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MAY 11,  2018

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

GOOD GOOD GOOD – FROM COLLEGE FIX:  The head of Brown University’s College Republicans offered enthusiastic support of a new campus initiative designed to bring more conservative speakers to campus, stating that the initiative has already succeeded in diversifying the speaking roster at the largely liberal university.  College Republicans Chair Ethan Shire told The College Fix in an email that his organization is “extremely supportive” of SPEAK, the student group that has worked to bring a more ideologically diverse lineup of speakers to the school.  That group was founded by Brown sophomore Greer Brigham, “a longtime Democrat and Hillary Clinton campaign volunteer,” according to Inside Higher Ed. Brigham founded the group in part to help students “understand the range of perspectives on politics,” he told Higher Ed.  We're seeing more and more articles like this.  There is an awakening on some college campuses to the lack of intellectual diversity.  This is a new, fragile movement, and there are plenty of academic hustlers out there who will try to destroy it.

WHO ARE THESE PEOPLE AND WHAT DO THEY WANT? – FROM DAILY MAIL:   The Clinton Foundation is back after a quiet period following Hillary's 2016 election defeat.  The controversial charity has sent an invite to supporters for an event in New York City on May 24.   Alongside Bill, Hillary and daughter Chelsea, reggae singer Shaggy and former Police frontman Sting are also billed to attend.  According to an invitation sent to followers which was first publicized by Axios, tickets to the event cost between $2,500 for 'friends' and $100,000 for a premium package. The apparent reemergence of the Foundation on the political scene comes after Fox News last year reported that the Clinton Global Initiative - part of the charity - was letting 22 staff members go, which many thought augured the organization's end.  It also comes after a new book claimed Hillary's aides referred to money sent to the foundation as Chelsea's 'nest egg'.   Why are people getting tickets?  "The Clinton Foundation" sounds like "the Titanic Repair Fund."  I mean, don't the attendees know that there's no more influence to buy?  She lost.

ANOTHER POSITIVE POLL – FROM BREITBART:   A poll released by the far-left CNN shows that optimism about the direction of the country under President Trump has hit an 11-year high of 57 percent. The last time this same poll registered a number that high was in January 2007. This includes 40 percent of Democrats, which is a leap of 15 points from just last month.  Only 40 percent say things are going badly.  Also of note is that CNN polled a random sample of adults. Polls that screen for registered or likely voters generally produce a more favorable result for Trump. This poll is a good example. While Trump’s job approval rating sits at 41 percent with all adults, when CNN’s polling firm (SSRS) screened for registered voters, the president’s job approval rating jumped to 44 percent.  The fact that 57 percent of Americans are expressing optimism about the direction of the country is a very big deal and bodes well for Republicans in the upcoming midterm election. What’s more, if the number holds, it is a very good sign Trump will be re-elected despite his own personal job approval ratings.  Americans are watching, they are aware of what's going on, and they are rejecting the leftist narrative of the national press. 

May 11,  2018     Permalink

FEDS COLLECTING RECORD TAXES – AT 12:44 P.M. ET:    With the economy booming, the Federal treasury is doing quite well.  But we're still spending more than we take in.  From CNS:

(CNSNews.com) - The federal government collected a record $2,007,451,000,000 in total taxes through the first seven months of fiscal 2018 (October through April), but still ran a deficit for that period of $385,444,000,000, according to the Monthly Treasury Statement.

The record total federal taxes collected during this period also included a record $1,050,601,000,000 in individual income taxes—marking the earliest in any fiscal year that individual income taxes have topped $1 trillion.

But even while the Treasury was collecting its record $2,007,451,000,000 in total taxes from October through April, it was spending $2,392,896,000,000—thus, accumulating a deficit of $385,444,000,000.

In the month of April itself, the Treasury collected $510,440,000,000 in total taxes, while spending $296,192,000,000—thus, running a surplus for the month of April of $214,255,000,000. That monthly surplus decreased the fiscal-year deficit from the $599,708,000,000 it had been at the end of March to the $385,444,000,000 it hit at the end of April.

COMMENT:  Progress, but still not enough.  The growing economy will produce more and more revenue, but our spending policies are still undisciplined.  If the Dems get back in power, those policies will define what it means to raid the Treasury. 

We have a chance, with Trump, to put our fiscal house in order.  With the Dems, there is no chance.

