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JUNE 15,  2018

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

THE DUMBING DOWN – FROM CNN:   IQ scores have been steadily falling for the past few decades, and environmental factors are to blame, a new study says.  The research suggests that genes aren’t what’s driving the decline in IQ scores, according to the study, published Monday.  Norwegian researchers analyzed the IQ scores of Norwegian men born between 1962 and 1991 and found that scores increased by almost 3 percentage points each decade for those born between 1962 to 1975 — but then saw a steady decline among those born after 1975.  Similar studies in Denmark, Britain, France, the Netherlands, Finland and Estonia have demonstrated a similar downward trend in IQ scores, said Ole Rogeberg, a senior research fellow at the Ragnar Frisch Center for Economic Research in Norway and co-author of the new study.  “The causes in IQ increases over time and now the decline is due to environmental factors,” said Rogeburg, who believes the change is not due to genetics.  “It’s not that dumb people are having more kids than smart people, to put it crudely. It’s something to do with the environment, because we’re seeing the same differences within families,” he said.  These environmental factors could include changes in the education system and media environment, nutrition, reading less and being online more, Rogeberg said.  The main cause is the CNN evening schedule.

THE BACKLASH – FROM FOX:   Has political correctness gone too far in the United States? Most voters say yes -- and think it often hurts the country.  By a 68-19 percent margin, the latest Fox News poll finds voters feel political correctness has “gone too far.” That’s about the same as last fall when it was 66-23 percent (September 2017).  And voters see fallout: nearly half, 46 percent, think political or business leaders “frequently” make bad decisions because they are worried about being politically correct, and another 34 percent feel it happens “sometimes.” Fifteen percent think it’s “not very often” or “hardly ever.”  Yet, the reverse is true when voters are asked about themselves. When asked how often they stop themselves from saying something because they think someone might call them “racist” or “sexist,” 63 percent say “not very often” or “hardly ever.” Far fewer believe they “frequently” (12 percent) or “sometimes” (23 percent) self-edit their comments.  The biggest problem area is the college campus, where students and even faculty are under intense pressure to go along with the party-line left.  I have the sense that there's a silent backlash building in our colleges.

IN A WORLD OF HIS OWN – FROM FOX:   Former President Bill Clinton was “offended” by the widespread criticism of his June 2016 tarmac meeting with then-Attorney General Loretta Lynch days before the FBI decided it would not recommend criminal charges against his wife, he told the Justice Department’s inspector general.  “I thought you know, I don’t know whether I’m more offended that they think I’m crooked or that they think I’m stupid,” Clinton told investigators, according to the report released Thursday by Justice Department Inspector General Michael Horowitz.  The long-awaited report was released Thursday afternoon, spanning nearly 600 pages and scrutinizing the actions of numerous figures who played a key role in the Justice Department's and FBI's investigation.  There's a time to get off the stage.  Bill Clinton's time has come.  He should follow the example of other presidents, and just retire gracefully.

June 15, 2018       Permalink

TRUMP'S PARTY – AT 1:33 P.M. ET:  New numbers show President Trump's enormous popularity among Republicans.  From the Washington Examiner:   

Republican voters are demanding that President Trump run for reelection in 2020, the latest evidence that support among his backers is stronger than it was for nearly every recent president.

According to the latest Economist/YouGov poll, 68 percent of Republicans want Trump to run for reelection.

And Democratic pollster John Zogby said this week that only former President George W. Bush was more popular than Trump among his base going into his first mid-term election, and he had just launched a war against America’s 9/11 attackers.

Discussing U.S. politics with foreign reporters, Zogby said:

His approval ratings within his own party are high. If you look today, 87 percent of Republicans give him a positive approval rating. What’s that mean? At this point in his presidency, Barack Obama had a 79 percent rating among Democrats. The only president at this point in time in the presidency to outscore Donald Trump was George W. Bush at 95 percent, and of course, by this point in time, we had launched the war in Iraq. Ronald Reagan wasn’t this high. Jack Kennedy wasn’t this high. The GOP is the party of Trump.

