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

SEPTEMBER 17,  2018

SHORT TAKES ON THE DRIFTING WRECKAGE – AT 11:05 P.M. ET:

THIS CHANGES EVERYTHING – FROM PAGE SIX:   "Veep” star Julia Louis-Dreyfus came out Monday in support of the woman who accused Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh of sexual assault.  “I was class of ’79 & signed this letter,” she tweeted about a letter signed by alumnae of Holton-Arms, a private girls school in Bethesda, Maryland, where Christine Blasey Ford was a student when the alleged attack occurred.  “We believe Dr. Blasey Ford and are grateful that she came forward to tell her story,” the letter read.  On what basis do they believe her?  She hasn't even spoken yet.  This is what happens when an educational system teaches ideology rather than reason.

OUR LOWERING STANDARDS – FROM THE AMERICAN MIRROR:  Mad Maxine Waters is a leader worthy of honor, according to the National Newspaper Publishers Association.  The group honored the California congresswoman with a “National Leadership Award” on Friday, according to Diversity Inc.  During her acceptance, Waters denounced President Trump, prompting applause from the audience of media leaders.  “I want you, in whatever way that you do, to please allocate all of the front pages to the get-out-the-vote operations in our communities,” she told the group of predominately black-owned paper publishers.  “It is no secret … that I don’t like” Trump, she said, drawing laughs and cheers.  “I knew that this president should not be in the White House when I saw the way that he conducted himself in the primary campaign,” Waters said.  There are so many fine people and educators in the black community.  Why pick this nut for an honor?  African-Americans are doing well under Trump, but the establishment will not acknowledge it.

ANOTHER ONE DOWN – FROM COLLEGE FIX:   Students enrolled in the Kilachand Honors College at Boston University used to have a required class called “Modernity and its Discontents.”  The freshman seminar included readings by Friedrich Nietzsche, Virginia Woolf and Sigmund Freud, and stood as a prime example of an attempt by the honors college to offer students an education grounded in a classical liberal arts tradition.  But “Modernity and its Discontents” is gone, and so is a popular professor who used to co-teach it, Anna Katsnelson.  In late May, she was abruptly dismissed from her post as assistant director of academic affairs for the honors college at the private university, and for many students enrolled in the program, it was the last straw.  A large contingent of students and recent grads of Kilachand Honors College say the program has taken a wrong turn in recent years. They argue it has largely abandoned its original mission to offer a challenging curriculum anchored in a Western canon and has lost its close-knit community feel centered on a passion for academic rigor and diversity of thought.  In other words, the Socratic method of learning has been scrapped and the honors college has become just another typical liberal arts program with an echo chamber of leftism, its critics say.  Who will rescue higher education?  Possibly no one.  And then we will see what country we've become.

September 17, 2018       Permalink

GAME ON – AT 7:45 P.M. ET:  As they say, it's must-see TV.   The Senate Judiciary Committee will hold an open, televised hearing next Monday featuring testimony by Christine Blasey Ford, who is accusing Judge Kavanaugh of attempted sexual assault, and Judge Kavanaugh himself.  I already hear the music from "High Noon."  From CNN:

Washington (CNN) The Republican leader of the Senate Judiciary Committee said on Monday he would convene remarkable new public hearings in a week's time after sexual assault allegations emerged against Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh.

Both Kavanaugh and the woman who has accused him of physical and sexual assault, Christine Blasey Ford, will testify before the panel, setting up a blockbuster event that could decide Kavanaugh's fate.

The announcement, made under pressure from lawmakers to fully examine the new claims, will delay what had been a glide path toward confirmation for President Donald Trump's nominee. The political stakes for the White House and members of Congress are enormous as the #MeToo movement galvanizes women ahead of key congressional elections in November.

Kavanaugh spent more than nine hours at the White House Monday, huddling behind closed doors with his confirmation team.

An official working closely with his team described Kavanaugh as "shaken, but focused," with the conversation revolving around "defending his integrity."

COMMENT:  Get ready for a circus.  The Democrats are already acting badly, refusing to cooperate in anything until they're assured of an FBI investigation, which is absurd.  Kavanaugh has already gone through six FBI background checks, which always include probes into possible criminal behavior, and no issues have been found.

