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JUNE 21,  2018

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

REMARKABLE – FROM CNBC:   The Democratic National Committee can officially rule out hosting its convention in Denver.  The Denver Post reported Wednesday that the city withdrew its bid to host the Democratic National Convention in 2020 because the date's don't work with the city's schedule.  Amber Miller, a Denver city spokeswoman, told the Post that the July 13-16 dates for the event coincide with prior plans.  "There are major commitments that cannot be moved without significant impact," Miller said.
Politico also reported Wednesday that Denver was one of four cities to make the cut — along with Houston, Miami Beach, Florida, and Milwaukee.  Oh, come on.  The schedule?  Seriously?  I suspect the real reason is a fear of violence, and the impact that could have on the city.  Schedules can be adjusted and cities have traditionally sought political conventions.  But these days a convention can expect the nut element to show up.

AMERICANS BLAME PARENTS FOR IMMIGRATION CRISIS – FROM DAILY CALLER:  According to a new Rasmussen poll, a majority of Americans blame illegal immigrant parents for the child crisis on the border over the U.S. government.  The media has put a hyper focus on the separation of families at the border over the last several weeks, leading President Donald Trump to sign an executive order ending the separation. Current U.S. law does not allow families to be detained together if the parents are referred for prosecution for illegal border crossing.  However, the Rasmussen poll shows that Americans don’t blame the Trump administration for the approximately 2,000 children who have been separated from their parents.
54 percent of likely voters polled by Rasmussen said that they think the parents are more to blame for breaking the law.  And that is the correct answer.

ANOTHER ONE – FROM MSN:   Intel Corp Chief Executive Brian Krzanich resigned on Thursday after a probe found his consensual relationship with an employee violated company policy.  The head of the largest U.S. chipmaker is the latest in a line of powerful men in business and politics to lose their jobs or resign over relationships viewed as inappropriate, a phenomenon highlighted by the #MeToo movement.  "An ongoing investigation by internal and external counsel has confirmed a violation of Intel's non-fraternization policy, which applies to all managers," Intel said in a statement.  Isn't it time to develop some common sense on this issue?  Must people, men and women, be destroyed?  We should develop creative ways to set right those who have strayed, without extinguishing them and denying society their talents.

June 21,  2018     Permalink

A GREAT GUY – AT 11:04 P.M. ET:  We're talking about the new U.S. ambassador to Germany, Richard Grenell.  Not all Germans love him.  They're shocked, shocked, that he seeks to represent the United States, and actually thinks that's his job.  We like him.  From the Jerusalem Post:   

The new US ambassador to Germany, Richard Grenell, requested the German government to block Iran's Mahan Air from flying within German airspace ad use of landing rights in the country because of the airline's material support for terrorism. The top envoy has also spearheaded efforts to stop the spread of antisemitism.

In a meeting last week with a senior delegation from the American Israel Public Affairs Committee to Berlin, Grenell said that "Here in Germany, I have asked the German government to support our efforts to stop an airline called Mahan Air from utilizing German airspace and airports. We know that Mahan Air has been used by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps [IRGC] as a mode of transport for weapons, resources, and fighters, so we’re asking our allies to help us put a stop to it."

The Trump administration designated the IRGC a terrorist organization in October. Canada's House of Commons called last week for the IRGC to be classified a terrorist entity. German Chancellor Angela Merkel's administration and the Bundestag have declined to take action against the IRGC.

COMMENT:  Grenell has been particularly vigorous in confronting the German government on its relationship with Iran.  German firms are very active in Iran.  Grenell has not hesitated to speak publicly, and negatively, about those economic links. 

Some German officials have demanded that Grenell be recalled to the United States.  There is no chance of that.  He is doing what he's supposed to do.

June 21,  2018     Permalink

MELANIA TRAVELS – AT 1:10 P.M. ET:  Melania Trump has gone to the border to visit immigrant children.  Watch to see the reaction she gets from the hate-Trump press.  From The Hill: 

First lady Melania Trump on Thursday made a surprise trip to Texas to visit detention facilities housing children separated from their families due to the Trump administration’s “zero-tolerance” immigration policy. 

The visit comes one day after President Trump signed an executive order intended to end the practice of separating families who illegally cross the U.S. southern border, which was widely condemned in the U.S. and abroad.

