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SEPTEMBER 26,  2018

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

SHOWTIME – Get out your old video disks of "High Noon," for it's about to happen in Washington...although there's no Gary Cooper.  We're only hours away from the Great Confrontation between Judge Kavanaugh's main accuser, Professor Christine Ford, and Kavanaugh himself.  Serving in supporting roles, but still eligible for Oscars, are members of the Senate Judiciary Committee and assorted lawyers of varying ethics and quality.  Book contracts will be negotiated.  But the whole thing is a sad spectacle, and a disgrace to our democracy.  What should have been a routine confirmation hearing for Judge Kavanaugh has been turned into a clear, blatant attempt to destroy him and his family.  It has also turned into a frightening attack on decent, democratic standards, with presumption of innocence relegated to the junkyard of history.  That's just fine with the radical leftists who have taken over the Democratic Party, and equally fine with the left-wing press.  Their commitment to basic freedoms has been in doubt for years.

I JUST CAN'T WAIT – FROM AP:  LOS ANGELES (AP) — Last season's short-lived "Roseanne" revival blew an air kiss to President Donald Trump in its debut episode before it reverted to finding laughs in family and working-class woes, not politics. Expect "Murphy Brown," another reborn 20th-century sitcom, to be consistently faithful to its own roots.  Washington tumult, social issues and the role of journalism will be central when the sitcom starring Candice Bergen as a tough TV reporter returns 9:30 p.m. EDT Thursday on CBS, said creator and executive producer Diane English.  The series is "here to make some noise," English said in an interview, sketching out a few of topics to be featured in the season's 13 episodes: "We're doing an immigration episode, we're doing a midterm-elections episode. We're doing a Me Too episode," she said.  Isn't that just swell?  Mark your calendar.  Be sure to be out that night.

WHAT THE HELL IS THIS? – FROM COLLEGE FIX:  Move over, “diversity,” there’s a new buzzword in town.  “Inclusive excellence” is a rising concept on many college campuses. Where “diversity” has reigned on campus for many years, this new term reflects a broader ideology now flourishing in higher education.  In a recent article, The Chronicle of Higher Education takes a look at this phenomenon through the lens of two “vice presidents” of “inclusive excellence” at their respective institutions. Fanta Aw, who was recently promoted to the position of vice president for campus life and inclusive excellence at American University, told The Chronicle that her role resembles that of a “conductor” of diversity issues on campus.  According to The Chronicle: “The person in charge of inclusive excellence at an institution may be held accountable for the retention and graduation rates of diverse students, retention of diverse faculty and staff members, and the integration of the principle into teaching, research, and classroom climate:”  I can't wait to be treated by a doctor who's a product of inclusive excellence.  I'll show him where the lungs are.

September 26, 2018        Permalink

ECONOMY ROARS – CONSUMER CONFIDENCE HITS A MAJOR HIGH – AT 1:52 A.M. ET:  The economy continues to produce good news.  We haven't seen numbers like this in years.  From MarketWatch: 

Consumer confidence in the U.S. is close to an all-time high.

The numbers: Americans are the most confident in the U.S. economy in 18 years and the level of optimism is not far from an all-time high, a closely followed survey shows.

The consumer confidence index climbed to 138.4 in September from a revised 134.7 in August, the Conference Board said Tuesday.

That’s the highest level since September 2000 — near the end of the Internet boom. It’s also close to the record peak of 144.7 set in May of the same year.

What happened: The present situation index, a measure of current conditions, edged up to 173.1 from 172.8. The future expectations index jumped to 115.3 from 109.3.

Americans expect business conditions to improve, and they say plenty of jobs are available. They also think their own finances will get better with incomes rising.

Big picture: The economy is still growing rapidly more than nine years after the end of the Great Recession. Even a widening trade rift with China, the imposition of tariffs and a Federal Reserve bent on raising U.S. interest rates have done little to slow the economy down.

COMMENT:  This with a midterm election barely more than a month away.  It should help the Republicans, but voters are fickle.  It will, though, give Republicans something to cheer about.

September 26, 2018       Permalink

PILING ON – AT 1:18 P.M. ET:  Sorry we're a little late today.  I've had to catch up on all the Kavanaugh news this morning, and wanted to be sure I knew enough to be coherent.

So, this is what we have:  A new accuser has stepped forward, a client of that wise and modest lawyer, and counsel to Stormy Daniels, Michael Avenatti.  From Mediaite:

Attorney for Stormy Daniels, Michael Avenatti, earlier this week, claimed to have a client with a third allegation against Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh. He made the announcement, and tweeted lurid accusations, without offering the identity of the client or any evidence.

Today, Avenatti tweeted a name and photo of that client, along with screenshots of email correspondence and a sworn statement from her laying out her allegations.

Here is a picture of my client Julie Swetnick. She is courageous, brave and honest. We ask that her privacy and that of her family be respected.

In his tweet that included the email screenshots, Avenatti asserted that Kavanaugh’s nomination must not go forward without more investigation of the claims.

Below is my correspondence to Mr. Davis of moments ago, together with a sworn declaration from my client. We demand an immediate FBI investigation into the allegations. Under no circumstances should Brett Kavanaugh be confirmed absent a full and complete investigation. pic.twitter.com/QHbHBbbfbE
— Michael Avenatti (@MichaelAvenatti) September 26, 2018

Paragraph 13 of the sworn statement has the specific personal allegation.

In approximately 1982, I became the victim of one of these “gang” or “train” rapes where Mark Judge and Brett Kavanaugh were present. Shortly after the incident, I shared what had transpired with at least two other people. During the incident, I was incapacitated without my consent and unable to fight off the boys raping me. I believe I was drugged using Quaaludes or something similar placed in what I was drinking.”

