Wednesday, September 30, 2015

House Passes StopGap Funding-Government Open Until Christmas Recess

Wisconsin--Marquette University

++Clinton 42%,Sanders 30% and Biden 17%

++Feingold 50%, Johnson 36%.

++Republicans:
Trump 20%
Carson 16%
Rubio   14%
Fiorina  11%
JEB        7%
Cruz      5%
Huckabee,Christie,Kasich 3%

Boy Genius Strikes

++JEB! thinks that because the Seminole Nation approves of the name seminoles for Florida State University it's OK that the Washington professional football team be named Redskins

++Let's not parse this too closely. Needless to say the donors were expecting Jeb to prove himself when the campaign lost its last data point--that JEB! was the leading establishment Republican. Now it's Marco Rubio.

++So, of all the things, Jeb has a soundbite for today not of his reaction to Putin bombing Syria,Raul Castro meeting with Obama,or even the admission by Rep.McCarthy that the Benghazi commission is meant to slow Hillary's campaign. No JEB!, he of tin ears,wants to comment on the appropriateness of the name of a football team that sucks anyway. And while some like myself believe it is racist and should go,most people could care less.

USA Today/Suffolk University Poll

++The Donald 23.5%
     Ben Carson 13%
     Fiorina        13%
     Rubio           9%
     Bush            8%
     Cruz             6%
Kasich,Paul,Huckabee 2%
Jindal,Graham,Christie 1%

Happy 65th to Me! Yippee.

++Clayton Kershaw clinched the Dodgers Western Division championship. So what better birthday gift.

++I received e-mail greetings from all my insurance providers since they know when I will die. Zipcar also sent me greetings.

++My actual birthday gift is the new biography of Agnes Martin,one of my favorite persons and painters. 
I hold back on reading about her schizophrenia and bipolar depression til another day.

++I watched three episodes of Kurt Wallender, Henning Menkill's creation. The problem was that Kurt now had been diagnosed with alzheimer's. Despite his memory lapses and being disoriented, his instincts remained right and he nails the culprits. Still I could do without reminders.

++Had a funny conversation today with one of the most conservative Republican women I know. She said the Republicans have all gone crazy and she mentioned how awful the Planned Parenthood hearings were. "What are we going to argue about birth control now?" She went off on a critique of every Republican candidate. She tends to like TRUMP because we all know he is a blowhard but he's not mean like the others. She won't vote for Hillary because she's a liar. Carsons "must be drugged", a theme that actually has great currency on the internet. "We had Pope Francis for that lovely moment,and what happens next--The House turns to shit." An unhappy Republican.

ADP--200,000 jobs in private sector gained

Tuesday, September 29, 2015

Don't Send Your "Pro-Life" Porno to Me!

++Cecile Richards no sooner knocked down Chaffetz chart showing breast exams fell and abortions increased. then I received an email from a conservative saying CEO--Notice CEO--lied about mamograms. Enclosed was the same graphic that coincidently was produced by an anti-abortion group.

++Lemony Snickett and his wife just donated $1.5 million to Planned Parenthood. You don't have to go that high but make sure you contribute. To fight the beasts.

++Don't send me cute sonograms of babies sucking their thumbs. Over 90% of abortions are performed on little lima beans. Go to your rifle range instead.

Utah Judge Backs Planned Parenthood Against Utah's Attempt To Defund It

Jerry Lee Lewis Is 80

Rand Paul's SuperPac Goes Dark--No Longer Raising Money

PPP-North Carolina--Republicans

++Trump 26
     Carson 21
     Fiorina 12
     Rubio   10
     Cruz       9
     Huckabee 6
     JEB!        5
     Kasich     4
     Christie    2

All others have 1% or less.

PPP--North Carolina Democrats

++Hillary 37, Joltin' Joe Biden 30%, Sanders 17%.

Lady GAGA,Billboard's Woman Of The Year!

PEW: 60% to 32% Want Planned Parenthood Funded By Congress

Cecile Richards Has To Explain Being a Non-Profit

++No, folks, revenues exceeding expenses don't mean you made a profit.

++Cecile Richards testified in Congress this morning and it was nauseating. She did the best she could by providing facts but the majority went down the rabbit hole into suggesting Planned Parenthood fund-raised and therefore should not receive federal funding. The more outrageous attacks were that it was a political organization.

++Not alot of baby butchering in the testimony but that didn't stop the Republicans. After all it's not called a War on Women for nothing. In this case, a war on this woman.

++At moments it reminded me of old board meetings when members complained about salaries and expenses. The really bizarre moments were the discussion on "market share" and Republicans claiming that Planned Parenthood was looking for new markets. I pity Cecile Richards explaining that they look for "need" and not something called market share.


Morning Consult Poll

++Morning Consult:

++Hillary 44%, Sanders 23%,Biden 19%.

Monday, September 28, 2015

Gallup" Hillary Net Favorable Among Democrats 76%, Overall Net favorable 53%

Congratulations! #Benghazi! Is The Longest Congressional Investigation In History

Do Yourself A Favor

++Find The Donald explaining his tax plan. As he says, this is in his wheelhouse.  He appeared at a press conference on C-Span.

++The initial reviews is that it will reward the rich more than Jeb!'s tax cuts for the wealthy. But, I am not so sure.

++The appealing parts of the plan are that those earning their income by free-lance work would only pay 10%, those earning $25,000 or less will pay nothing and couples earning $50,000 or less will pay nothing. The median income of the United States for a family is now less than $50,000. You don't think that will appeal.

++He will also repatriate income from abroad. He estimates that there is $2.5 trillion abroad--probably higher as we saw in Post articles about tax havens. That will be taxed one time at 10%.

++He does get rid of carry interest that Hedge Fund managers make millions on. He eliminates tax deductions but keeps the mortgage deduction that other Republicans have advocated eliminating. 

++He gets rid of the estate tax--which is where critics say he benefits the wealthy. 

++But for a popular appeal,it is a winning formula although be skeptical about his claims that it won't increase the national debt or annual deficits.

++He claims he will have Germany,South Korea and Saudi Arabia pay for their defense. Here he goes a little buggy.

++But politically, he has a winner and enough snark oil to sell this plan.


