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JUNE 18,  2013

SHORT TAKES ON THE DRIFTING WRECKAGE – AT 9:34 P.M. ET: 

THE FIRST – From The Hill:   "Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.) on Tuesday endorsed the Ready for Hillary super-PAC, becoming the first lawmaker to back an effort aimed at pushing Hillary Clinton to run for president in 2016.  McCaskill called the super-PAC's efforts 'critical' to electing Clinton if she decides to seek the Democratic nomination."  McCaskill, you'll recall, was that easily beatible senator who won re-election last year only because the GOP, as usual, put up a world-class goofball against her.  But the push for Hillary has begun.  She'll be difficult to defeat, but it can be done with the right opponent.  That's our job.

CHRISTIE ROMPS...WITH DEMS – From CBS:   "A new poll finds that Wisconsin representative and 2012 vice presidential nominee Paul Ryan is the most popular politician among Republicans. In a Gallup poll of recent GOP newsmakers being listed as 2016 presidential possibilities, Paul Ryan was given a 69 percent favorable rating among right-leaning U.S. adults. Florida Sen. Marco Rubio was also rated favorably, while Republican New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie was actually given a higher net favorable rating among Democrats than among Republicans."  Christie is playing a dangerous, but potentially effective game by trying to prove his electability across the political spectrum in his re-election race for governor of New Jersey this year.   But he has to be careful not to push that too far. 

THE CONTINUING ATTACK – The New York Police Department is the most effective large-city police force in the country.  This has upset many on the left, who consider meter maids an occupying army.  One lawsuit after another is being filed by the usual suspects against the department.  The latest would seem a bit ill-timed, considering recent events in Boston.  From Reuters:  "NEW YORK - The New York Civil Liberties Union filed a lawsuit on Tuesday against the New York Police Department over its surveillance of Muslim communities, accusing the police of trampling on religious freedoms and constitutional guarantees of equality.  The surveillance by the NYPD's intelligence division has extended beyond New York City's five boroughs into neighboring New Jersey and other nearby states. The police department says that surveillance of Muslims is legal under an earlier federal court order."  The Department is correct, but any liberal judge can cripple an effective and legendarily well-run surveillance operation.  Meanwhile, Muslims in New York do not actually appear persecuted.

DECLINE OF THE HUMANITIES – The job market is having its effect.  From The Wall Street Journal:  "Humanities majors at Harvard fell to 20% in 2012 from 36% in 1954. And the trends are similar at colleges across the country. Meanwhile, more incoming freshman are opting out of so-called softer subjects, placing their bets on STEM (science-technology-engineering-math) majors instead.  Harvard sophomore Shannon Lytle considered majoring in history but will opt for computer science instead. 'We do have to worry about living after graduation. I don’t want to be doing what I love and be homeless,' he told the Journal."  Watch.  The lefties will strike back with courses like "Physics for Marxists," or "Race, Gender and Ethnicity" in Electrical Engineering."  They will never give up.

June 18,  2013     Permalink

THE SLOW DRIP, DRIP OF PUBLIC OPINION – AT 8:46 A.M. ET:   The evidence is building that the scandals have started to hurt President Obama in the court of public opinion.  Obviously, this could also have an effect on Hillary Clinton, should she run in 2016, as she is forever linked with this administration.  From CNN:

Washington (CNN) – A growing number of Americans believe that senior White House officials ordered the Internal Revenue Service to target conservative political groups, according to a new national poll.

And a CNN/ORC International survey released Tuesday morning also indicates that a majority of the public says the controversy, which involves increased IRS scrutiny of tea party and other conservative groups seeking tax-exempt status, is very important to the nation.

Republicans argue that the Obama administration used the IRS to intimidate and harass political opponents. Democrats say poor management at the tax agency, rather than political bias, is to blame. Congressional sources on both sides say that interviews with IRS workers so far have found no evidence of political dealings by the White House. White House Press Secretary Jay Carney, touting an independent IRS inspector general report, has said the scrutiny appears to have originated with "IRS officials in Cincinnati," where the agency's tax exempt division is centered.

Last month only 37% of the public thought that the IRS controversy led to the White House, with 55% saying that agency officials acted on their own without direct orders from Washington. Now the number who say the White House directed that IRS program has increased 10 points, to 47%, virtually the same as the 49% who believe the IRS agents acted on their own.