COMMENT:  Obviously, a very serious allegation.  The accuser this time is apparently a US Government employee with multiple security clearances. 

Once again, the last-minute charge.  Once again, no specific evidence.  And...once again, a charge relating only to activity in high school.  In fact, all the charges against Kavanaugh apply to things that allegedly happened during school.  That baffles me.  Was he a bad guy in high school and college, and then became a pristine person as soon as he moved the tassel from one side to the other?  Doesn't seem likely.

But this latest charge is another brick on the load.  Democrats are demanding full investigations.   Up to now, Chairman Grassley is insisting that the current schedule go ahead.  Professor Ford, last week's accuser, is scheduled to testify tomorrow, with Kavanaugh replying.  This could change by the hour.  Stand by.

September 26,  2018    Permalink

SEPTEMBER 25,  2018

SHORT TAKES ON THE DRIFTING WRECKAGE – AT 9:30 P.M. ET:

THE KAVANAUGH FARCE – We're supposed to be on pins and needles waiting for Thursday, when the judge's main accuser, Christine Ford, and Judge Kavanaugh himself, are scheduled to testify.  Still, as yesterday, there is no guarantee that Ford will show up, as her lawyer has all kinds of grievances with the Senate Judiciary Committee and with every man who has ever been born.  The committee has scheduled a vote on Kavanaugh's confirmation for Friday morning, something that also has the Ford forces upset.  Majority Leader McConnell has asked senators to hang around this weekend, meaning there could be a vote in the full Senate on Judge Kavanaugh.  The key here is that there is no guarantee he'll be confirmed.  There are three or four votes in doubt.

IS RUSH RIGHT? – Rush Limbaugh is saying that if Republicans can't push Judge Kavanaugh through to a confirmation, they will lose Congress in November because angry members of the GOP base will stay home.  I'm not so sure.  It's possible, just possible, that furious Republicans will storm the polls to block a Democratic takeover and make sure that the Kavanaugh farce is not repeated.  Indeed, I can see President Trump leading the charge.  He's great at that.  "Justice for Brett, justice for America!"  We hope it won't be necessary.

WELL, LOOK AT THIS – FROM BREITBART:   A plurality of Latino voters are “less likely to vote” for a candidate in the 2018 midterm elections who supports abolishing Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), according to an NBC News/Wall Street Journal/Talmud poll.  The poll, released on Sunday, found that 36% of Hispanic voters said they are “less likely to vote” for a candidate who “favors abolishing ICE” while 33% said they are “more likely to vote.” Another 26% said there is “no difference” and 5% said they were “not sure.”  After Democratic-Socialist candidate Alexandria Occasion won a primary against a longtime incumbent Democrat on a platform that included abolishing ICE, Democrats like Sens. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) and Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) jumped on board and called for ICE to be abolished.  Hispanics have the same safety concerns as anyone else.  This survey should dispel the notion that all Hispanics think alike. 

September 25, 2018       Permalink

GOP RALLIES – AT 12:58 P.M. ET:  Are the voters finally waking up to the vast deceit of the Democratic Party?  The results of a new GallupPoll suggests it may be happening.  From Powerline:

For some time, as I have written here more than once, I have been waiting for Americans to notice that the Democrats are crazy. I have puzzled over why the Democrats’ outrageous conduct doesn’t seem to alienate more voters. Financial interest is obviously a partial explanation, but it can’t be a complete one.

In that context, this Gallup poll is good news: “GOP’s favorability hits highest mark in seven years.”

Forty-five percent give a favorable rating to the Republican Party in a new poll by Gallup, the highest number hit by the GOP in the poll since 2011.

It’s also a tick up from the 44 percent polled who view the Democratic Party favorably.

While it’s only a one-point difference, it comes weeks before the midterm elections and represents a swing from previous polls in which more American respondents gave a favorable opinion of Democrats compared to Republicans.

Funny, you wouldn’t expect this from reading the newspapers.

The GOP’s rise is driven in considerable part by the fact that Republican-leaning voters are better disposed toward the party.

COMMENT:  I'm hoping that voter revulsion over what is happening to Judge Kavanaugh will translate into Republicans retaining control of Congress.  It is not certain, though.  The Kavanaugh story may be forgotten by election day. 

September 25, 2018        Permalink

THE WAYWARD PRESS – AT 11:48 A.M. ET:  That's the phrase the press critic A.J. Liebling used to describe American journalism, in the forties and fifties.  I wonder what he'd think today, as we watch some news organizations, like CNN, actively agitating to bring down Judge Kavanaugh. 

The American people are making up their minds about the press coverage, as Rasmussen reports: 

Judge Brett Kavanaugh’s Supreme Court confirmation has been top news for weeks, but voters don’t think the media is trying to do him any favors.

A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone and online survey finds that 47% of Likely U.S. Voters think when most reporters write or talk about Kavanaugh, they are trying to defeat his confirmation.

Just eight percent (8%) think most reporters are trying to help Kavanaugh win the Senate confirmation, while 37% think most reporters are simply interested in reporting the news in an unbiased manner.

COMMENT:  That's a devastating indictment.  A backlash against the left-oriented press is building.  It is long overdue. 

Jimmy Kimmel, the late-night so-called comedian, joked about cutting off Kavanaugh's male member.  Why is he still on the air?  In a better time he'd have been off in half a second.

The media is a mess.  Only public pressure, and a couple of well-publicized lawsuits, will improve it.

September 25, 2018      Permalink