Senate Passes Clean Spending Bill Despite Cruz and Paul's Best Efforts To Stop It

In Search Of J-LO

++A friend of mine sent me the Wikipedia entry on Jennifer Lopez or J-Lo. Reading it still didn't enlighten me since I had not heard her albums or seen her movies.

++But now Daily Beast says there is a sex tape coming out that was made years ago by her fiancee,since estranged. It apparently is from a dispute between two rappers I don't know either.

++So thanks for enlightening me but at least I know what she does. Now for the Kardashians. Clueless in Gaza.

Actually Big Surprise--Real Running Water On Mars

Surprise! Missouri Attorney General Finds PP Did Not Violate The Law In Handling Fetal Tissue

CNN Changes The Rules Again

++CNN,the people who brought you Carly Fiorina in the last GOP debate,decides to change the rules for the upcoming Democratic debate.

++If Joltin' Joe Biden decides to enter the race the day before the debate, he can participate. 

++The GOP now is scrambling around for who qualifies for the next debate--Trump, Carson and Fiorina are still there but the establishment has gotten anxious as others like Christie aren't polling enough to qualify. The GOP sees the next debate as make-or-break for some of their favorites.

++Jeb!'s donors are getting shaky since JEB! isn't polling enough to give them any confidence he can pull through. JEB! has been on the phones the last few days trying to reassure his donors that everything is under control. His donors threaten to jump ship and back Rubio.

Carly: Waterboarding Kept America Safe

The Donald: 60 Minutes Was Tougher On Him Than They Were On Putin

You Want To Scream

++Carly Fiorina was stark raving batshit crazy on Sweeney Todd over Planned Parenthood harvesting organs. This reminds me of the flap over Acorn and the nutty attempt to defund PBS over Sesame Street. Carly reverted to her ogreish form by saying Sweeney Todd should ask the Democrat about this. The Boehner compromise is to establish a separate committee to investigate Planned Parenthood and of course Ms. Richards has not been invited to testify or the producers of the fake sting videos. 

++Carly defended her atrocious venture at Hewlett Packard and my conservative friends have been rallying around to defend her against breaking the Iran sanctions by sending computers and printers to Iran. Of course, no mention is made of her having her yacht shipped from the east Coast to San Francisco at the company's expense.

++Meanwhile Hillary Clinton appeared on Sweeney Todd and her body language was in no way defensive as she volleyed back and forth questions about the emails. To normal people she appeared mature, released and on top of her game. The problem was that the bulk of the interview was on the emails. But she came off as presidential,steady and unruffled by the flap.

++The Donald appeared on 60 Minutes to say that Putin should handle ISIS in Syria and we should handle it in Iraq. The Donald also gave a teaser about his tax policies this week that will include raising taxes on the hedge fund managers and the very wealthy but giving tax breaks to the middle class. The Donald was nuts in his ad-libs but affable and not as nuts as Carly.

++We now have a truther movement about Ahmad, the high school kid who built a clock. The mayor of his town ,who is known for her anti-Sharia, the Moslems till get us rhetoric,is implying that Ahmed really was building a bomb. Bill Maher has gone potty on this also showing that the clock was simply the electronics from a car radio pulled out and put into a case "that looked like a bomb." My right-wing friends have been sending abound Maher's video as proof Ahmed was trying to blow up buttfuck Texas.

++It really will get worse with McCarthy as Speaker. He has pledged to challenge President Obama with conservative laws. The government will be funded until December and then the GOP will try and hold the country captive.

++Pope Francis left the country in the nick of time. 


Sunday, September 27, 2015

Correction: Catalan Secessionists With 99% of Vote In win 72 seats of 135-member Parliament

Homage To Catalonia--"No Hard Feelings,Goodby."

++The sit polls show that the secessionist parties will win the majority of the vote. "The "Together For Yes" coalition is already at 62 seats, but is expected to end the bout at 63-66 seats in the 135-member parliament. The Radical Popular Party now is at 10 seats and should bring in 11-13 seats, which would move the question of secession to Madrid. 

++You will remember the Catalonians appeared at the Scottish referendum to get some tips for today.

Gitmo Update

++President Obama asked Pope Francis' help in closing Gitmo during their talk together. Two more Gitmo inmates were released this week.

++According to the New York Times,771 were held at Gitmo,657 have been released. 114 remain. Of those remaining,53 have been cleared for release but 43 of them are from war-torn Yemen. 

++10 have been convicted or are awaiting trial. 51 have been suggested for "indefinite detention". The problem with the 51 is that evidence has been deemed so corrupted because of "torture". The remaining inmates are said to be scheduled to be moved to a maximum security prison.

++So 61 out of 771 detainees at Gitmo may have been guilty of something. Pretty pathetic, especially when you throw in torture.

The Year's Most Underreported Story--The End of The Colombian Civil War

++Off radar,the Colombian government and FARC have been negotiating the end of the civil war since 2012.  The swag began in 1948 and was said to radicalize Fidel Castro. It ignited again in 1964 and has been going on ever since. 220,000 civilians have been killed and countless displaced. 

++If you wanted a political problem with very long odds of being solved, this one is it. A war that began before I was born now looks like it is ending.

++The date for the final signing of the peace agreement is March 23,2016. FARC would lay down its arms within 60 days. 

++What is unique in this peace agreement is the attempt to do justice to the victims and to have a humane method of dealing with those culpable in the fighting. A side benefit will be a sweeping land reform,thew curtailment of the drug trade and the incorporation of the guerrillas into the politics process with guarantees of legal protection.

++The unique contribution of this agreement may be the "Special Jurisdiction for Peace", which calls for obtaining the "truth" for the Colombian Society,reparations for the victims,legal security for  those who directly or indirectly participated in armed struggle.

++The agreement calls for a special court to be created within the justice system to "Judge" those who come forward and admit their culpability. These people,after telling the truth for the record, would be sentenced to supervised work, not prison for three to five years.

++Everything has been agreed to except for the timing of the disarmament and demobilization of the guerrilla army. So far the talks are way ahead of schedule.

Obama To Meet Raul Castro At The General Assembly

Bobby Jindal Next To Leave Race

NBC/WSJ National Poll

++Hillary 42, Sanders 35 and Biden 17
++Without Biden, Hillary 53% to Sanders 38%.

GOP:
The Donald 21%, Carson 20%,Fiorina 11%, Rubio 11%.