"Younger Americans are much less likely than older Americans to believe in White House involvement, and there is, not surprisingly, a partisan divide as well," says CNN Polling Director Keating Holland. "But the Obama administration may be losing independents on this matter. In May, only 36% felt the White House ordered the IRS to target conservative groups; now that number has crossed the 50% threshold."

COMMENT:  The Republicans must be relentless on these scandals, looking for the smoking guns, if they exist.  The key piece of information I've seen is that the IRS director visited the White House 157 times since Obama took office.  Why would the IRS director be visiting the White House so often?  His predecessors rarely did in previous administrations. 

And I hope the GOP doesn't let up on Benghazi, a true scandal that clearly requires Hillary Clinton to be brought to account.

June 18, 2013       Permalink

WALKER FOR PRESIDENT? – AT 8:42 A.M. ET:  I've always been surprised that Republican Governor Scott Walker of Wisconsin hasn't been mentioned more as a potential presidential candidate.  Here's a guy who really did save his state from financial ruin, survived a recall effort and maintained his political strength, and is a proven vote getter.

Well, apparently, others are starting to notice as well.  From National Journal:

Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker polls near the bottom of would-be presidential contenders. Unlike potential rivals, you won't find him on the cover of Time magazine or slow-jamming the news with comedian Jimmy Fallon.

But he's a conservative Republican who won election in a blue state, survived a brutal recall campaign, and now posts approval ratings over 50 percent. A budget-slashing chief executive and son of a Baptist minister who straddles the fiscal and social conservative camps. A proven fundraiser who has put his thumb in the eye of President Obama and Big Labor.

He's poised to be the sleeper Republican presidential candidate of 2016.

"The recall was a gift to him in that it put him in touch with the big funders in the Republican Party, and I'm sure he keeps that Rolodex pretty close," said Brian Sikma, a spokesman for a conservative government watchdog group in Wisconsin. "I don't see any reason why he wouldn't run, and if you look at the tea leaves, he's taking all the traditional steps."

"I'm sure in next few months you'll find him somewhere in New Hampshire," said Milwaukee-based Republican consultant Todd Robert Murphy.

Walker has told the national media he's not ruling out a White House bid, and he headlined a Republican Party fundraiser last month in Iowa, which traditionally hosts the first presidential nominating contest, followed by New Hampshire. The governor is also writing a book about his triumph in the 2012 recall election after he revoked collective bargaining rights and set off a political firestorm.

This positioning for the national stage comes as no surprise to Wisconsin Republicans, who joke that Walker has been running for president since he was an ambitious politician-in-the-making at the American Legion's Badger Boys State. He was picked to represent Wisconsin at Boys Nation in Washington, D.C. and, in a moment he describes as seminal to his political career, met President Reagan.

COMMENT:  Recall please the famous photo of a young Bill Clinton meeting President Kennedy. 

Of course Walker has sizable liabilities.  He is little known outside Wisconsin, has no foreign-policy experience, and might have trouble attracting centrist votes, critical in a presidential election.  Still, Wisconsin could have easily rejected him, and didn't. 

We'll watch Walker.  I still think he's a long shot.  He'll have to prove himself in the primaries, and show an ability to attract women to his cause.  Don't rule him out.

June 18, 2013        Permalink

LITTLE SUPPORT ON SYRIA FOR OBAMA – AT 8:31 A.M. ET:  There is no doubt that Obama has botched Syria.  He gets no applause from anyone.  I mean, maybe a distant relative.

He dawdled for a year and a half, doing little, as tens of thousands died.  Then he decided last week to send some military aid to selected rebel groups.  Instead of announcing the move himself, he had the announcement made by a staff member, and never brought the American people into his confidence.  He is getting little encouragement in the polls.

And now the political class is warning the president about his actions and policies.  From Fox:

WASHINGTON – Sending Syria arms and aid and possibly more is a commitment that could haunt the U.S. for years to come, according to some Washington lawmakers. They are cautioning the Obama administration to carefully consider history, a still-fragile U.S. economy and the need to develop a clear end-strategy before agreeing to help fight and fund a civil war 6,000 miles away.

“What is the plan? Where are we going in Syria? And what do you want to accomplish?” House Intelligence Committee Chairman Mike Rogers asked Sunday.