No fan of the president's antics, Zogby also told the foreign press that Trump’s disruptive tactics are working for him.

“Donald Trump is the disruptor-in-chief, and he’s unconventional, erratic, anti-elite, and frankly, that is working for him right now,” said the pollster who is the co-author of the weekly Secrets presidential report card published on Saturdays.

COMMENT:  I think that's an accurate report.  Republican enthusiasm for Trump will help get out the vote in the November midterms.

We should, however, point out that support within one's own party is not enough to win elections.  The Democrats despise Trump and won't give him the time of day.  I have not seen thorough polling among independents.

I would take nothing for granted.  Trump must expand his base.  I have a feeling he will do that by making a major play for minority votes.  He might just get them, especially with his strong, job-creating economy.

June 15, 2018       Permalink 

A LITTLE ITEM – AT 12:54 P.M. ET:  Almost lost in all the reporting, and yapping, about yesterday's IG report, was a little item about the press.  It's an important item, in my view, and enraging.  From Daily Caller: 

A bombshell inspector general report released Thursday revealed that several FBI employees improperly received gifts from reporters, in connection with possible leaks of sensitive information.

Although public details of these exchanges are scant, they could constitute prosecutable violations of federal gift-giving rules.

The gifts in question included “tickets to sporting events, golfing outings, drinks and meals, and admittance to nonpublic social events.”

“We will separately report on those investigations as they are concluded, consistent with the Inspector General Act, other applicable federal statutes, and OIG policy,” the report reads.

Gifting rules for executive branch officials are strict and exacting. The U.S. Office of Government Ethics provides that “executive branch employees may not solicit or accept gifts that are given because of their official positions or that come from certain interested sources (‘prohibited sources’).”

COMMENT:  The media should, in decent regard to itself and its mission, be all over this story.  Of course, it is not.  The press very rarely investigates itself, especially when there are possible criminal violations.  I've always said that the press will gladly correct a wrong middle initial, but won't correct a baseless story that could lead to World War III.

But this is serious, very serious.  Real journalists do not engage in bribery.  Real news organizations do not buy stories, except under extraordinary circumstances.  (They can ethically pay reasonable expenses, such as travel to a TV studio for an interview.)

I want names.  I want to know who allegedly (we must say that) attempted to influence whom.  News outlets must immediately engage the public and outline what steps are being taken to punish those who may be involved, and assure readers and viewers that procedures will be tightened.

I'm not holding my breath.

June 15, 2018       Permalink

GOOD ECONOMIC NEWS – AT 12:18 P.M. ET:  The good news keeps coming.  It will affect the midterms, now about four and a half months away.  From FXstreet.com: 

The GDPNow model estimate for real GDP growth (seasonally adjusted annual rate) in the second quarter of 2018 is 4.8 percent on June 14, up from 4.6 percent on June 8," the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta said in its latest GDPNow report on Thursday.

After this morning's retail sales release from the U.S. Census Bureau, the nowcast of second-quarter real personal consumption expenditures growth increased from 3.4 percent to 3.6 percent.
The next GDPNow update is scheduled to be released on Tuesday, June 19. 

COMMENT:  I don't think I've ever seen a stronger economy, and at this point it is clearly the Bush economy.  Democrats will downplay it, but people feel it in job offers and tax cuts.

Right before the election the president should propose planning for another tax cut. 

June 15,  2018     Permalink

JUNE 14,  2018

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

A NATION OF CHILDREN? – FROM NATIONAL REVIEW:   Netflix has reportedly banned workers from looking at each other for more than five seconds as part of its new anti-harassment rules.
The new policy also bans the company’s film crews from asking their colleagues for their phone numbers, according to an article in the Sun.  “Senior staff went to a harassment meeting to learn what is and isn’t appropriate,” an on-set runner told the Sun. “Looking at anyone longer than five seconds is considered creepy.”  “You mustn’t ask for someone’s number unless they have given permission for it to be distributed,” the source continued. “And if you see any unwanted behaviour, report it immediately.”  Other new rules include: “Don’t give lingering hugs or touch anyone for a lengthy period of time,” “Don’t ask out a colleague more than once if they have said no,” “Steer clear of a colleague once they have said they are not interested in you,” and “Don’t flirt.” The rules also encourage employees to “Shout ‘Stop, don’t do that again!’ if a colleague has been inappropriate.”  The stench of fascism is in the air.