Saturday, September 26, 2015

Elon Poll --North Carolina

++Clinton 53%
     Sanders 23%

Republicans:
++The Donald 21.5%
     Carson       20.9%
     Fiorina         9.9%
     Rubio          7.4%
     Jeb!             7.0%
     Cruz             6.2%
     Huckabee     4.1%
     Paul             2.3%
     Kasich         2.1%
     Christie        1.6%
     Santorum     1.0%
     Graham          .2%
     Pataki             0%
     Jindal             0%

The Obsession in the Capitol

++John Boehner's surprise resignation is still the buzz around here. The consensus emerging is that Rep.McCarthy from Bakersfield, California will become Speaker--Third in line to the Presidency. His legislative achievements in ten years are the renaming of the Bakersfield post office for Buck Owens and the research center in Bakersfield after Neil Armstrong. Two whole bills in ten years--what a record.

++What propelled Boehner out the door. He sang Zip-de-do-dah" when he quit. Boehner claimed it wasn't the Pope's visit. But he spent time describing his meeting with the Pope alone after Francis' speech. John Boehner tried for twenty years to get the Pope to address Congress and he clucked out this time with Francis. 

++But what was clear was that the House Republicans really did want to shut the government down over planned parenthood. And then after that comes the debt ceiling vote, which last time brought down the credit rating of the United States. Boehner knew that there would be a motion for vacation on the Speakership. Late this week,there was a scenario floated where he would allow the government to shutdown if only for a weekend to appease the Freedom Caucus. But that clearly wasn't enough.

++Remember he wanted to leave last year but the defeat of Eric Cantor screwed up his schedule. Eric Cantor would have been the first Jewish Speaker of the House--but it was not to be.

++Boehner's speakership has been dreadful. He had to sideswiped the Hastert rule just to pass crucial budget bills with Democratic votes. 

++On this go-round,Democrats made it clear he would have to get out of the jam the best he could. Rep.Becera said that it was like the Syrian civil war, no one knows who is on what side. 

++All we get out of this is a bill to keep the government working through December. Then the fun really begins for President Obama's last year.

++It is like we delayed the perfect storm for the President's finale. 

++John Boehner's speakership was maladroit at best, incompetent at worse. And Yet we may end up with the worst.

Remember: Blood Moon This Weekend Means The End Of The World

Friday, September 25, 2015

Reuters/Ipsos Five Day Rolling Poll

++Clinton 43%
     Sanders 24%
     Biden    18%

++From Nate the Great--he thinks that Piyush Jindal is a "sleeper" candidate to win Iowa. He suggests he will pick up Walker's votes. But he also said today that New Hampshire polls are normative for the nation. So I guess he thinks Bernie will win. 

++I find the idea of Jindal winning anything after the wreck he made of Louisiana nuts. But it is Friday.

"The Quiet Grand Strategy Of Barack Obama"

++In the American Conservative by Alfred McCoy,Jr. 

++John Kerry will be meeting with the Iranians in New York to discuss Syria. President Obama will meet with President Putin on Monday to discuss Syria and Russia's military surge in that country. 

++Meanwhile in Washington, President Obama and President Xi have agreed to a cease and desist policy of cyber-hacking on corporations.

++So it behooves us to interpret the tea leaves. Alfred McCoy,Jr. has an article in the American Conservative, which had appeared on September 15 in TomsDispatch  and enlightens us on President Obama as a grand strategist.

++Unlike Paul Wolfowitz and the Committee for a New American Century, McCoy thinks Obama has his grand strategy right. In fact, he ranks Obama with Elihu Root and Zbig in terms of geopolitical brilliance. McCoy believes that you will see Obama's strategy play out over the next twenty years and that it will enhance America's geopolitical power through this century.

++McCoy sees the international competition as between China and America. He points to China's massive investment in securing the Euroasian land mass through infrastructure building and energy projects. He sees their strategy has trying to link Africa to the Euroasian land mass through massive aid packages.

++He says that Obama's Asian pivot has been real and shouldn't be dismissed as TPP,normalization of relations with Burma show. He believes that TPP and the European Trade Pact is about power projection even if it hurts American democracy. You might through in the climate change agreement this December.

++McCoy argues that Obama has had to clean up the messes left from the Cold War,particularly in the normalization of relations with Cuba and the Iran Nuclear Pact. Then he has used his last years in office to cement the deals to move forward.

++McCoy says that Obama purposively left China out of TPP and is enacting a policy of economic and military encirclement of China. McCoy then says we don't know whether this will be successful or whether it will lead to war.

++McCoy comes at this from a Cold War perspective and compares President Obama to the Cold War geostrategists. Henry Kissinger is found lacking in McCoy's book even though he possessed the appropriate cold-bloodedness. He cites Kissinger prolonging the Vietnam War for four years as a black mark on Henry. McCoy approves of President Obama avoiding getting mired in the Middle East like george W did because it doesn't serve a broader geopolitical purpose. You might recall that Wolfowitz and Cheney believed that you create an energy empire to block China's access to oil. It didn't work out so great.

++McCoy says that President Obama's grand strategy is clearly evident in the last two years. Why else do we have secret operations going on in over 135 countries right now?  It is very interesting to see McCoy deal with the critics of Obama like John McCain and Donald Trump who liken him to Jimmy Carter. 

++As an observer,I have noticed a cold-bloodedness in President Obama's foreign policy, not the "cluelessness" the GOP maintains. McCoy deals with the antagonism of the Democrats to the TPP as the price we and President Obama will pay for his strategy. As a cautionary note,McCoy pointed to the disastrous covert actions under Ike which led to President Obama's remedial actions. 

++I guess it is comforting that someone is thinking long-term. The worry is that his successors won't read the memo.

The Donald on Boehner:"It was a Big Decision. It was a Great Decision."

Remember Jeb!'s Promise of 4% Growth--Now We have 3.9%

Pope Francis Declares The Right Of The Environment At The UN General Assembly Meeting

The Tan Man Will Resign In October

++John Boehner will not only resign from the Speaker of the House but also will step down from his House seat in October. Basically he lost control of the caucus.

Thursday, September 24, 2015

How To Control The Message

++From Pope Francis' statement on climate change to his speech tomorrow at the United Nations on climate change, leave it to President Obama to weigh in tomorrow with President XI on both presidents announcing new measures to reduce carbon emissions. President Xi is expected to announce that China will be adopting Cap and Trade next year for all of China based on their regional markets.