The voices of caution are emerging after the administration agreed to provide small arms to the rebels, citing evidence that the regime of President Bashar al-Assad had used chemical weapons.

Michael Singh, the managing director of The Washington Institute and a former senior director for Middle East affairs at the National Security Council, told Fox News, "By saying we are going to send small arms, the administration is showing that they are finally taking a step forward. It’s not clear if it’s meant to show we’re doing something for the sake of doing something or if it’s part of a larger strategy.”

Singh said there needs to be a frank discussion between the White House and lawmakers and a game plan in play on the benefits of American intervention. “Providing small arms is unlikely to tip the balance in Syria and you need a comprehensive strategy and what you need is a clear goal,” he said.

COMMENT:  The commitment is so small, and so vaguely defined, that the president risks being seen as an amateur (which he is) and unserious (which he is also).  His decision not to address the American people, when we are becoming more actively involved in another war, was a major blunder, and yet is not being corrected.  It's almost as if Obama is going through the motions, with no real goal and no intention of achieving one.

It hasn't been this bad in a long time.

June 18, 2013       Permalink

TURKEY STILL BOILING – AT 8:17 A.M. ET:  Turkish police may have cleared one group of protesters from Istanbul, but there is enormous tension under the surface.  This could explode again, much worse (or better) next time.  From Reuters:

(Reuters) - Turkey's deputy prime minister said on Monday the armed forces could be called up if needed to help quell popular protests that have swept Turkish cities in the last two weeks, the first time the possibility of a military role has been raised.

Bulent Arinc made the remarks in Ankara, where 1,000 striking trade union workers faced off briefly against police backed by several water cannon, before police retreated and the crowd left.

In Istanbul, the cradle of protests that have presented Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan with the greatest public challenge to his 10-year leadership, several hundred union members also marched in sympathy with anti-government demonstrations.

They were prevented from entering Taksim Square, the focal point of the unrest, but after workers had moved off, between 200 and 300 mainly young protesters, some of them throwing stones from slingshots, fought with police.

The violence was minor compared with the weekend, which saw some of the fiercest clashes so far when police fired teargas and water cannon to clear thousands of people from the square.

"Our police, our security forces are doing their jobs. If it's not enough, then the gendarmes will do their jobs. If that's not enough ... we could even use elements of the Turkish Armed Forces," Arinc told Turkey's state-run TRT television.

COMMENT:  That is an extreme comment.  Turkey's military is the most powerful element in the country, and could easily turn on the government rather than on the Turkish people.

There have been overnight reports that Turkish security forces have been conducting raids on dissidents and even newspapers.  Erdogan has been weakened.  No doubt about that.  That in turn has weakened the American position in the Mideast even further, as Erdogan is seen as a close friend of President Obama.

This is a developing story.

June 18,  2013      Permalink 

JUNE 17,  2013

SHORT TAKES ON THE DRIFTING WRECKAGE – AT 10:29 P.M. ET:

EXPLANATION FLOP – A new poll shows that 80% of respondents disapprove of President Obama's decision to send aid to Syrian rebels.  No wonder.  He never explained it, or made the case to the American people.  Instead, he sent the deputy national security adviser, Ben Rhodes, out to announce the decision.  And follow-up statements, including some made by the White House today, suggest, as Charles Krauthammer said this evening, that this isn't even a serious policy.  It seems to have no clear goal.  What a sad excuse for a president.

GORE PUTS IN HIS $200-MILLION – Al Gore, who has reportedly stashed $200-million in bank accounts – earned, I guess, by addressing PTA meetings – has thrown his considerable weight into the battle against the Keystone Pipeline.  Obama still hasn't decided to approve the line, which will link Canadian oil deposits with our Gulf Coast refineries.  Gore says it will be an abomination.  But the pipeline still has majority public-opinion support, and the strong support of labor unions, whose members will benefit from the work.  There is no sign when Obama will decide, but I'm betting he will figure out another way to kick the can down the road.  No matter what he decides, part of the Democratic base will be offended and personally distressed.  Obamacare will cover the psychiatry.