THE PUPPY CONSPIRACY – FROM THE COLLEGE FIX:   If you’re a dog owner, maybe, just maybe, a couple of things that come to mind when you take ‘ol Spot to the dog park are rape culture and non-heterosexual “performativity.”  What’s that? You don’t consider such things when you’re walking the pup? No worries, then. The Portland Ungendering Research Initiative’s Helen Wilson is here to clue you in.
Her paper, “Human reactions to rape culture and queer performativity at urban dog parks in Portland, Oregon,” discusses the “emerging themes in human and canine interactive behavioral patterns in urban dog parks” in order to gain a better understanding about people’s decisions and “emergent assumptions around gender, race, and sexuality.”  The PhD in feminist studies writes that dog parks are “petri dishes for canine ‘rape culture.’” Never mind that dogs are, y’know, animals. Just go with it.  I feel so enlightened now.

THE REAL WORLD – FROM THE NEW YORK POST:   The city of Paris on Thursday debuted the 10-foot-tall panes of bulletproof glass that’ll partially surround the Eiffel Tower – as part of a plan to protect the landmark against terror attacks.  Parisian authorities approved the $36 million plan to install a wall around the monument in February 2017.  In all, 450 2.36-inch-thick clear panes will make up two walls to the north and south of the tower. The other two sides will be closed by wire mesh grids, meant to match the tower’s design style. Bollards to protect against vehicles will also surround the tourist-attraction.  The glass panes were designed to replace unsightly metal fences and to allow visitors to get a good view of the City of Lights, officials said.  The bulk of the work will be completed by mid-July and finalized by September, Bernard Gaudillère, President of the Eiffel Tower Operating Company told 20 Minutes Paris.  And we in this country don't even protect most of our schools.  The French are just recognizing reality.

June 14, 2018       Permalink

AND NOW...THE REPORT – AT 7:31 P.M. ET:  So the Justice Department's inspector-general, Michael Horowitz, released his report today (https://oig.justice.gov/reports/all.htm) detailing FBI behavior before the election.  It's pretty damning.  Activity by Director Jamey Comey and some subordinates might not have been illegal, but the IG concluded some of it was improper, as was some behavior by Attorney General Loretta Lynch.  From Fox: 

The Justice Department inspector general has referred five FBI employees for investigation in connection with politically charged texts, revealing in its report on the Hillary Clinton email case that more bureau officials than previously thought were exchanging anti-Trump messages.

The long-awaited report largely dealt with the Justice Department and FBI's handling of the Clinton case but uncovered numerous messages that “appeared to mix political opinion with discussions about the MYE investigation."

MYE, or "Midyear Exam," was the code used in the FBI to refer to the investigation into Clinton’s private email server.

“Some of these text messages and instant messages mixed political commentary with discussions about the Midyear investigation, and raised concerns that political bias may have impacted investigative decisions,” the report read.

The report noted that it was specifically concerned about text messages exchanged between FBI officials Peter Strzok and Lisa Page that “potentially indicated or created the appearance that investigative decisions were impacted by bias or improper considerations.”

Strzok and Page, who were romantically involved, both served for a short period of time on Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s Russia investigation team. Strzok was reassigned following the revelations of his anti-Trump texts. Page resigned last month.

But while many of those texts were made public in late 2017, the IG report revealed a new one in which Strzok vowed to "stop" Trump from becoming president -- and made clear that as many as five total FBI employees exchanged politically charged messages. "The text messages and instant messages sent by these employees included statements of hostility toward then candidate Trump and statements of support for candidate Clinton," the report said.