White House officials said the first lady urged the president to keep families together, which may have played a role in Trump’s decision to change his mind.

“I’m looking forward to seeing the immigrant children ... We all know they're here without their families and I want to thank you for your hard work, your kindness and your compassion you're giving them in these hard times,” Melania Trump told workers at the Upbring New Hope Children’s Shelter in the border city of McAllen.

The shelter currently houses about 60 kids, ages 5 to 17, from Central America. Six of the children were separated from parents, and the rest arrived as unaccompanied minors, according to a senior administration official.

Melania Trump asked shelter staff how she “can help these children to reunite with their families as quickly as possible.”

COMMENT:  The Trump White House mishandled the issue, and underestimated the sheer dishonesty of many journalists in covering it.  It is a warning of what is to come if Trump runs for re-election, which he is expected to do.

As noted, we should watch to see whether Melania is shown any respect.  She's been a fine first lady, but some cannot accept her because of the man she married.

June 21, 2018     Permalink

SOME SLIPPAGE – AT 11:50 A.M. ET:  We've been following the Rasmussen tracker this week to see if the president is suffering any damage because of the onslaught against him on the immigration issue.  He has, in fact, lost two points today, a troubling drop.  From Rasmussen: 

The Rasmussen Reports daily Presidential Tracking Poll for Thursday shows that 46% of Likely U.S. Voters approve of President Trump’s job performance. Fifty-two percent (52%) disapprove. 

COMMENT:  Obviously, not good.  We hope it's temporary.  The attacks on the president are the worst since he took office.  He's being portrayed as a cruel monster.  It is typical left-wing stuff.

Sadly, some of the Trump haters in the Republican Party are using this as an opportunity to get back at the president for real or imagined grievances.  He is disliked, as Nixon was disliked.  Indeed, I have always believed that Nixon wasn't driven from office by Watergate.  That was just the excuse.  He was driven from office because he was Richard Nixon.

We also see that Michael Cohen, the president's former personal lawyer, has resigned as deputy finance chair of the Republican National Committee, citing, as one reason, a difference over immigration policies.

Are you laughing already.

Mr. Cohen has his own problems.  He will probably face jury trials.  And on those juries, given their locations, will be minorities.  Why not butter them up now? 

The "immigration thing" will provide cover for many people for a long time.

June 21, 2018       Permalink

JUNE 20,  2018

SHORT TAKES ON THE DRIFTING WRECKAGE – AT 11:50 P.M. ET:

STARBUCKS NOT STARRING – FROM THE WASHINGTON TIMES:  Starbucks may have appeased progressives with its social-justice workshops and open-bathroom policy, but such moves have failed to caffeinate the company’s bottom line.  The coffee giant’s stock took a tumble Wednesday after CEO Kevin Johnson announced that Starbucks would close 150 company-owned stores next year instead of the expected 50, with an emphasis on underperforming shops in densely populated urban areas, and lowered growth projections.  Mr. Johnson acknowledged that the decision to shut down 8,000 U.S. stores on May 29 for anti-bias training, driven by the high-profile arrests of two black men in Philadelphia, played a role in the company’s sluggish second-quarter performance.  “In this current quarter, certainly we had an unplanned initiative driven out of the Philadelphia incident, we closed all our stores for training, we had to delay some marketing, but none of that is an excuse,” Mr. Johnson told CNBC. “The fact is the way I think about a growth company at scale is we’ve got to deliver consistent growth, month after month, quarter after quarter, and year after year. And we have not done that.”  Concentrate on coffee and on lowering prices, and forget about saving the world.  Others do that better.

A NEWS ORGANIZATION? – FROM FOX:   The House Judiciary and Oversight committees questioned Justice Department Inspector General Michael Horowitz over his bombshell report into FBI and DOJ misconduct during the Hillary Clinton email probe this week – but viewers who rely on NBC’s embattled “Nightly News” would have no idea.  NBC’s Lester Holt skipped the Horowitz hearing during Monday's broadcast, the only anchor to ignore the news.  Things were no different on Tuesday, when Holt began his newscast with a lengthy feature on President Trump’s zero-tolerance immigration policy unfolding on the Southern border that included reporter Gabe Gutierrez speaking with migrant families.  After several other immigration segments, Holt shifted to weather before a story on proposed tariffs with China.  That is not a news organization.  It is an editorial page with reporters attached.  Not exactly Huntley and Brinkley.