The White House was very careful today to show respect for the accuser, yet praise Judge Kavanaugh's flawless record.  They should not expect any kindness or understanding in return.  The leftist Democrats opposing Judge Kavanaugh are not warm or kind or fair.  They're deadly.

September 17, 2018       Permalink

GUNFIGHT AT THE O KAVANAUGH CORRAL – AT 12:33 P.M. ET:   Brett Kavanaugh has again rejected the claims of his accuser, as there appears to be movement toward having the judge and that accuser testify under oath before the Senate Judiciary Committee.  From Fox:

Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh forcefully denied the sexual assault allegations against him on Monday, saying he's willing to appear before the Senate Judiciary Committee “in any way” the panel deems appropriate to “refute” the accusations.

Kavanaugh’s new statement comes after the White House said the committee was leaning toward inviting his accuser, Christine Ford, to testify regarding the claims. Ford, through her attorney, said she would be willing to appear before the committee.

“This is a completely false allegation. I have never done anything like what the accuser describes—to her or to anyone,” Kavanaugh said in the statement Monday. “Because this never happened, I had no idea who was making the accusation until she identified herself yesterday. I am willing to talk to the Senate Judiciary Committee in any way the Committee deems appropriate to refute this false allegation, from 36 years ago, and defend my integrity.”

Kavanaugh also visited the White House on Monday, amid questions about whether the committee might proceed or not with a vote scheduled for Thursday. 

All 10 Democrats on the committee on Monday urged Chairman Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, to postpone the vote.

COMMENT:  The Democrats are trying to get an extended FBI probe of the charges, but I doubt if Republicans on the Judiciary Committee will go along.  An extended probe might kill the nomination, especially if the Democrats win control of the Senate in November.

In the Anita Hill case, once her charge against Clarence Thomas went public, an additional few days of hearings were scheduled before the Senate voted on the nomination.  Thomas was narrowly confirmed, and has sat on the high court for more than a quarter century without a single charge against him.

There are some wild cards on the Republican side who can derail things.  They are the Trump haters and several female senators who may now be hesitant about Kavanaugh.  My hunch is that the Judiciary chairman, Chuck Grassley of Iowa, will hold some additional hearings, which will show that there is no real, credible evidence against the judge.  Then the task would be to hold the Senate Republicans in line, and that may not be easy.

September 17, 2018        Permalink

PRESIDENT RISES – AT 10:52 A.M. ET:  There are all kinds of stories out there about polls.  Some will turn out to be right, and others wrong.  We follow, as you know, the Rasmussen daily tracker, which polls likely voters.  Most other polls track registered voters, adults, or people who don't hang up on them. 

Rasmussen is showing a sudden jump in President Trump's approval: 

The Rasmussen Reports daily Presidential Tracking Poll for Monday shows that 49% 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 president is performing and 42% who Strongly Disapprove. This gives him a Presidential Approval Index rating of -8.

COMMENT:  The president was as low as 44% in the last few weeks, and we were assured by the punditry that his popularity was fading.  The new result is only from today's Rasmussen report, and is only one poll, so we have no idea if it is predictive.  We will find out.

September 17,  2018     Permalink

SEPTEMBER 16,  2018

SHORT TAKES ON THE DRIFTING WRECKAGE – AT 10:55 P.M. ET: 

I won't do "Short Takes" tonight because I've been devoting the day to gathering everything possible on the Kavanaugh story. 

One thing becomes immediately clear:  At a time like this a president whose Supreme Court nominee is under siege needs allies, and President Trump has few friends in Washington.   He has made so many enemies with wild attacks on anyone who disagrees with him, and it's payback time.  Jeff Flake of Arizona, a pseudo-Republican who sits on the Judiciary Committee, has already declared that he's not yet ready to vote on Kavanaugh, given the allegations of attempted rape made by a California psychology professor.  Bob Corker, chairman of Foreign Relations, has added his voice to those calling for further investigation.  Both men are known to despise Trump.

Lisa Murkowski of Alaska has also called for more inquiry.  Susan Collins of Maine, perhaps the most prestigious Republican woman in Congress, has not yet declared her intentions. 

We now know that the accuser was a Bernie Sanders supporter, and has signed anti-Trump petitions.  Her lawyer, Debra Katz, is a well-known "women's rights" attorney who had no problem trashing the women who made serious allegations against Bill Clinton.  It's the same old story:  We'll defend women as long as they're our women. We'll destroy those who aren't.

