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2016: Revenge of the unintelligensia?

July 20, 2016

Will “uneducated” voters determine the 2016 Presidential election?

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The most recent Washington Post poll – showing Hillary leading Donald by a couple of points — provides some very interesting drill down data … it’s worth some browsing time.

Buried in the numbers is some interesting data…..

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MSM headlines frequently stereotype Trump’s supporters as non-college degreed whites … and often, the label is shorthanded as a more pejorative “uneducated”, i.e. mind-numbed dummies.

According to the WaPo poll, it’s true that Trump is favored by “white non-college” almost 2-to-1 … 60% to 33%

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No surprise there …

But, here are some findings that did surprise me a bit since they never gets spotlighted in the mainstream media…

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Posted in 2016 Presidential Election, Clinton, Hillary, Polls & Surveys, Trump, Donald | Leave a Comment »

Smoking Gun: Have you read the Benghazi Report?

July 14, 2016

Apparently the FBI didn’t since the Benghazi Report provides a detailed case-relevant linkage to the damage sowed by Clinton’s email “carelessness”.

In previous posts, I concluded that Comey ruled illogically because he didn’t want to tilt a potentially historic election.

For months, left-leaners were crying “foul” … asserting that the DOJ shouldn’t get involved in cases involving high profile candidates in election years … especially if the charges are as trivial as carelessly giving our enemies a backdoor into our nation’s top secret information.

What if that classified information led to the death of an American ambassador and 3 members of his “off-the-books” security detail?

Still just trivial oversight?

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Just in case you haven’t had a chance to read the Benghazi Report …

Neither the left- nor right-leaning media echo chambers seem to have landed on what, in my opinion, may be the case study that best demonstrates why Hillary Clinton’s email “carelessness” was a big deal … a life or death situation.

Note to left-leaning readers: This post will be more balanced than you might expect.

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I’ll provide some details and  links below …. for now, the bottom line:

Though Clinton was hawkish on US involvement in Libya (to oust Gadaffi), she lost the argument and was relegated to implementing Obama’s “lead from behind” and “no boots on the ground” policies.

Accordingly, the State Department under-protected the diplomats (e.g. Ambassador Stevens) who were tasked to “connect” with the anti-Gadaffi rebels.

Said differently, the Presidential Policy disallowed any overt military security for the diplomats … i.e. no marines deployed before or during the attack.

My take: Clinton – who I hold in very low regard – was just implementing the Administration’s “no boots” policy.

She argued the contrary to Obama, but lost the argument … she could have resigned, but that would have been politically inopportune for the Dems in the run-up to the 2012 election.  Instead, she dutifully implemented.

Following the attack, Clinton tried to provide air cover for her boss, pitching the fraudulent video defense ad nauseam.

Of course, politicos lying to the American public isn’t exactly new news…

So, again, I’ll give her a pass for being a good team player.

Here’s where things go off-track for Clinton.

According to the Benghazi Report …

There were numerous emails on her home-brew email system that spoke explicitly to the lack of military security for the diplomats and provided details re: the diplomats travel schedules – when and where the diplomats would be, and how little protection they’d have.

Any reasonable person would consider those nuggets to be classified information … even if they weren’t “marked classified at the time that I sent or received them”.

Assuming that the non-secure email system was compromised (a fair assumption, I think) … then the diplomats were sitting ducks.

But,  there wasn’t any direct evidence uncovered that Hillary intended to make them sitting ducks … so, harm, but no foul, right?

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Here’s some detail from the Benghazi Report that’s worth reading for “texture” and context….

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Do Americans agree with Comey’s decision?

July 12, 2016

Short answer: A majority disagree with Comey’s decision  not to indict Secretary Clinton.

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Two recent polls queried  public opinion on Comey’s decision to let Hillary off the hook.

The right-leaning Rasmussen Reportl headlined:

“Most voters disagree with FBI Director James Comey’s decision not to seek a criminal indictment of Hillary Clinton.”

Specifically, 54% of likely U.S. voters disagree with the FBI’s decision and believe that the FBI should have sought a criminal indictment of Clinton … 27% agree with Comey and 10%) are undecided.

Said differently, 2/3’s of the people with an opinion disagreed.

The Rasmussen results are consistent with those of the left-leaning Washington Post / ABC poll which put the split at 56% disagree to 35% agree.

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Digging deeper, the details – “internals” in research jargon – are directionally predictable, but interesting…

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Posted in Clinton, Hillary, Comey, James, Polls & Surveys | Leave a Comment »

Friendly fire: Team Hillary blasts Comey.