++The day of the Pope's arrival, President Obama outlined for reporters what he thinks will be a successful climate change agreement in Paris. Tomorrow's announcements by President Obama and President Xi will add momentum to this movement. 

++I'm not sure such control over your message works anymore but you have to give President Obama high marks for sequencing  these events for maximum impact/

Out With The Pope,In with President Xi--The Beat Goes On In D.C.

New Hampshire--CNN/WMUR

++Trump 26%
     Fiorina 16%
     Rubio    9%
     Carson  8%
     Bush     7%

++Where is Christie and Kasich?

President Obama To Meet With Vladimir Putin Next Week At The United Nations

Carly Fiorina Tells Hannity that It Is The Democrats Criticizing Her Days At Hewlett-Pckard

Yogi Berra Was An Anchor Baby

Wednesday, September 23, 2015

Sam Wang Says Trump On The Wane After Equinox

++I relied on Sam Wang to get me through the last two presidential elections. The Princeton Electoral Consortium is back and doing the numbers, only the numbers. 

++Sam differs from the rest who try and smooth out the curves. What he observes is that the Donald has lost over 5 points in the average polls ,while still maintaining the lead. He expects the outsider candidates to have a more equal distribution as we go along. He says Carly Fiorina has about a month to do before her numbers really dip. He says her Hewlett-Packard experience and her flagrant lying will doom her.

++In comparison, he says that the outsider candidate support will have to move to "establishment" candidates. Unlike Weigant ,who sees Rubio eventually bowing out, he thinks Rubio with increasing poll numbers is the type of consensus choice the party heads favor. And his selling point is that in head-to-heads with Hillary he does well. 

++If you take Wang's reasoning further, Jeb!'s lackluster polling and his lack of competitiveness with Hillary dooms him. The Donald right now is more completive with Hillary.

Predicting The Next Republican To Leave The Race

++Read Chris Weigant's piece in the Huffington Post. Chris failed to predict either Perry or Walker leaving the race. The reason is fairly subtle. Both men had billionaire backers and tons of cash in their Superpacs but what they lacked were funds for the campaign staff,offices and the other parts of the actual campaigning. He says look at this to force others out. It isn't enough for the candidates to have amassed war chests if they can't tap them.

++He thinks Chris Christie will be the next out, especially if he is demoted to the kiddie debate next time. His poll numbers are atrocious and he's sinking like a rock because the belligerent candidates' spot was taken by the Donald.

++He is confident that JEB! is in it to win it and that Marco Rubio will confront a choice when he runs up to the Senate deadline. Florida prohibits a candidate from running for two offices. Rubio will have to make a choice. 

++Weigant has some interesting aberrations about why you won't see Pataki or Gov. Gilmore drop out because it is an ego thing, even though neither one registers in the polls.

++I don't buy his reasoning that Cruz would drop out anytime soon. However, I think Bobby Jindal has to take a serious look at his dim possibilities. 

++He says Kasich will stick around through New Hampshire. 

++One possibility Weigant doesn't talk about is Fiorina. She appears now to be violated the law which prohibits the coordination of campaigns with SuperPacs. This was true in a recent event in Iowa where the SuperPac claimed they organized it. If this becomes an issue, then "her campaign" will dry up. 

++He doesn't see Trump, Carson or Fiorina going away soon. He thinks Lindsey Graham should and so do I.

But it is an interesting read about how he characterizes the candidates and how the SuperPacs work or don't for the candidate.

Fox News Poll

++26% Trump
     18% Carson
       9% Rubio
       9% Fiorina
       8% Cruz.

Democrats:
++44% Clinton
     30% Sanders
     18% Biden

Without Biden:
++56% Clinton
     32% Sanders

Texas Poll In The Statesman

++Hillary 53%
++Sanders 21%
++Biden 14%

More Hillary Doomed

++CBS/NYT poll:
Hillary: 48%
Sanders: 27%
Biden: 15%
Webb: 1%
Chaffee: 1%
O'Malley: 0%

Zogby Analytics

++ Clinton 44%
      Biden/Sanders 18% each
      O'Malley 4%
      Webb     3%

++Without Biden:
     Clinton 52%
     Sanders 24%
     O'Malley  3%
     Webb      2%

Florida Atlantic University

++This Florida poll has The Donald at 31.5%, Rubio at 19.2% and Jeb! at 11.3%. Carson and Fiorina follow. But Jeb!'s ranking in the state where he was governor is telling when put against his woeful pollings in early primary states.

President Obama Honors Yogi

++President Obama honored hall of gamer Yogi Berra as an American original--a sportsman and veteran, a prolific prankster and jovial prophet.

Bloomberg Says It Is A Three-way Race

++Hillary Clinton 33%, Joe Biden at 25%, and Bernie Sanders at 24%.

Yogi Berra Dies At The Age Of 90

Tuesday, September 22, 2015

Haaretz Speaks Too Soon--Sandy Koufax Will Be Working This Yom Kippur

++In The Los Angeles Times, Sandy Koufax explains he has press credentials for Pope Francis' visit to Washington,D.C. but he will go to services on Yom Kippur. He explains his conflicting emotions on the subject. He was famed for missing a World Series game which fell on Yom Kippur--would that were true for today's baseball. He promises to make two services if logistics can make it happen. 

A Meaningful Yom Kippur

++Haaretz reminds us why Sandy Koufax still matters in its Jewish life section.

Washington Times Poll

++Will Hillary Clinton Be The Democrats' Presidential nominee?

++51% say "No"

++17% say "Yes"

++31% say she will quit before the end of the year.

President Xi Jinping Arrives In Seattle To Kick Off U.S. Trip

Ben Carson: Evolution A Theory Encouraged by The Devil

Pope Francis Lands and Is Greeted by President Obama and the Bidens

++The Outrage!. President Obama gave a little bow to Pope Francis.

++It will be mayhem in DC tomorrow. Pope Francis is to speak to a joint session of Congress about international cooperation.

++Steven King thinks he should just speak about anti-abortion and same sex marriages if he is to have a lasting impact in the United States.

++The Cathedral has had a do-over with new Thomas Moser handmade wooden furniture.

++Conservatives are outraged that the White House invited Nuns on the Bus and gay Catholics to its reception for the Pontiff.

