran nuclear accord as an executive agreement rather than a treaty, which it clearly is.  As usual, the mainstreamers gave him a pass, not understanding or caring about the profound implications of refusing to allow the United States Senate to vote on an agreement affecting the very lives of tens of millions.

He has weakened national defense and national resolve.  He continues to ridicule those warning of the threat of Islamic radicalism, refusing even to use the term.

Obama's approval ratings are rising.  No one can quite understand why, given the condition of the country, but it may have something to do with the low opinion America has of his potential successors.  Never before have the presumed presidential candidates of both parties had such high disapproval numbers.

So we can look forward to that day, seven months from today, when America is freed from Barack Obama.  But what can we look forward to?  That is the question that is demoralizing the country, and for good reason.

June 20,  2016     Permalink