July 11, 2016

Comey probably expected to be attacked from the right for his illogical decision – amassing a pile of evidence that he then summarily dismissed by parsing words (“extremely careless” vs. “gross negligence”), inserting criminal intent as a criteria (apparently never hearing of, say, negligent homicide) and channeling George Castanza: “Perjury? Is that wrong?”

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But, since he slipped Hillary a stay-out-of-jail-free card, I doubt that he was expecting to be attacked from the left.

Silly boy.

Quickly, Team Hillary moved from defense to offense …

 

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First, the Washington Post ran an op-ed by Matthew Miller – a former director of DOJ’s public affairs office under Eric Holder.

Title of the piece was James Comey’s abuse of power.

I was expecting the guy to point out that Comey should have simply presented the evidence and let the prosecutors do the prosecuting.

Wrong.

Miller’s central premise was that Comey – since he let Hillary off the hook – had no right to present a litany of  half-baked circumstantial evidence.

How would you feel if you were innocent of any wrong-doing and a sloppy, indiscriminate fact-finder started airing your inconsequential dirty laundry.

Shame on you, Mr. Comey.

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Piling on, Team Hillary started reprising their original talking points.

Facts be damned, there were no emails that were specifically marked classified at the time that they were sent or received.

Don’t throw arcane classification symbols at us, Mr. Comey … show us the word “classified” on the documents.

No reasonable person would expect the Secretary of State to know all of the classification symbols.

And, disregard that document she signed saying that she understood the law re: handling classified material … and the legal consequences.

She had to sign so many things that she couldn’t possibly read them all.  Get serious, Mr. Comey.

Say, what?

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Finally, when Wolf Blitzer – CNN’s journalistic attack dog (<= sarcasm)– sheepishly asked Hillary about Comey’s ruling, she asserted: Mr. Comey made many assertions that are based on solely on supposition.

“My record as Secretary of State demonstrates that protected classified information and the security of the country”.

English translation: There is no direct evidence that any of the information from my emails is in the hands of enemy agents. You said yourself, Mr. FBI Director.

So, Mr. Comey, prove it … or STFU.

Ouch.

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Comey probably didn’t expect that the proverbial dog would eat the hand that fed it the stay-out-of-jail card.

But, it did.

Comey tried to give everybody half-a-loaf.

He may have ndicted Hillary  politically by airing her carelessness and lies, but he let her off the legal hook.

As the saying goes, he might have been “too clever by half”… and simply angered both sides.

Comey said that his 2 life priorities are his family and his reputation.

Now, he might want to just focus on his family …

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#HomaFiles

Follow on Twitter @KenHoma            >> Latest Posts

Posted in 2016 Presidential Election, Clinton, Hillary, Comey, James | Leave a Comment »

Is Hillary a woman of destiny?

July 9, 2016

First, let’s establish a basic point:

The killing of 5 police officers in Dallas is a horrific tragedy to their families, to the city and to the country,

The massacre may go down as a defining moment in American history.

Time will tell/

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That said, can you imagine the likely bipolar reaction at Hillary’s campaign headquarters?

One one hand, I’m sure that they shared the heartfelt shock and grief that most Americans felt.

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On the other hand …

Can you imagine the sigh of relief when there was nary a word about the Comey hearings on the news yesterday?

Nothing yesterday … probably won’t be anything today or tomorrow or the next day or the day after that.

A tragedy of monumental proportions has shifted the spotlight off of Hillary at a very opportune time.

I’ll skip the obvious tasteless cliche and just say:

For better or worse, maybe Hillary is a woman of destiny.

Think about it …

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#HomaFiles

Follow on Twitter @KenHoma            >> Latest Posts

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Posted in 2016 Presidential Election, Clinton, Hillary, Comey, James | Leave a Comment »

Comey’s Testimony: Cutting to the chase ….

July 8, 2016

I watched the bulk of the Comey hearings yesterday.

First, I commend the Comey for showing up, for his 5-hour mental-physical stamina, for his recall of specifics and, with a couple of exceptions, his apparent forthrightness.

Second, too bad that Chaffetz and Gowdy couldn’t have all the GOP time for questions. They provided the most revealing moments.

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Specifically, here are my takeaways.

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Posted in Clinton, Hillary, Comey, James | 1 Comment »

I was wrong, very wrong … but somebody had it right.

July 7, 2016

A very loyal reader sent me an email reminding me of a post from last December when the GOP Presidential primary race was heating up.

My nomination for President … experience, integrity, leadership.

Who was my pick?

You guessed it: James Comey.

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Among Comey’s  qualities that I lauded were:

· High Integrity: Consistently praised by both ends of the political spectrum — not for being bi-partisan, but for being non-partisan

· Apolitical: He’s clearly “in the game” for the right reasons – to serve the country and its people.