May 11, 2018       Permalink 

WHERE THE PRESIDENT STANDS – AT 11:48 A.M. ET:  Amidst all the activity of the last week, the president's standing is still solid, and he may have gained a few points during this period.  From Rasmussen: 

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

The latest figures include 35% who Strongly Approve of the way Trump is performing and 38% who Strongly Disapprove.

COMMENT:  The key takeaway from this survey is that, in the Rasmussen poll at least, the president's approval and disapproval numbers are equal.  Not many weeks ago, the disapproval number was much higher.

Clearly, there's a trend in the president's direction.  This comes as the Democratic position in the generic Congressional polls is weakening.

It may not be a bad year for Republicans after all.  Reports from the field indicate that GOP voter enthusiasm for the midterm fight is rising, meaning higher turnout on election day.

But Republicans must fight every day.  Take nothing for granted. 

May 11,  2018     Permalink

MAY 10,  2018

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

VERY BAD IDEA – FROM FOX:  Connecticut is joining a growing alliance of liberal states in a "pact" that would supposedly allow them to change the way presidents are picked -- by allocating each state's electoral votes to the winner of the national popular vote.   The uphill campaign, which if ever brought to fruition would almost certainly face a court challenge, has gained renewed attention amid Democratic grumbling about the Electoral College in the wake of President Trump's 2016 win. While he defeated Hillary Clinton in the electoral vote, he lost the popular vote by 2.9 million ballots.  Enter the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact, which blue states are joining to commit to allocating their electoral votes to the national popular-vote winner -- regardless of their own state results.  The beauty of the Electoral College system is that it forces national candidates to campaign state by state, region by region.  We are, after all, the United STATES of America.  The idea of assigning a state's electoral votes to whomever wins the national popular vote negates the federal system and diminishes the importance of state and local government.  Let's stick with the system in place.  It works and is stable.

A NEW KIND OF STUDENT VICTORY – FROM CAMPUS REFORM:  The University of Minnesota-Twin Cities has scrapped its plans to hire a "trainer in training" for future abortionists after sparking widespread student condemnation.  As previously reported by Campus Reform, the “Reproductive Rights Advocacy Fellowship” initially sought to hire a board certified medical doctor to “spend one year as a ‘trainer in training,’ learning to perform abortion and related procedures.”  That doctor would have been deployed to Planned Parenthood, and would have learned to counsel pregnant women on the pros and cons of having an abortion, as well as ensuring that they understood the facts about the procedure.  Some reports say that the young college generation, just coming in, is far less pro-abortion than previous generations, in part due to medical progress that raises new moral questions about the procedure.  The fact that student action prevented the hiring of abortion trainers at a major university should be carefully noted.  Are we seeing the start of a counter-revolution?  I wouldn't venture a guess.  More study needed.

HISTORIC MEETING SET – FROM THE POLITICO:  President Donald Trump revealed on Thursday that his historic planned summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un would take place on June 12 in Singapore — a location that has virtues for both sides.  "The highly anticipated meeting between Kim Jong Un and myself will take place in Singapore on June 12th," Trump wrote on Twitter. "We will both try to make it a very special moment for World Peace!"   Like Reagan, Trump was denounced as a deranged warmonger by the leftist establishment when he ran for president.  And, like Reagan, he's making serious moves for peace.  And, like Reagan, he understands that peace can only be achieved through strength, and a credible willingness to use it in our own defense.  Contrast this, please, with Barack Obama, who was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize during his first week in office, having done nothing to earn it.

May 10, 2018        Permalink

ANOTHER SINKING SHIP – AT 11:41 P.M. ET:  NBC News is in trouble.  Once the house of Huntley and Brinkley, and the source of fine documentaries called NBC White Paper, the brand has slipped considerably.  The Brian Williams scandal; the Matt Lauer scandal; the Joy Reid scandal; and almost anything that happens at MSNBC, a total scandal. 

The public is responding, as it almost always does.  From Fox:   

Faced with cratering ratings and serious questions about whether he can hang on to his job, NBC anchor Lester Holt has embarked on what one NBC insider called a “desperation tour,” hosting his broadcast from different cities where NBC’s audience research experts believe he can score some new viewers.