The charge that the accuser, Christine Blasey Ford, a California psychology professor, makes are serious – attempted rape at a high-school party in Maryland in the early 1980s.  Kavanaugh was 17, eligible for trial as an adult for the alleged crime.  But Ford presents no evidence except her own word, and can't seem to answer basic questions about the event, such as the date or even month.

We know that Kavanaugh has withstood six separate FBI background checks for the various federal positions he's held.  He has never had a serious accusation lodged against him.  Some 65 women have already signed a statement in his favor.  The accuser's lawyer alleges that her client has taken and passed a lie-detector test, but that should have no bearing.  First, lie-detector results are not admissible as evidence.  Second, if she believes her story, even if it is false, she will pass the test.

Democrats see an opportunity to delay and possibly destroy the Kavanaugh nomination.  They dream of another Anita Hill show, complete with network TV coverage.  They might get what they want – we should know that within hours or days – and they are being pressured into that approach by their militant left wing.  But wiser Democrats may see danger.  A good part of the public will certainly be repelled by last-minute charges against a distinguished judge filed by a woman with a partisan political past.

The whole episode has a degrading feel to it.  I can't help but thinking that this is a new McCarthyism, a McCarthyism of the left:  destroy a reputation based on a charge, with no evidence needed.

Shame.

September 16, 2018       Permalink

MORE ON KAVANAUGH – AT 2:31 P.M. ET:  We've now been able to determine that Judge Kavanaugh's accuser is a research psychologist at Palo Alto University.  The university describes itself this way: 

"Founded in 1975 as the Pacific Graduate School of Psychology, Palo Alto University is dedicated to improving lives through education and research anchored in psychology, clinical training and practice in a diversity of cultures, and service to communities around the world."

Oh, I see.

Kavanaugh has issued no further statements since the accuser went public through the Washington Post, several hours ago.

UPDATE, AT 2:58 P.M. ET:  She appears, based on newly published data, to be a legitimate academic, with a Ph.D. from the University of Southern California.  She is widely published.  That says nothing about the quality of her accusation, but we try to be accurate and fair here.

One source says she took and passed a lie-detector test in August, given by a former FBI agent.  That tells us very little. 

Direct evidence is lacking.  Maybe something did happen, but it could have been consensual, or the account distorted.  These things have to be carefully adjudicated.  The story being told is that she was at a party, and that Kavanaugh's buddy also assaulted her. 

A party?  No witnesses?  Will someone at that party please come forward?  The story being told is that Kavanaugh, a high-school student, was dead drunk.  Anyone else notice?  Please come forward.

Short on facts, but what's been alleged may be enough to delay the Judiciary Committee vote on Kavanaugh's nomination, which is the objective.

September 16, 2018       Permalink

DEVELOPING – KAVANAUGH ACCUSER SPEAKS – AT 1:53 P.M. ET:  This has the potential to be a huge story...but the "facts" are very strange.  From The Hill:

The woman who has accused Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh of sexual misconduct has identified herself and is speaking publicly about her allegations against Kavanaugh for the first time, according to a Washington Post investigation published Sunday.

Christine Blasey Ford, now a 51-year-old professor at Palo Alto University in California, described an incident between the two in high school, alleging that Kavanaugh pinned her to a bed one summer in the 1980s and forced himself on her.

Ford told the Post that Kavanaugh "groped her over her clothes, grinding his body against hers and clumsily attempting to pull off her one-piece bathing suit and the clothing she wore over it."

She also said Kavanaugh put his hand over her mouth when she attempted to scream for help.

“I thought he might inadvertently kill me,” Ford said. “He was trying to attack me and remove my clothing.”

Kavanaugh last week denied the allegations, which were first reported last week.

COMMENT:  We wait for facts.  I've never seen a story about an academic reported this way.  She's a professor?  A professor of what?  Maybe it's legit, but journalists always identify a scholar's specialty when reporting.

Other stories now coming in assert that she took and passed a lie-detector test.  Who administered the test, and what were the questions?

Why did she suddenly come forward?  Who pressured her?

It's being reported that she did tell others about the alleged episode, but not until decades after it occurred. 

It is possible the story is true, or partially true, or a little bit true.  But the initial facts are vague, and the story is breaking in the very liberal Washington Post.  Stand by.

September 16,  2018     Permalink