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SEPTEMBER 18,  2016

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

TERROR – At least one suspicious package was found in Elizabeth, New Jersey tonight, and a robot reportedly detonated an explosive device within the package.  At the same time, the FBI detained a vehicle in New York, reportedly with five men inside, in connection with Saturday night's bombing in Manhattan.  Some sources say the five were in Arab dress, but that is not confirmed.  It is also reported, but not officially confirmed, that the men were headed to Kennedy International Airport.  They apparently are from Elizabeth, New Jersey.  This whole series of events is clearly very suspicious.  There was, as readers know, an explosion along the route of an anticipated Marine race in New Jersey on Saturday.  And there was the stabbing of eight people at a mall in Minneapolis by a man making references to Allah.  We cannot report these events with 100% certainty, but reports from various news organizations are starting to align.  I can't deny my concern that authorities in Washington might intervene to minimize the possible threat to Americans, a fairly common tactic by the Obama administration.

OBAMA ON HIS FAVORITE SUBJECT – HIMSELF – FROM AP:   WASHINGTON (AP) — In one of his last major appearances on the world stage, President Barack Obama will try to define how his leadership has made the planet safer and more prosperous when he gives his farewell speech to the UN General Assembly on Tuesday.  Obama’s challenge at the annual gathering of world leaders is to cast the past eight years as ones of overall progress, without glossing over the profound problems that have eluded his diplomacy. His successes in galvanizing action on climate change and encouraging democratic changes in Cuba and Myanmar are tempered by crises across the Middle East and North Korea’s nuclear threat, which has only strengthened.  Obama’s UN ambassador, Samantha Power, said that when Obama came into office in early 2009, the US was isolated. She said Obama had told fellow leaders he planned a “new era of engagement” that recognized countries must address common threats together.  “I think it’s hard to overstate the transformative effect that this approach has had,” Power said.  What a crock.  We're losing everywhere, but we're engaged, and we should feel good about ourselves.  And by the way, I didn't notice in 2009 that we were isolated.  These characters have only four more months left in office.  I count the days.

MR. INDIFFERENCE – FROM GATEWAY PUNDIT:   Will New Yorkers care that the president of the United States headlined a fundraiser in their city 24 hours after 29 people were wounded by a pressure cooker bomb packed with ball bearings in the Chelsea neighborhood of Manhattan and said nothing about the attack?   That’s what happened Sunday night when President Barack Obama spoke at a high dollar fundraiser at the home of restaurateur Danny Meyer, owner of Shake Shack.  Pool reports from the event show no comment from Obama about the attack that was actually two pressure cooker bombs set four blocks apart.  This lack of caring isn't new.  We are mere subjects, he is our monarch.  We must learn to know our place. 

September 18,  2016    Permalink

BACKLASH – AT 11:47 A.M. ET:   I think we see a consensus building about football players who refuse to rise for the national anthem before a game.  The consensus seems to be that that we respect their right to protest, but that their manner of protest, showing contempt for their country in a stadium where they're representing a team and a community, is in poor taste.  From CBS4, Miami: 

MIAMI (CBSMiami) – The Dolphins will open up with their first home game of the season next week against the Cleveland Browns. The question is will the Broward Sheriff’s Office be escorting them to the game?

The controversial protest by Miami Dolphins players to not stand during the national anthem took another turn Friday as Broward County’s deputies take a stand of their own against the hometown team.

“We’ve asked the deputies and the Broward Sheriff’s Office not to do the details anymore,” said Jeffery Bell, the president of the International Union of Police Associations, Local 6020.

BSO deputies’ union is asking for team-sponsored police escorts to stop until the team forces players to stand for the anthem.

“I respect their right to have freedom of speech. However, in certain organizations and certain jobs you give up that right of your freedom of speech temporary while you serve that job or while you play in an NFL game,” Bell said.

The demands come as Dolphin players have come under fire, literally. A group of fans burned team gear on Thursday.

COMMENT:  The players engaged in this "protest" should realize that they're doing more harm than good, that they're hurting their own cause.  If they want to protest on their own time, fine with me.

September 18, 2016        Permalink

ON THE OTHER HAND – AT 11:16 A.M. ET:   We've said before that any respectable Republican candidate other than Trump could have put this race away by now.  A new Fox poll confirms that thinking.  This should be a change election.  From Fox: 

Half of likely voters think the country is in such deep trouble that a completely different kind of leader is needed to come in and shake things up.

That sounds like good news for Donald Trump. Yet the latest Fox News Poll also finds a majority of voters don’t think Trump is qualified to be president -- and doesn’t have the right temperament to serve.

“While the race is tight, some underlying attitudes about the candidates heavily favor Hillary Clinton, such as temperament and experience,” says Democratic pollster Chris Anderson, who conducts the Fox News Poll along with Republican pollster Daron Shaw. “These will likely become larger factors as Election Day gets closer and voters start visualizing the candidates in office.”

