Please note that you can leave a comment on any of our posts at our Facebook page.  Subscribers can also comment at length at our Angel's Corner Forum.

I appeared on Silvio Canto Jr's talk show from Dallas yesterday.  It's here.

OCTOBER 3,  2018

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

NO MORE NO NEWS DAYS – It appears that the no-news news cycle is over.  The FBI has completed its probe into Judge Kavanaugh, the Dems are already whining that it went on for less than a decade, Majority Leader McConnell has invoked cloture, and a vote on the nomination by the full Senate is probable for Sunday.  Then we'll know.  I have to believe that McConnell has the votes, but that is only a belief.  I haven't seen a true tabulation on the battery-powered calculator.

THE REPORT –  Senators will start reading the FBI report tomorrow (Thursday) morning.  Apparently, few copies will actually exist and senators will read them in a secure area.   All we are getting right now are vague leaks about the contents, and we cannot check their accuracy.  I do fear that Democrats will distort what is there, knowing that the people and the press have no way to correct what is said.  That job will be done by Republicans, if at all.

THE HOLDOUTS – Unless there is a surprise somewhere, the nomination will be decided by four or five holdouts.  Republican holdouts are Jeff Flake of Arizona, an unstable character who believes he thinks deep thoughts; Lisa Murkowski of Alaska; and Susan Collins of Maine.  Collins, who generally returns to the Republican tent after making some noises, could affect the votes of the other two.  Among the Democrats, Joe Manchin of strongly pro-Trump West Virginia is still out, as is Heidi Heitkamp of North Dakota, who is badly behind in a re-election race is a very pro-Kavanaugh state.  There may be a few other persuadables.   Republican eccentric Ben Sasse of Nebraska could also emerge as a wild card.  When McConnell's cloture resolution is actually voted on for approval this Friday, we will probably get an indication of how the final confirmation vote will go.  If cloture is approved by the Senate, debate would then be cut off after 30 hours, and the Senate could render a final nomination vote on Sunday. 

THE PRESIDENT – As usual, President Trump did more harm than good by publicly mocking Professor Ford in a speech.  He was roundly criticized, even by Republicans.  Lindsey Graham advised the president, correctly, to stay out of it.

THE ACCUSER – How sad.  I feel, as others do, that Professor Ford has been manipulated and used as a tool by the Democrats.  Her lawyer, Debra Katz (no relation to me, I hope) is a party activist.  Ford would have been better off with a competent lawyer with no political motivation.  Now Katz is complaining that Ford wasn't interviewed during this week's FBI extended background check on Judge Kavanaugh.  That's a bit deceptive.   Ford gave hours of testimony, and would only be interviewed if she could answer questions the FBI felt needed to be asked.

THE PUBLIC – There appears to be a groundswell of support for Judge Kavanaugh, based largely on the question of how he's been treated.  No matter how the vote goes, the president could start calling the upcoming midterms the "Kavanaugh election." 

October 3, 2018       Permalink     

A BUDDING STORY – AT 10:20 A.M. ET:  And it involves Professor Ford and whether she committed perjury at last week's hearing.  Be careful with this.  We are reporting charges and concerns.  She hasn't been convicted of anything.  From the New York Post:   

An ex-boyfriend of Christine Blasey Ford reportedly wrote a letter to the Senate Judiciary Committee contradicting her testimony last Thursday on polygraphs — prompting Sen. Chuck Grassley to raise doubts about her truthfulness.

The man, who says he dated Ford from 1992 to 1998, wrote in the letter — obtained by Fox News — that he once saw Ford help ease the nerves of a friend preparing to take a polygraph by ­“explaining in detail what to ­expect” and how they work.

During last Thursday’s hearing, Arizona sex-crimes prosecutor Rachel Mitchell asked Ford if she had ever talked with anyone other than her lawyers about “how to take a polygraph.” Ford said “Never.”

The man, whose name was not released, also said that during his relationship with Ford she never mentioned Brett Kavanaugh or her experience as a victim of sexual assault.