++Expect more outrage when Pope Francis applauds the normalization of relations with Cuba and the Iran nuclear deal.  What will make the Right go bananas is his support for an international agreement on climate change.

Hillary Doomed

++NBC has an online poll conducted by SurveyMonkey which shows Hillary's support --drooped--sort of--to 42% and Sanders gained to 29%.

++A new conservative book on Hillary says she is secretly suffering from MS. At least she's not a Muslim.

Hillary Opposes The Keystone Pipeline

The Donald Threatens To Sue The Club of Growth After Misleading Attack Ad

OBAMA LIES--Obamacare Covers 17.6 million

++HHS had to revise their total today. The number exceeds the estimate by the CBO when Obamacare passed. It projected that it would cover 17 million by 2015. 

PEW POLL: 30% of Republicans Think Islam Should Be Illegal

PPP-Iowa- Democrats

++Clinton 43%
     Sanders 22%
     Biden     17%
     O'Malley  3%
     Webb      3%
     Chafee    2%

PPP-Iowa Republicans

++The Donald 24%
     Carson        17%
     Fiorina        13%
          CRUZ       8%
         Rubio        8%
          JEB!         6%
     Huckabee      6%
         Jindal        4%
         Paul           4%
         Kasich       2%
         Christie      1%
      Santorum      1%

Monday, September 21, 2015

God Works In Mysterious Ways

++Usually God chooses a Republican candidate to run but with Scott Walker,God chose him to lead by dropping out.

++God's message was for other candidates to drop out and unite against the frontrunner--the Donald-- and campaign for an optimistic Reaganite future.

++The Donald said he liked Walker and felt sorry for him.

Expected But Still Stunning--Scott Walker Drops Out Of 2016 Presidential Race

Predictwise

++Chances of getting Democratic nomination.

++Hillary 70%
     Biden  17%
   Sanders 12%

++ I guess they think Joe will go. I don't.

The Donald Won't Accept A Government Salary When President

Rand Paul Wins Straw Poll At Mackinac Island with 22%, Carly is second

Wacky Moments From The Weekend

++Ed Klein of anti-Clinton fame came up with the best scoop. President Obama has OK's Biden's run for the Presidency. He will allow Biden to travel in Air Force One to swing states to deliver policy messages, ostensibly to back President Obama's policies on the employment and immigration. All the while, Joltin' JOe will be putting his President campaign together. The kicker is that Joe will have to swear he will serve only one term and that the Vice President will have to be black. In fact, President Obama wants his good friend Deval Patrick to be Joe's pick.

++Ed Kilgore today has a piece about all the pundit's Joe talk while they ignore what he is saying. Ed doesn't deal with Klein's fantasy.

++Ben Carson actually got thrown off an agenda at an Iowa Christian meeting because his views were too far from orthodoxy. But he came roaring back with his statement that Muslims can't be President because their beliefs run counter to the constitution.

++The Donald spent the weekend debating whether President Obama was a Muslim. Scotty Walker said "he doesn't whether that is correct."

++Mother Jones had an article on Carly Fiorina not paying her staff over $400,000 from her failed Senate campaign. She only forked over the dough when she was ready to run for President.

++Politico printed an article about how Carly Fiorina really was the "worst CEO in American history". It is an eye-opening read.

++But that didn't stop Carly from barn-storming on Mackinac Island where conservatives mobbed her.

++Josh Marshall thinks we should put a fork in JEB! after his tantrum over the ad about how W didn't keep America safe--running through 9-11,Katrina,the Iraq War. Jeb! claimed the ad was from Hillary and he tweeted,"Hillary, you are a New Yorker,you remember what my brother did for the city." When questioned about his own foreign policy credentials,he did say," I am of the Bush family." I don't know whether I agree with Josh because JEB! still has $100 million in the bank. But he certainly has been maladroit. 

++Piyush Jindal says that he wouldn't mind a Muslim President as long as he resembled a Christian.

++The Donald assured the Christian Right in Iowa he was on their side in the War Against Christmas. He said everything had become so PC. 

++Poor Ahmed, the Muslim kid who made the clock in texas and has been invited to the White House. Now we have Ahmed truthers. We don't know whether he was trying to make a bomb or not.

++Andrew McCarthy writes in the National Review about what the Donald should have said to the man who wanted to get rid of all Muslims. It isn't kind.

++Scottie Walker's campaign is close to collapse and he will not just concentrate on Iowa, where he is at 4% in the GOP polls.

++Chris Christie said this weekend that he will become President once Americans see he is huggable.

++Hillary is chirping in on the GOP remarks by blasting their Islamophobia and kooky Christian beliefs.  Is it premature for her to campaign on being the only sane one? Maybe she should hold that until later.

It's Fall--Only 13 Months Until The Presidential Election

++The Latest CNN/ORC poll has good news for Hillary Clinton. 

++Hillary Clinton leads with 42%,Sanders has 24%, Biden 22% and O'Malley with 1%.

++Without Biden, it is 57%, Sanders 28% and O'Malley 2%.

++Hillary appeared on Wolf Blitzer to answer questions about her e-mail server and other subjects. Wolf did the CNN ploy of playing Chris Christie saying she should be prosecuted for her private e-mail server because the Chinese could have hacked it. I thought she handled it well with the reversion to her Hillary laugh and her saying she has for over a year offered to testify on this and she will in October. She has the Gotcha questions down--a good sign.

Sunday, September 20, 2015

A Key Difference President Obama Has Made

++President Obama has forever changed the face of government, according to the Washington Post. The Obama administration is the most demographically diverse in American history.  Over 53.5% of policy appointees are women and minorities.

++Compare this with W at 25.6% and Bill Clinton at 37.5%.

++Even though the Post says the country's demographics have changed,they do give President Obama credit for aggressive making this the most diverse administration in history.

++Cautionary note: When you hear Republicans complain about the size of government,the size of the federal government now is approximately the same size it was in the late 1960s when the population of the country was much smaller. What they are really complaining about is the color and sex of the government.

Amy Wright Doesn't Win Emmy For House Of Cards--BOO!

The Real News From The CNN/ORC Poll

++Scott Walker has fallen below1%. 