The poll, released Sunday, finds six-in-ten likely voters think Clinton is qualified to be president (61 percent) and has the right temperament to serve (59 percent). It’s the reverse for Trump, as majorities say he lacks the qualifications (54 percent) and temperament (59 percent).

On other traits, ratings of the candidates are closely aligned. For instance, only 34 percent think Clinton is honest and trustworthy (64 percent disagree). Trump does a bit better, but he’s still in negative territory: 39 percent say he’s honest vs. 58 percent dishonest.

COMMENT:  Trump was doing very well in changing his image until about three days ago, when he started making off-the-cuff, reckless remarks.  Now we're seeing a number of articles wondering whether the "old" Trump is back.  If he is, we're looking at President Hillary. 

Clearly, the significance of the first debate looms large.  Americans will get a good chance to gauge Trump, standing on the same stage with Hillary.  Will he be presidential?  Or amateur?

One factor to look at is the impact of an increasingly biased, almost hysterical press.  I'm getting a sense that millions of Americans are ignoring the media, that they're on to the game.  I hope so.

September 18, 2016        Permalink

COULD THIS BE? – AT 10:56 A.M. ET:  Is it possible that Donald Trump is making major gains among African-Americans?  From the New York Post:

Donald Trump is gaining support among African-American voters — whose enthusiasm for Hillary Clinton is eroding, a tracking poll released Saturday revealed.

Trump saw a 16.5 percentage-point increase in backing from African-American voters in a Los Angeles Times/University of Southern California tracking poll, up from 3.1 percent on Sept. 10 to 19.6 percent through Friday.

Meanwhile, the same poll showed Clinton’s support among that group plummeting from 90.4 percent on Sept. 10 to 71.4 percent.

Clinton’s nearly 20-point crash began Sunday, said Dan Schnur of USC. Sunday was the day Clinton was recorded collapsing while entering a Secret Service van at a 9/11 event.

The survey, which spanned through Friday, included the days in which Trump reignited the divisive “birther” issue — which critics contend is a thinly veiled attempt to undermine the legitimacy of the country’s first black president.

COMMENT:  We'll wait for confirming polls, but, if true, this could be the ball game.  We'll also wait for the first debate, a week from tomorrow. 

If the numbers are anywhere near accurate, they could mean that African-Americans, like many other Americans, are getting tired of being told how to vote, how to think, and how to live. 

September 18,  2016     Permalink

SEPTEMBER 17,  2016

SHORT TAKES ON THE DRIFTING WRECKAGE – AT 11:51 P.M. ET: 

BOMBING IN NEW YORK – FROM THE NEW YORK POST:   A “deafening’’ explosion rocked Chelsea Saturday night, injuring 29 people, blowing out scores of windows and forcing the evacuation of at least two buildings.  The blast went off in a 4-by-4-by-3-foot construction Dumpster outside the Townhouse Inn of Chelsea at 131 W. 23d St.  Mayor de Blasio called the explosion an “intentional act,’’ but not believed to be connected to terrorism.   No, of course not.  Why would anyone think it would be?  Oh, a second device was found blocks away, built around a pressure cooker, as was the device that was set off during the Boston Marathon.  No terrorism, no terrorism.  Probably just a marginalized citizen striking back against capitalism.

THE EGO HAS LANDED – FROM THE HILL:   President Obama called on the black community to show Hillary Clinton the same support they did for him in an impassioned speech at the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation gala Saturday night.  “We have achieved historic turnout in 2008 and 2012, especially in the African-American community. I will consider it a personal insult and an insult to my legacy if this community lets down its guard and fails to activate itself in this election," he said. "You want to give me a good send-off?  Go vote."  Yes, he actually said that.  It's all about Barack (come to save us), not about the country.   You are my people, I am your king.  Honor me.  Oh, go away already.

AND ANOTHER – FROM FOX:   A knife-wielding man who injured eight people at a mall in central Minnesota Saturday evening asked at least one victim whether they were Muslim and referenced Allah during the assault, authorities said Wednesday.  St. Cloud Police Chief William Blair Anderson said the suspect, whom he did not identify, was shot and killed by an off-duty police officer from another jurisdiction. All but one of the eight victims had been treated and released from a local hospital and all were expected to survive their injuries.  Nothing to see, nothing to see.   No chance it's terrorism.  Let's talk about global warming.

September 17, 2016       Permalink

OH, THAT'S JUST DUCKY – AT 1:17 P.M. ET:  Absolute gross negligence.  From CNS: 

At a House Homeland Security Committee hearing Wednesday, a top Transportation Security Administration official admitted that federal air marshals are not currently allowed on non-chartered commercial flights between the U.S. and Cuba, despite reports to the contrary.

Rep. John Katko (R-N.Y.) questioned Dr. Huban Gowardia, deputy administrator for the Transportation Security Administration, about a draft agreement between the TSA and the Cuban government which would allow federal air marshals on commercial flights.