And, from Fox: 

Horowitz also charged that (then Attorney General Loretta) Lynch similarly made multiple errors in judgment during the probe.

The DOJ watchdog was especially critical not just of Lynch's decision to hold court with the president (former President Clinton) on the Phoenix tarmac, but also her decision to retain involvement in the probe despite the appearance of bias.

"Although we found no evidence that Lynch and former President Clinton discussed the Midyear investigation or engaged in other inappropriate discussion during their tarmac meeting on June 27, 2016, we also found that Lynch’s failure to recognize the appearance problem created by former President Clinton’s visit and to take action to cut the visit short was an error in judgment," the IG wrote.

And...

But the IG's most substantial criticisms of Comey centered around his decision to stage a dramatic press conference in the summer of 2016, in which he announced that "no reasonable prosecutor" would bring criminal charges against Hillary Clinton, even as he acknowledged she had been "extremely careless" in her handling of classified information."

"Comey’s unilateral announcement was inconsistent with Department policy, usurped the authority of Attorney General, and did not accurately describe the legal position of the Department prosecutors," the IG report said.

The ex-FBI director made a similarly "serious error in judgment" by sending a letter to Congress announcing the reopening of the Clinton probe just days before the 2016 presidential election, according to the report.

"We found that it was extraordinary and insubordinate for Comey to conceal his intentions from his superiors, the Attorney General and Deputy Attorney General, for the admitted purpose of preventing them from telling him not to make the statement, and to instruct his subordinates in the FBI to do the same."

COMMENT:  That's the gist of it, but there are hundreds of pages to the report, and more will come out in the next few days.   My sense is that the report damages the image of the FBI, and that corrective action is needed.  It certainly substantiates the charge that some in the FBI hierarchy were substantially biased against President Trump during the campaign.

However, it is too much of a stretch to suggest that the activity of some FBI personnel, and some of the antics of Attorney General Lynch, actually influenced voters.  That will require further study and maybe some creative polling.

The best comment I heard today was by Bret Baier of Fox, who noted that we're becoming exhausted by all the investigations.  We are, and I think these probes are having less and less impact on the way Americans see events.

June 14, 2018       Permalink 

EDITOR'S NOTE:  The actual Justice Department's inspector-general report, dealing with FBI and department behavior before the election, is just being released.  We will report on it later, when we get a chance to see what's actually there, rather than what is being guessed at.

ALERT FROM GERMANY – AT 11:21 A.M. ET:  We must always remember that there are still terrorists around the world plotting destruction, as we go about our other business, political and otherwise.  From AP:

BERLIN — German prosecutors said Thursday they’ve thwarted an Islamic extremist plot to launch an attack with the deadly toxin ricin.

They said a 29-year-old Tunisian, identified only as Sief Allah H., who was arrested Wednesday, started procuring material online, including seeds needed for the creation of ricin, in mid-May.

The suspect succeeded in creating the toxin this month and investigators found it in a search of his Cologne apartment, federal prosecutors in Karlsruhe said in a written statement.

“He procured 1,000 castor bean seeds online as well as an electronic coffee grinder,” they said. The shell of the castor bean plant seed is highly poisonous and can be used to create ricin.

The authorities are still investigating exactly how the suspect planned to use the toxin, but said he was working on a “biological weapon” attack in Germany.

Prosecutors said they currently have no evidence of a connection with any extremist organization...

...He supposedly used instructions for the making of a ricin bomb that had been posted online by the Islamic State extremist group.

COMMENT:   Appears to be a very serious story.  One question I have is why any internet provider would permit instructions for a ricin bomb to be posted online. 

The fact that the alleged bomber used an Islamist website to guide him in construction of the bomb is, I think, sufficient evidence that he was acting politically.  He'll be called a "lone wolf" by some reporters, but there's really no such thing as a lone wolf.  He was radicalized by someone, and instructed by the website.  The terrorist is rarely a lone actor.

Eternal vigilance.

June 14,  2018     Permalink