After Debate CNN/ORC Poll

++The Donald 24%, Fiorina 15%, Carson 14%,Rubio 11%

Saturday, September 19, 2015

Reuters/Ipsos National Democratic Poll

++Hillary 46%, Sanders 25% and Biden 18%

PPP--South Carolina: Hillary 54% Biden 24%,Sanders 9%

JEB's Profile in Courage--"Obama Is An American and A Christian."

Jade Helm Ends. Obama Fail. Texas Is Still Not Occupied

Republican Poll of New Hampshire

++Check out the bottom tier in this Voter Gravity poll. It is no wonder Walker has pulled everybody back to Iowa. 

++Carly Fiorina 22%
     The Donald   18%
     Ben Carson   10%
     John Kasich    9%
     JEB!                9%
     Rubio             7%
     Ted Cruz         6%
     Chris Christie  6%
     Rand Paul        3%
     Scott Walker    2%
     Mike Huckabee 2%

++None of the Koch Brothers Endorsed candidates are anywhere. 

Friday, September 18, 2015

Obama Appoints Fernando Valenzuela Ambassador to Citizenship and Immigration Program

Michigan Poll

++The Market Research Group polled Democrats.

++Hillary 45%, 22% for Sanders and Biden,1% for O'Malley.

Morning Consult

++Todays poll about who won the debate: 29% Fiorina,24% Trump, 7% Carson, 6% Rubio,6% JEB!.

++But who's your favorite in the GOP primary. 
36% The Donald, 12% Carson and 10% Fiorina. Everyone else is in single digits.

++The Donald didn't reprimand a supporter for saying President Obama was a Muslim and asking the Donald when we can get rid of the Muslims.

++Marco Rubio's staff aide got into a barroom brawl with a Rona Paul aide.

++The Donald bowed out of the Heritage Foundation's Presidential do in South Carolina.

++Ann Coulter let her antisemiticism show in her Twitter remarks on the debate and later wondered on Sean Hannity why the Republicans have to pander to Israel.

++Scott Walker was blasted by the Des Moines Register for slamming people on food stamps. His donors have been spreading humors about his campaign manager. The Wisconsin papers have noticed he barely appeared in the last debate.

++Everyone is asking the Donald to apologize for his town hall meeting in New Hampshire.

Meanwhile House Republicans have put forward a bill to cut Planned Parenthood funding for a year.

Thursday, September 17, 2015

Tick-Tock The Clock Runs Out. Obama Implements the Iran Deal

++Congress' time ran out and the Iran Deal starts tonight. Steve Mull, former Ambassador to Poland, has been appointed to see that Iran complies with the terms of the deal.

Chris Weigant Responds to the Debate

++Weigant wrote his column for the Huffington Post before the MSM tried to congeal behind a consensus leader. Chris Weigant thought the Donald was slightly off but that no one delivered the knockout blow. He commented that ,while Obama was denounced and Hillary was slammed, the bulk of the time was spent going after one another and bemoaning the GOP Congress. 

++He says The Donald won and Carly was the runner-up. More importantly other candidates did not have break out moments. Chris Christie got alot of face time and tried to turn it around by saying,'the election is about you,the American voter". I agree with Weigant this didn't really work. Huckabee,Walker and Rubio didn't get enough face time and probably are doomed. 

++Weigant also picked up on JEB! trying to spend his time breaking out of the pack but failing because, in the words of Josh Marshall, he is stuck in Trump's mud. Weigant says JEB! got the best line of the night by saying his Secret Service name should be "Everready--That's pretty high energy", a reference to Trump dig at him.

++Weigant liked the format--I didn't. I could do without the he said,what's your response. I thought Jake Tapper lost control near the end. 

++Scott Walker spent this morning bemoaning the lack of time he got and that he only answered two questions. I feel that Koch-campaign is heading down.

++Nate Silver at 538 had a roundtable on whether you should buy or sell candidates shares. He says sell Trump,hold Fiorina,maybe hold JEB but he is overpriced. 

Economist/YouGov Poll

++Hillary 45%
     Sanders 26%
     Biden   19%
     Webb     1%
   O'Malley   1%
    Chafee    1%

Ed Kilgore Picks Up Something Unusual

++The Des Moines Register says that Carly and Marco Rubio won the debate. Ed says that Rubio's mention is that the establishment has a backup position.

After much anticipation, the FED DOESN"T RAISE RATES

The War Party

++Josh Marshall this afternoon pens a column with the title above. Josh remarks about how those Republicans that sounded like they knew something--Marco Rubio and Carly Fiorina--actually have fallen into the sinkhole of belligerent unilateralism. 

++Josh picks up a theme from Ezra Klein of VOX that Carly Fiorina picked up themes and policy prescriptions that don't seem to apply to the current reality. For example, her call for more military maneuvers in the Baltic states. President Obama has been doing that for months. Or her suggestion that troops in Germany should be beefed up. What would adding to the 40,000 there now add to our national security.

++Josh Marshall hints that Marco Rubio was pandering for more money from Sheldon Adelson.

++The kicker is that JEB! sent out a tweet this morning that his brother "Kept Us Safe". The Tweet had the image of W standing on the rubble of the Twin Towers. I guess that happened on someone else's watch. 

++In the foreign policy section, Ben Carson had suggested a different approach that he told W. While sensible, he's running in the Republican primary. But no one mentioned that W failed to get bin Laden, when he invaded Afghanistan and Iraq. 

Harry Reid,"What a Waste of Time"

++The Senate couldn't get the latest Iran resolution past closure. By 53 yes-45 no,the latest stunt was feared. It called on maintaining sanctions against Iran  unless Iran recognizes Israel and releases the three American "hostages".

MSM Has Fiorina Winning Debate But There Is A Problem

++Ed Kilgore points out that everything Carly Fiorina said about Planned Parenthood was a lie and that no the sting videos do not have a live baby kicking while PP discusses how to harvest organs. He quotes someone who has seen all the sting videos and points out that Right to Lifers would be entitled to ask for a writ of mandamus to prosecute the clinic. No such thing happened.

++Kilgore's point is that reproductive rights will only exist until the GOP extinguishes them.

Wednesday, September 16, 2015

Washington Post First Take

++The Post had Carly Fiorina being poised and versed in the issues and Marco Rubio as well. They like CNN said that Carly had the Donald on the defensive. 

++The Post said that Walker and Huckabee didn't fare well. 