NBC has billed the promotional venture as “NBC Nightly News: Across America,” and Holt is scheduled to broadcast from five cities in five days. He kicked things off on Monday in Portland, followed up with Tuesday’s episode in Denver and anchored Wednesday night from Chicago. Holt is in Pittsburgh for Thursday’s broadcast, then in Raleigh, N.C. for Friday. The NBC anchor also has stopped at a variety of local affiliates along the way to promote his suffering program.

“On the surface, it's a smart move to visit cities outside of Los Angeles, New York City, and Washington. But their ongoing ratings fight with ABC and this fraud of a report about their conduct concerning Matt Lauer has really made this big PR push fall off the ledge and lose any significance that such a move might normally have,” NewsBuster managing editor Curtis Houck told Fox News.

COMMENT:  The most important thing a news organization has is its credibility.  The left-wing slant at NBC News is obvious, it lacks journalistic heavyweights, and it sometimes seems as much an entertainment  operation as a news service.

It will take years to get back the luster, if anyone over there cares.

May 10, 2018       Permalink

ACTION IN THE MIDEAST – AT 1:28 P.M. ET:  There are now direct confrontations between Israel and Iran on Israel's northern border.  The situation is very dangerous.  From Fox:

Israel said it struck "nearly all" of the Iranian infrastructure sites in Syria on Thursday, in direct response to a barrage of Iranian rocket fire targeting Israeli military positions in the Golan Heights.

The Israel Defense Force (IDF) said it deployed fighter jets that struck every target on its list. The targets included military compounds, intelligence operations and munition warehouses, a statement read. The strikes were Israel's largest air operation in years, the statement read.

The missile launcher responsible for the Iranian rocket strikes was destroyed, according to the release.

Lt. Col. Jonathan Conricus, a military spokesman, called the roughly 20 missiles fired from Iranian forces based in Syria "the most severe attempt" by Iran's Al Quds force to attack the country. It was the first time Iranian forces have attacked Israel from Syria, according to Reuters.

Conricus said four rockets were intercepted and the others fell short of their targets. No injuries or damage was reported.

COMMENT:  Eight years ago there were no Iranian troops on Israel's border.  Eight years ago there were no Iranian troops in Syria, or Iraq.  Eight years ago Iran was a much weaker, and poorer country.

And eight years ago there were no Russian troops in the Mideast.

One man allowed the changes to occur that permitted those developments.  His name is Barack Obama, but notice that his name rarely appears in any discussion of the current Mideast crisis.  Protecting Barack is still the main objective of the left.

I'm doubtful that the current confrontation between Iran, which is sworn to destroy Israel, and Israel, will actually result in a major war.  But that war may well occur in the future, especially if President Trump is driven from office. 

The Mideast is a tinderbox.  So unnecessary.  We would have been much better off had Obama, with his sidekicks Hillary Clinton and Grand Admiral John Kerry, never been in office.

May 10, 2018       Permalink

DUMB, AND DUMBER – AT 12:09 P.M. ET:  Last week we were treated to the spectacle of the vice chair of the Democratic National Committee, Keith Ellison, celebrating Cinco de Mayo while wearing a T-shirt bearing the quote, in Spanish, "I don't believe in borders."

Wow!  What a campaign slogan.  That'll sure capture the Midwest, where Dems were beaten to a pulp in 2016.  The brilliance of it all.

And now comes Nancy Pelosi, who once voted Republican, for Lincoln.  She's given the GOP all it needs for November.  From Fox: 

House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi indicated Tuesday that her party would like to roll back the tax reform law passed last year if they gain control of Congress this November.

At a breakfast hosted by Politico, reporter Jake Sherman asked Pelosi to respond to a Republican ad that claims "you would like to institute a single-payer health care program and cancel — [raise] taxes, I think they mean, roll back the tax cuts they passed this year."

"Well, the second part there is accurate," Pelosi chuckled in response, before adding "I do think we should revisit the tax legislation in ... a bipartisan transparent way."

National Republican Congressional Committee spokesman Matt Gorman jumped on Pelosi's comment, tweeting: "I promise you that will be in almost every GOP ad this fall."

COMMENT:  Well, at least the Republicans are lucky in their enemies.  I hope Nancy's comment becomes as famous as Bill Clinton's "I never had sex with..."

The latest generic poll shows Dems only three points ahead of Republicans.  I'm getting optimistic.  I see a Supreme Court with seven conservative justices.  It may not be a dream.

May 10,  2018     Permalink