MARTHA ROMPS – FROM THE HILL:   Rep. Martha McSally (R-Ariz.) surged into first place with a commanding 14-point lead in Arizona’s closely watched GOP Senate primary, according to a new poll.
A poll conducted by Phoenix-based OH Predictive Insights (OHPI) has McSally ahead with a little over 39 percent of the vote, followed by former state Sen. Kelli Ward at 24.5 percent and former Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio trailing far behind at nearly 14 percent. About 22 percent of voters remain undecided.  This is a big shift, since OHPI’s last poll, from April, had Ward in first place and leading McSally by 9 points in the race to replace retiring GOP Sen. Jeff Flake. Arizona will hold its primary on Aug. 28.
Mike Noble, OHPI’s chief pollster, said McSally’s rise can be attributed to her improved name recognition and willingness to cast herself as President Trump's ally.   She is probably the most electable of the GOP candidates.  She is a graduate of the Air Force Academy, and rose to the rank of colonel in the Air Force.  The Republicans must hold this seat in the U.S. Senate.  The probable Dem candidate, Kyrsten Sinema, is from her party's left flank, although poses as a moderate.  She must be defeated.

June 20, 2018       Permalink

WHERE THE PRESIDENT STANDS – AT 11:15 A.M. ET:  It has been a rough week for President Trump.  He is being subjected to an overwhelming hate campaign based on immigration policies he did not begin.  One perfectly reasonable question to ask is whether this will dent his rising approval ratings, which themselves could have an effect on our upcoming midterms.  So far, we're seeing no effect.  From Rasmussen: 

The Rasmussen Reports daily Presidential Tracking Poll for Wednesday shows that 48% of Likely U.S. Voters approve of President Trump’s job performance. Fifty percent (50%) disapprove. 

The latest figures include 34% who Strongly Approve of the way Trump is performing and 41% who Strongly Disapprove. This gives him a Presidential Approval Index rating of -7.

COMMENT:  That's pretty much what we've been seeing from Rasmussen, and it runs the only daily tracking poll left.  Rasmussen also has a good record of accuracy.

The piling on against the president on the immigration issue, especially the crocodile tears of phony reporters and a few congressmen, may actually backfire.  I saw one black congressman who seemed ready to cry over parents being separated from children at our southern border.  But black children in America are murdered by the carload each week, and I've never seen that member of Congress weep for them.  I wonder why.

June 20, 2018       Permalink 

THE ECONOMIC ENGINE – AT 11:02 A.M. ET:  A good economy affects so many things, including, of course, the financing of the United States Government.  There's good news on that front.  Via The New York Times:   

The number of Americans seeking Social Security disability benefits is plunging, a startling reversal of a decades-old trend that threatened the program’s solvency. It is the latest evidence of a stronger economy pulling people back into the job market or preventing workers from being sidelined in the first place.

The drop is so significant that the agency has revised its estimates of how long the program will continue to be financially secure. This month, the government announced that the program would not run out of money until 2032, four years later than its previous estimate last year. Two years ago, the government had warned that the funds might be depleted by 2023.

In addition to stronger economic growth, the drop reflects newly tightened standards for eligibility and the increasing number of baby boomers who are leaving the program because they have become eligible for Social Security retirement benefits and Medicare.

Fewer than 1.5 million Americans applied to the Social Security Administration for disability coverage last year, the lowest since 2002. Applications are running at an even lower rate this year, government officials say.

All told, 8.63 million workers received disability benefits in May, down from a peak of 8.96 million in September 2014. A drop of several hundred thousand may not sound like much. But it is a sharp turnaround from what seemed to be an inexorable rise, in which the disability rolls more than doubled over the past 25 years. That increase led some conservative lawmakers to criticize the program as wasteful and riddled with fraud. 

COMMENT:  It's a good time to take a hard look at the way the program is run.  True, the booming economy is having its positive effect, but the economy can't boom forever, and the Social Security System must be ready for the next downturn, with its inevitable increase in those seeking benefits.

June 20,  2018     Permalink