In a letter late Tuesday, Grassley (R-Iowa) asked Ford’s lawyers for the polygraph results, saying the ex’s claim “raises specific concerns about the reliability of [Ford’s] polygraph-examination results.”

COMMENT:  The question might also be asked as to why an honest person would help another person take a polygraph?  This is a legitimate area of inquiry, as are many of Professor Ford's odd answers, and we await the outcome.

October 3, 2018       Permalink

PRESIDENT UP – AT 10:08 A.M. ET:  It's only a point or two, but the trend is upward for President Trump as he celebrates our new North American trade agreement and faces down the Democrat McCarthyites attacking Judge Kavanaugh.  From Rasmussen: 

The Rasmussen Reports daily Presidential Tracking Poll for Wednesday shows that 49% of Likely U.S. Voters approve of President Trump’s job performance. Fifty percent (50%) disapprove. 

The latest figures include 36% who Strongly Approve of the president is performing and 41% who Strongly Disapprove. This gives him a Presidential Approval Index rating of -5.

COMMENT:  Oh, I'd like to see it over 50% by the end of the week.  The president might single-handedly save his party in this election year.

We are trying to get more polling results from the states.  It's not always possible to get late information.  Polling is expensive, and state polls aren't taken that often, even when an election is pending.  The election is a month away, with enormous stakes.

October 3, 2018     Permalink

OCTOBER 2,  2018

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

FILM HISTORY – FROM PAGE SIX:  Michael Jackson did a lot as an entertainer, but there was one thing he wanted to do that he was never able to — play James Bond.  In his new memoir, “Who is Michael Ovitz?,” longtime Hollywood agent Michael Ovitz recalls a meeting when the King of Pop told him he wanted to play British Secret Agent 007.  “As he talked, his hat fell into the guacamole in front of him, and he picked it out and put it back on – unfortunately, with a blob of guacamole attached, which began to slide down the brim. Ron Meyer tapped my leg to draw my attention to it, and we all watched in horrified fascination as it slid lower and lower while Michael was pitching us hard on how he was America’s next action hero.  In a Hollywood agent meeting someone would say, "Yeah, hey Michael, that's a cool idea.  You'd blow 'em all away – Sean Connery, Roger Moore – all the white bread.  Let me get started on that."  Then all the suits would have a crisis meeting to decide how to tell Michael that he wasn't going to be 007.  Maybe 003.

ANOTHER NON-NEWS DAY:  Anyone have any real stories?  To me, the big story of the day was the splash that Melania Trump made in Africa.  But the purveyors of news showed little interest.  They'll notice her only if she wears an IMPEACH TRUMP sweater.  They were more interested in the endless speculation over whether Brett Kavanaugh threw ice at someone in a college food fight.  The usual leaks from the FBI investigation were posted, not one of them with any corroboration.  We're now told the probe might wind up tomorrow.  On the other hand it might not.  The new trade agreement with Canada and Mexico hasn't moved the interest needle at all, even though it will affect all of us for years to come.  Maybe tomorrow we'll get some actual news stories.  I'm for change, always change.

GREAT MOMENTS IN SCHOLARSHIP – FROM PJ MEDIA:  Nearly 100 students at the University of Southern California attended a rally at noon on Monday demanding a tenured professor be fired after he sent a reply-all email last Thursday to the student body noting that “accusers sometimes lie.”  “If the day comes you are accused of some crime or tort of which you are not guilty, and you find your peers automatically believing your accuser, I expect you find yourself a stronger proponent of due process than you are now,” emailed Professor James Moore.  The email — in response to a reply-all email that urged students to “Believe Survivors” on the day of Christine Ford’s testimony  — triggered what one school admin said was “hundreds” of emails from concerned students and alumni since Thursday.  USC students Audrey Mechling and Joelle Montier then organized a Facebook rally against the engineering professor, entitled “Times Up for James Moore.” Monday at noon at the USC Argue Plaza, nearly 100 students yelled, “Times Up, No Moore!” dozens of times.  Ah Germany.  Ah 1930s.