Newsmax Second GOP Debate Poll

++Maybe Josh is right. Bush doesn't register.

++Trump 64%
     Fiorina 12%
     Cruz      6%
     Carson  5%
     Rubio    3%

++As Josh Marshall writes without the Donald yje GOP field is utter chaos. He thought the debate lasted two long and that it was coherent for the first hour and a half. 

Josh Marshall Weighs In On The Debate

++Josh thinks the Donald held his own, not really giving in on his immigration policy. But he thinks the real story is that JEB! looked hapless. He didn't get Donald to apologize to his wife and then Donald gave him a low five on his Secret Service name "Everready" saying "is that high energy enough for you Donald?" All in all awkward. 

++Josh doesn't know who will break out of the pack but he is convinced that the Donald has destroyed Jeb! candidacy. 

++You can still pick up the live blogging done by Marshall and of course by Ed Kilgore

Drudge Report Debate Winners

++Trump 59%
     Fiorina 15%
     Cruz      6%
     Paul      5%
     Rubio    5%
     Carson  5%

Everyone else at 1%

The Second Debate Is Finally Over

++Well,at least we know Obama is a leftist and capitulates to all our enemies. Jeb says to wild cheers that his brother kept us safe and Chris Christie agrees. 

++We will have the biggest,most excellent military the world has ever seen and everybody will respects us.

++Jeb! promises 4% growth rate and rampant deregulation and lower taxes. Everybody is for lower taxes but the Donald says Hedge Fund Managers have to pay more.

++Carly Fiorina pushes her way into the front ranks by promising all sorts of new military systems.

++Kasich sells his role in the Clinton balanced budget and having been in Washington when the government had a big surplus.

++Everybody hates the Iran deal but Kasich says you need allies before you can take on Iran.

++Rubio is against all the regulations meant to thwart climate change and that we should do this through innovations in our energy sector. Chris Christie agrees.

++All candidates are against Planned Parenthood and want it defunded. Walker and Christie bread about how they defunded Planned Parenthood. Jeb! speaks about how he created pregnancy crisis centers.

++Rand Paul was the sole peacenik bragging about how he opposed the Iraq War and actually made sense of it. The Donald also opposed the Iraq War. Jeb! sats the mistake was not leaving troops behind. 

++All candidates would have litmus tests for Supreme Court justices. Cruz says Roberts was a mistake. Jeb! said he made some good decisions. Cruz blames Souter and Roberts on the Bush family.

++The Donald was polite tonight and probably didn't hurt himself.

++Kasich will improve his position.

++I thought Carson was weak,Rubio all Cold War-ish but largely invisible. Chris Christie edged more in front of the camera than before and may have saved himself for the next debate.

++The lines are drawn on Hillary Clinton whom Christie wants to prosecute for Benghazi and Carly wants to call out Hillary's lying.

++The Washington Post gives Lindsey Graham the nod in the kiddie debate because of his bellicosity.

++Remember, dear Reader, the Supreme Court. Everyone of these candidates will go to war again and vastly increase defense spending. All the candidates , except the Donald, are committed to gutting Social Security and entitlement programs. All are committed to ending Obamacare.

++The Dailykos and Washington Monthly have live-blogging of the debates. Ed Kilgore actually detailed the kiddie debate. It was exhausting and horrifying at the same time.


Wolf Blitzer Apologizes For Misidentifying Nancy Reagan at the Reagan Library

Kiddie Debate--Trump Wins

++ Governor Gilmore didn't get the 1 % to participate and Gov.Perry left the race and Carly got upgraded to the adult debate.

++CNN opened with several questions about the Donald. Bobby said he should not be considered a Republican. Rick said why shouldn't he and everyone has the right to run for office.

++Bobby complained about Planned Parenthood selling baby parts and that the Donald was appeasing the ayatollahs and not buying Twinkies.

++Lindsey said the true measure of a man is whether he would send troops into Iraq and Syria. He said he was in the military when Raygun was President. Lindsey said he would do away with birthright citizenship and that all immigrants would learn English. He thanked Wolf Blitzer for having an audience for the debate.

++Governor Pataki was --well-semi-alive. He complained that the Donald would do for America what he did for Atlantic City. I guess he meant bankrupting gambling casinos. Pataki would arrest all illegal immigrants.

++Rick Santorum doesn't want you to know about his Google problem. 

++None of these guys will be around for the third debate. Put a fork in them,they are done.

Predictwise Picks

++Hillary Clinton wins Democratic nomination 70%

++Jeb Bush wins Republican nomination 36%
     The Donald at 16%.

++Democrats win presidential election 57%--GOP 42%.

Tuesday, September 15, 2015

You Heard It First

++House and Senate Republicans want to hold up funding for the IAEA because they cite discrepancies between the AP and the Reuters account of how the Iranian nuclear site at Parchin is to be monitored.

++As I wrote early on in this debate, the quickest way to make the Iran nuclear deal fail is to deprive the IAEA the proper funds to carry out the monitoring.

++The other is to tighten sanctions like the George W. Bush administration did on North Korea because they felt Clinton let them get away with murder on the nuclear agreement. Until then North Korea had no nuclear weapons. Soon after the sanctions were tightened they developed such weapons. 

++Senate Republicans want a third bite of the apple after failing twice to get a resolution of disapproval to the floor of the Senate. Now they want to attach amendments like Iran must recognize Israel before a deal can be carried out and that three Americans must be released first. 

Your Tax Dollars At Work

++The second Iran vote doesn't look like it will make closure. Now 54 yes and 41 no. The Democrats have held rank.

Monmouth University New Hampshire--Democrats

++Feel the Bern or deceptive polling.

++Sanders at 43%, Hillary at 36%, Biden 13%,O'Malley at 2%, Chaffee,Webb and Lessig are at 1%. 

++In short, without Biden it's tied.

Pope Francis Supports Iran Nuclear Deal As A Step toward Stability and Security in the Middle East

Club of Growth Launches $1 million Campaign of Attack Ads against Trump in Iowa.

Your Congress At Work

++Mitch McConnell is going to give Republicans another bite at the apple by allowing another vote on the Iran nuclear deal.

++11 GOP members of the House have introduced a bill to impeach EPA head Gina McCarthy. 

++They don't care whether Planned Parenthood did anything wrong ,they want to shut the government down and defund them anyways. Senator Cornyn says that the government will not be shut down.