ADMISSIONS OFFICE MISTAKES – From Campus Reform:  "Students at George Mason University (GMU) signed a petition early this month asking President Obama to listen in on the 'private conversations' of all Fox News employees and their families.  The petition, which was circulated on GMU's flagship campus in Fairfax, Va, near Washington D.C., by Media Research Center video reporter Dan Joseph, described the right-leaning news channel as 'a threat to media integrity and an informed populace.'"  Media Research Center is, of course, a conservative operation, and this was clearly a stunt designed to examine the depths to which our campuses have sunk.  Pretty deep.

HMMM – Legendary Columbia University historian Henry Graff, now retired, delivered a little-reported bombshell last week when he expressed doubt that President Obama ever attended Columbia, from which he claims to have graduated in 1983.   Also from Campus Reform:  "'I taught every significant politician that ever studied at Columbia,' said Columbia Emeritus Professor of History Henry Graff, in an interview last week with Wayne Root, a contributor at The Blaze. 'Between American History and Diplomatic History, one way or another, they all had to come through my classes.'  'Not Obama,' he continued. 'I never had a student with that name in any of my classes. I never met him, never saw him, never heard of him.' Graff alleged that 'none of the other Columbia professors knew him either...'"   I have no way of verifying the story, but it is stunning. Wayne Root, Columbia class of '83, has been working on this mystery for some time.  The implications are enormous.

June 17, 2013       Permalink

SHOCKED, SHOCKED – AT 8:41 A.M. ET:  Britain's decidedly left-wing newspaper, the Guardian, has made another revelation based on information from American turncoat, Edward Snowden – and turncoat is exactly the right word. 

Documents uncovered by the NSA whistleblower, Edward Snowden, reveal surveillance of G20 delegates' emails and BlackBerrys. Photograph: Guardian

Foreign politicians and officials who took part in two G20 summit meetings in London in 2009 had their computers monitored and their phone calls intercepted on the instructions of their British government hosts, according to documents seen by the Guardian. Some delegates were tricked into using internet cafes which had been set up by British intelligence agencies to read their email traffic.

The revelation comes as Britain prepares to host another summit on Monday – for the G8 nations, all of whom attended the 2009 meetings which were the object of the systematic spying. It is likely to lead to some tension among visiting delegates who will want the prime minister to explain whether they were targets in 2009 and whether the exercise is to be repeated this week.

The disclosure raises new questions about the boundaries of surveillance by GCHQ and its American sister organisation, the National Security Agency, whose access to phone records and internet data has been defended as necessary in the fight against terrorism and serious crime. The G20 spying appears to have been organised for the more mundane purpose of securing an advantage in meetings. Named targets include long-standing allies such as South Africa and Turkey.

COMMENT:  My question is, so what?  This goes on all the time.  It is part of regular intelligence gathering.  I'm sure the participants in the G20 summits know they're being observed, and that every effort will be made to obtain clandestine information.

Friends spy on friends.  Everyone with even a schoolchild's understanding of foreign relations knows that.

And I love the fact that the Guardian refers to South Africa and Turkey as allies.  Really?  With friends like those...

I think the publics in both America and Britain will be expressing their revulsion at the willingness of the journalistic left to do as much damage to their countries as possible.  The fact that Edward Snowden escaped to Red China tells me everything about him that I need to know.

June 17, 2013       Permalink

NOT A SCANDAL, BUT AN EMBARRASSMENT – AT 8:28 A.M. ET:  It is common for presidents to appoint major campaign contributors to ambassadorships.  What is less common is to appoint them to critical posts, where real diplomatic skill, and knowledge, are required. 

Some of President Obama's appointments show that you can take the guy out of Chicago, but you can't take Chicago politics out of the guy.  Consider:

James Costos, HBO's vp global licensing and retail, consumer marketing, and a key fundraiser for the president, has been named ambassador to Spain, the Obama administration announced Friday.

In addition to Costos, Obama nominated two other Hollywood political insiders, with more nominations from the entertainment industry expected to follow.

If confirmed by the Senate, John Emerson, the longtime Southern California DNC chief and financial executive, will be ambassador to Germany; Obama campaign finance chief and former studio exec Rufus Gifford will be America’s chief diplomat in Denmark.

"It gives me great confidence that such dedicated and capable individuals have agreed to join this administration to serve the American people," President Obama said in a release. "I look forward to working with them in the months and years to come."