October 2, 2018       Permalink

WISDOM – QUOTE OF THE DAY – AT 12:52 P.M. ET:   At times like these we look to the wise, not simply to those with letters after their name.  "Wisdom" is not a word you hear much.  It's like "honor," a word out of the past.  But without wisdom, and honor, knowledge is useless and potentially corrupt.

One of the wisest recent members of Congress is Tom Coburn, who served as Republican senator from Oklahoma.  He assesses the current events in Washington, and gives us this warning.  From RealClearPolitics: 

In America you can’t be pro-victim and pro-justice and confused about the rule of law and the presumption of innocence. In our system, the accused is innocent until proven guilty. The alternative to the rule of law is either the rule of rulers or mob rule.

In the rule of rulers, each new dictator or regime gets to write new rules favorable to that regime. In mob rule, truth gives way to frenzy. Justice isn’t determined by facts but by whatever side of the mob can scream the loudest or intimidate most effectively. The Senate exists to protect all Americans, especially political minorities, from tyrannical rulers and mobs.

The pursuit of justice requires humility, honesty and intellectual integrity. The late Sen. Daniel Patrick Moynihan often said that senators are entitled to their own opinions, but not their own facts.

Too many senators have lost touch with the Moynihan rule. For instance, Cory Booker praised Dr. Christine Blasey Ford for coming “to tell your truth.” Booker is missing a key point. In the American system there is not her truth or his truth. There is only the truth. In a nation governed by the rule of laws – rather than the whims of rulers or mobs – facts, evidence and objective reality are paramount. No one is above the law. Both sides submit to what facts, objective reality and truth declare.

The Senate is scheduled to vote on Kavanaugh’s nomination in a few days. The week’s delay for an FBI investigation into allegations against Kavanaugh may or may not shed any light on the truth. But the delay will certainly give senators time reflect on the first principles that are at stake for our country.

COMMENT:  Be sure to read the rest of Senator Coburn's piece, reviewing the other "first principles" that are at stake in the Kavanaugh episode. 

I wish I could recommend a journalist with Tom Coburn's wisdom, but Charles Krauthammer has passed.

October 2, 2018       Permalink 

I LOVE IT – AT 11:46 A.M. ET:  One of the most quotable members of the US Senate is John Kennedy, Republican of Louisiana.  We haven't quoted him before, but he's just issued a gem on the Kavanaugh spectacle.  From RealClearPolitics: 

Sen. John Kennedy (R-LA) said anybody who thinks the FBI probe into Brett Kavanaugh is about searching for the truth is kidding themselves. In an interview with FNC's Martha MacCallum, Kennedy said the Washington "cosmopolitan culture crowd" think the American people are too stupid to figure this out.

"I'm going to stand by what I said two weeks ago. This is a freak show. An intergalactic freakshow. It's a grotesque carnival. And it's only going to get worse. And I am embarrassed for the United States Senate. We have hit bottom and started to dig," Kennedy said.

"I don't know. I really don't know," Kennedy said about Republicans having the votes to confirm Kavanaugh.

Kennedy also responded to people saying Kavanaugh doesn't have the "demeanor" to be a Supreme Court Justice.

"It's never going to be enough," he said about Democrats. "And when we're finished with the FBI investigation the Democrats will argue... he doesn't have the demeanor. Well, they called him a rich, drunk, lying sexual predator and the man took offense to that. And they say as a result he doesn't have the demeanor to be on the Supreme Court? They must really think the American people are stupid."

COMMENT:  Very well said.  I'm hoping Kennedy is right, and that the American people understand what's happening.  Sometimes it takes them some time to pay attention and catch up.  Democracies are like ocean liners.  They turn slowly, but, when they do turn, they turn decisively.  I hope the election in a month shows that we're turning in the correct direction.

October 2,  2018     Permalink