++Mitch McConnell told his most rabid members they can destroy the government next year but allow it to be funded this year. 

PollaPalooza

++43% of all Republicans favor a military coup.

++PPP-Florida. The Donald leads with 28%, Carson with 17%,JEB! has 13% and Rubio 10%.

++Not only running third in your home state is a bit humiliating, 40% say JEB! should keep running But another 47% believe he should drop out. Only 42% think the other native son Marco Rubio should keep on running.

++Morning Consult has the Donald at 33%, Carson at 17%, Jeb! at 9%, Cruz 6%, Paul 5%, Fiorina, Huckabee and Rubio are tied at 3%.

++The New York Times/CBS poll has the Donald at 27%, Carson at 23%, JEB! at 6%, Walker at 2% and Fiorina at 4%.

++Elite panic has broken out as the Wall Street Journal claims that no one on Wall Street wants the Donald to win. Ed Kilgore at the Washington Monthly writes about Mark Halperin's column at Bloomberg about how to beat the Donald and how the "Game-Changer" is anxious.

++By the way, the Donald drew 20,000 at a rally in Dallas last night.

++Meanwhile Scott Walker's handlers are in a panic about his free fall in the polls. They say he should get back to his basic values. John Nichols at the Nation says that Walker's basic problem is that he never enlarged his political vocabulary beyond his comfort area. Josh Marshall at Talking Points Memo says that the Trump phenomenon has down more to destroy walker than anything else and thrown the GOP primary into chaos.

Kristol Can't Back Trump

++Bill Kristol of the Weekly Standard writes he can't see himself voting for Donald Trump. Instead he urges an independent ticket of DICK CHANEY AND TOM COTTON.

++The Donald tweeted his response that "your small and slightly failing magazine should back Trump and the country would soar."

Monday, September 14, 2015

NJ.com Points Out Something I Missed

++In this morning's ABC/Post poll, Chris Christie got 1% nationally,tying him with Rick Santorum,Bobby Jindal and Rick Perry.

Monmouth University Poll--New Hampshire

++Remember Jeb! must win it to stay alive.

++Trump 28%
     Carson 17%
     Kasich  11%
     Fiorina    7%
     Jeb!        7%

++Christie,Walker,Rand,Rubio nowhere to be found.

ABC/Washington Post Poll

++Among Republicans, The Donald leads with 33%,Carson has 20%, JEB! at 8%,Cruz 7%,Paul 5%, and Walker has 2%.

++A majority of Republicans back non politicians in their primary races. Christie and Walker and Rubio have disappeared. 

++Among Democrats, Hillary leads with 42%, 24% for Sanders,and 21% for Biden. If Biden isn't in the equation,56% of Democrats favor Hillary.

++Meanwhile, the DOJ and the FBI say that Hillary was in his rights to delete the personal emails from her private server. Meanwhile, Curt Gowdy,the head of the #Benghazi! Committee wants Hillary's e-mails for become the substance of an investigation which has extended longer than Watergate and is reaching Iran-Contra longevity.

Sunday, September 13, 2015

Three Time MVP,"Chairman of the Boards",Moses Malone dead at the age of 60.

Floyd Meriweather,Jr. Retires Undefeated 49-0

The New York Times Today Weighs 6 Pounds

++According to our grocer who actually weighed it, the New York Times actually weighs 6 pounds this morning. The Reason is that it contains 5--count'em--Five Arts and Leisure sessions all covering separate seasons in the arts and film. Good buy.

Saturday, September 12, 2015

These Guys Never Sleep

++The most underreported story this week is how Mitch McConnell is using his office to try and scuttle the global climate talks in Paris. Apparently he is secretly contacted foreign governments to let them to know any agreement the Obama administration will reach there will be null and void under a Republican administration.

++So far the foreign governments are ignoring the Republican's plea to step back from a ground-breaking agreement. But the threat is there as the GOP has even threatened to impeach Gina McCarthy, the head of the EPA. The EPA has been winning court battles but losing some.

++The Republican fight machine turned into overdrive after President Obama made a point of focusing on climate change during his trip to Alaska.

++Meanwhile America's governor, Jerry Brown has embarked on the most ambitious climate change agenda of any state, promising 50% renewables by 2050. 

++Brown trolled GOP candidate Ben Carson when he denied humans were the cause of climate change. Brown sent him the United Nations report on the subject.

++The Paris Talks will conclude as the GOP heads into Iowa and New Hampshire. Climate change will become one of the primary ekection issues in 2016 whether you like it or not.

++Mitch McConnell's actions seem eerily parallel to Senator Cotton and 47 Republican Senators trying to sabotage the Iran Nuclear talks by writing the Ayatollah Khamenei to ignore the President of the United States because Congress has the final say-- which they did not.

++It's been many a year since Partisanship stopped at the water's edge. 

Friday, September 11, 2015

The Long View

++Cuba has announced it will release 3,522 prisoners before Pope Francis trip to Havana next week.

++Iran is to take Parchin military site samples in the presence of the IAEA, which counters what the Republicans and Israelis maintained about Iran allowed to monitor themselves.

++Yes, Cuba has released prisoners before papal visits before but this time it is an acknowledgment of Pope Francis' assistance in normalizing relations with the United States.

Once Iowa Front-runner, Scott Walker at 3% in Quinnipiac Poll

The Donald Owns 100% of Miss Universe!

Governor Gilmore Not Even Invited To CNN'S Children Debate

AP Reports Governor Perry To Drop Out Of GOP Race

Sore Losers: AIPAC Tweets That Rejection of Iranian Nuclear Deal Has Bipartisan Support

House Disapproves Of Iran Deal 269 to 162. Meaningless

Thursday, September 10, 2015

CNN Reagan Library Debate Lineup

++Rachel Maddow did a fun piece on CNN changing their criteria while saying they didn't . But they did.

++Read the list and you wonder given the polling why half of them made the cut.

++The Donald, Ben Carson,Jeb Bush,Ted Cruz,Scott Walker,Marco Rubio,Mike Huckabee,Rand Paul, John Kasich,Chris Christie and Carly Fiorina. The 10 became 11 with Carly added.

++Read the list. Rubio,Huckabee, Rand Paul,and Chris Christie shouldn't be there. Their polling is beyond dreadful.