Gowardia admitted that the agreement, which was sent to the Cuban government in August, has not yet been signed.

“There was timeline that was produced by the Department of Homeland Security. Do you have that in front of you?” Katko asked Gowardia.

“I just received it, sir,” Gowardia said.

“And accompanying that timeline—and it lists various events happening with Cuba since 2010, various security-related events and what they’ve done in that regard – TSA and Homeland Security. Is that right?” Katko asked.

“Yes, sir,” Gowardia said.

COMMENT:  That is disgraceful.  We shouldn't even have flights between the U.S. and Cuba unless there are air marshals assigned.  The relationship between the two countries is still toxic, and airline passengers are being put at risk.

Not much sense of urgency, is there?

September 17, 2016       Permalink

THE SHOWMAN SHOWS – AT 11:56 A.M. ET:  No matter what you might think of him, Donald Trump is a consummate actor.  Indeed, Ronald Reagan once said he couldn't understand how anyone without acting training could be president.  From London's Daily Mail:   

Donald Trump unveiled a new visual campaign theme in Miami on Friday – a mashup of the Broadway musical 'Les Misérables' and an epithet Hillary Clinton leveled at his supporters one week ago.

He took the stage, introduced by former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani, as the 'Les Mis' anthem 'Do You Hear the People Sing' blasted through loudspeakers.

The video screen behind the podium flashed to an artistic rendering of 'Les Deplorables,' complete with USA and 'Trump' flags replacing the French colors, and a bald eagle soaring over the revolutionary scene.

'Welcome to all of you deplorables!' Trump boomed as thousands screamed 'Trump! Trump! Trump!' and 'We love you!'

COMMENT:  Great political theater.  Trump will be criticized for it, of course, and I look forward to the writers of "Les Mis" demanding that he stop using their music, but the man attracts attention. 

What he must concentrate on is attracting the right kind of attention.   In the last few days, in the midst of his climb upward, Trump has blundered twice.  First, he brought up the so-called "birther" issue, an argument he once embraced that Barack Obama wasn't born in the United States.  The Clinton press seized on that, even though there's ample evidence that Clinton herself, during her 2008 primary fight against Obama, hinted at the same belief.  Second, in trying to illustrate his support for the Second Amendment, in contrast to Clinton's support for gun control, Trump suggested, in jest no doubt, that Clinton lose the armed protection of her Secret Service detail, and he wondered out loud what would happen to her then.

We don't joke about assassination.  Trump has done that before.  When he's on-message, he's terrific.  But in the last few days he's slipped and become Donald again.  His staff must get him back on track, or the old worries about him will start to surface.

September 17, 2016       Permalink

TRUMP CLOSES IN ELECTORAL COLLEGE – AT 11:37 A.M. ET:  Reports on Trump's dramatic rise in the popular-vote polls usually end with, "...but in the electoral college..."  Now the "but" is fading away.  Trump is also closing in battleground states, where elections are usually decided  From Reuters:

NEW YORK (Reuters) - An election analysis conducted in the Reuters/Ipsos States of the Nation project shows that the race has tightened considerably over the past few weeks, with Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump projected to win Florida, an essential battleground state, if the election were held today.

The project, which is based on a weekly tracking poll of more than 15,000 Americans, shows that the 2016 presidential race could end in a photo finish on Nov. 8, with the major-party candidates running nearly even in the Electoral College, the body that ultimately selects the president.

The States of the Nation project, which delivers a weekly tally of support for the candidates in every state, shows that the race has tightened in several traditional battlegrounds. Pennsylvania has been moved from a likely win for Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton to a tossup; Ohio has been moved from a tossup to a likely win for Clinton.

And Florida is now considered a likely win for the Republican nominee, with 50 percent support for Trump to 46 percent support for Clinton. If the election were held today, the project estimates that Clinton has a 60 percent chance of winning by 18 electoral votes. Last week, the project estimated that Clinton had a 83 percent chance of winning the election.

In a separate national Reuters/Ipsos tracking poll, Clinton continues to lead Trump by 4 percentage points, and her recent bout with pneumonia doesn’t appear to have scared away her supporters.

The national Sept. 9-15 tracking poll showed that 42 percent of likely voters supported Clinton while 38 percent backed Trump. Clinton, who has mostly led Trump in the poll since the Democratic and Republican national conventions ended in July, regained the advantage this week after her lead briefly faded in late August.

COMMENT:  I don't necessarily agree with all the figures.  Reuters has Ohio as a likely win for Clinton.  I wonder if the writer meant Trump, who's been leading in the latest Ohio polls.  Also, the latest polls show the race as essentially even, not with Clinton ahead by four.

However, Reuters gets the trend right.  But I wonder if that trend can continue.  We'll know more after the first debate, a week from Monday.

September 17,  2016      Permalink