The Hollywood Reporter previously reported that these three high-prestige appointments were pending, along with those of producer Colleen Bell as the potential ambassador to Belgium or Hungary, and political consultant Noah Mamet as a candidate to represent the U.S. in Argentina. Nearly $20 million was raised for President Obama's re-election in the Los Angeles area, where Hollywood fundraisers played a significant role.

COMMENT:  You'd think that, at a time of scandal, the president would be more careful, and show that he takes ambassadorial appointments seriously.  But we've noticed that Chicago-grown politicians believe in a kind of in-your-face way of doing business.  It's their way or the highway.

I recall that, in my brief stint in Chicago politics, many years ago, most of the pols never really cared about the presidency.  They were more interested in who became city clerk or State's attorney, positions that affected their political fortunes more directly.  It's hard to get rid of that mentality.  Obama isn't even trying.

June 17, 2013       Permalink

ELECTION COMING UP – AT 8:18 A.M. ET:  Massachusetts votes next week on a replacement for former Senator John Kerry, now secretary of state.   Massachusetts is one of the most Democratic states in the Union, where people would pull the Democratic lever even if Dracula were the candidate.

Republicans, behind a dynamic, young candidate, are trying to make a race of it.  From Fox:

The Senate race in Massachusetts is deadlocked heading into the final weeks – again challenging the assumption that a little-known Republican cannot win national office in such a heavily Democratic state.

Yet most polls show first-time Republican candidate and former Navy SEAL Gabriel Gomez within several percentage points of Democratic Rep. Edward Markey -- in the special election that sends voters to the polls on June 25.

Political strategists gave Republicans little chance of winning when former GOP Sen. Scott Brown decided not to run -- considering he had just lost his own reelection bid for the state’s other Senate seat. And the state GOP party was left with a field of lesser-known candidates.

However, Gomez, the former Navy SEAL, emerged successful from the primary and has continued to build name recognition beyond Boston where he works as a private equity investor.

Gomez press secretary Will Ritter said Wednesday that his candidate gained popularity and strengthened his poll numbers by relentless campaigning -- including 50 events since the April 30 primary.

COMMENT:  I'd be awfully careful about this.  The fact is that, with a week remaining, Markey (sadly) leads in all polls, although Gomez has closed some of the gap.  Gomez, a man to be watched for the future, has run a very dynamic campaign.

Special elections are the most difficult to predict because turnout is generally low.  Gomez's long-shot chances will depend almost entirely on the Republican ground game – the get-out-the-vote effort – and that game has been lacking in recent years.  However, Republican Scott Brown did win a special election, to replace the late Edward Kennedy, so there is hope.  Gomez will have to have a turnout effort that will overcome his remaining deficit in the polls, said to be in single digits.  His task in such a red state is formidable, but achievable

June 17, 2013       Permalink.

EROSION – AT 8:09 A.M. ET:  The scandals are finally starting to hurt President Obama's poll numbers bigtime.  From CNN:

President Barack Obama's approval rating dropped eight percentage points over the past month, to 45%, the president's lowest rating in more than a year and a half, according to a new national poll.

The CNN/ORC International survey released Monday morning comes as the White House has been reacting to controversies over a massive U.S. government surveillance program; the Internal Revenue Service's targeting of tea party and other conservative groups who applied for tax-exempt status; the administration's handling of last September's attack in Benghazi that left the U.S. ambassador to Libya and three other Americans dead; and the Justice Department's secret collection of journalists' phone records as part of a government investigation into classified leaks.

The poll indicates that for the first time in Obama’s presidency, half of the public says they don't believe he is honest and trustworthy. And Americans are split on the controversial National Security Agency anti-terrorism program to record metadata on U.S. phone calls, but they support the NSA program that targets records of Internet usage by people in other countries. That doesn't mean they necessarily like what is going on: Just over six in 10 believe that government is so large and powerful that it threatens the rights and freedoms of ordinary Americans.

COMMENT:  Also, please remember that the leading Democratic candidate for president in 2016, Hillary Clinton, was a key member of this administration for more than four years.  She cannot escape scrutiny over her role in some of the strange goings-on.  Already, Hillary's numbers have started to erode.

There is no polling data yet to indicate how all the juicy revelations are affecting 2014 Congressional races.  Obviously, GOP candidates will seek to link Dems to the administration's behavior...but Republicans in Congress have their own popularity problems.

June 17,  2013     Permalink