· Independent: Earned enough FU-money in his real world jobs that he can’t be bought or swayed.

I thought that I was on safe ground since I had even fact-checked with somebody very, very close to Comey who assured me that the Director was the real deal.

Ouch.

I got it wrong … but somebody had the guy pegged right all along.

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Posted in Clinton, Hillary, Comey, James, WSJ | Leave a Comment »

Why did Comey choke on the biggest decision of his career?

July 6, 2016

Short answer: He didn’t have the stones to make a historic decision.

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Image from The Drudge Report

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A weird turn of events put Comey under a particularly bright spotlight.

Before the events of the past week, the way I expected things to work out:

  1. Comey reads the 1st 14 minutes of his his speech laying out the body of evidence, concluding with a recommendation to indict.
  2. AG Lynch immediately puts the kabosh on the recommendation, refusing to indict.
  3. Or, AG Lynch green lights an indictment and President Obama quickly steps in to pardon Hillary “for the good of the country”.
  4. Hillary continues her campaign to become the first woman president.

Comey would have drawn the correct legal opinion based on the evidence, but the course of history wouldn’t have changed.

But, things didn’t work out that way, and Comey found himself in a much brighter spotlight … and, when the story ends, it won’t be pretty for Comey

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Posted in Clinton, Hillary, Comey, James | 1 Comment »

AG Lynch: “Depends on what the meaning of the word ‘is’ is …”

July 5, 2016

A lesson in word parsification.

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OK, AG Lynch didn’t parse the word “is” … Bill Clinton did.

And, he didn’t parse it during his private plane chat with AG Loretta Lynch.

After all,  she said that their conversation was “primarily about grandchildren and golf.”

Hmmm.

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Today’s lesson is on how to say nothing by parsing your words ….

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Posted in 2016 Presidential Election, Clinton, Bill, Clinton, Hillary, Lynch, AG Loretta, Parsing words - parsification | 1 Comment »

Remember the Russian “reset” button?

June 3, 2016

Yesterday, Secretary Clinton delivered a major foreign policy speech.

Of course, it prompted flashbacks of the infamous Russian Reset …

Back in March 2009, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton presented Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov with a small green box with a ribbon.

Inside was a red button with the Russian word “peregruzka” printed on it.

Clinton offered that pushing it would “reset our relationship” … ostensibly, for the better.

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So, how did that all work out?

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Posted in Clinton, Hillary, Reset button, Russia | 1 Comment »

Why Hillary won’t pick Warren for V.P.

May 26, 2016

Elizabeth Warren went on the warpath yesterday against Donald Trump …

“In a speech at the Center for Popular Democracy’s annual gala, the progressive stalwart took aim at Trump’s business record and populist rhetoric during a 10-minute invective.” CNN

Warren prompted pundits to elevate the prospects of a Clinton-Warren ticket.

Add some charisma and excitement to the ticket. Check!

Successful audition as an attack dog against the other party’s Presidential candidate. Check!

Lasso in some (most? all?) of Bernie’s supporters. Check!

Create a dramatic, historical all-female ticket. Check!

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All good reasons why to do it.

But, there are also reasons against Hillary picking Warren …

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Dilbert asks: “Who wants a dangerous man in the White House?”

May 16, 2016

Well, not actually Dilbert … rather Dilbert’s author Scott Adams.

On his Dilbert blog, Adams took aim at the current Presidential campaign …

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First, Hillary’s constant refrain that we can’t have a loose cannon in the White House.

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Adam’s observation on “Dangerous Trump”:

Trump’s opponents have started making the case that he is “a loose cannon” … a “dangerous man”

You know who likes dangerous men?

Answer: Everyone.

Seal Team Six is dangerous. George Washington was dangerous. Abraham Lincoln was dangerous. Women like dangerous men. Men want to be dangerous men.

“Dangerous” borders on being a compliment. When you need to thwart some enemies – such as a useless Congress, or ISIS – you want to send in your most dangerous fighter.

 

From other commentators:

(1)  “Every other country with nukes has a wacko with his finger on the button.  Why shouldn’t the U.S. — just to keep things even”.

(2) “Girls like bad boys, right?  Maybe this will fix Trump’s polling with women.”

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Here are a couple more of Adam’s quips …

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Posted in Adams, Scott, Clinton, Hillary, Dilbert, Trump, Donald | 1 Comment »

Somebody, please explain Hillary’s firewall to me …

February 24, 2016

OK, Hillary has a firewall against the Bern in South Carolina because of that state’s Black & Hispanic populations.

Her popularity with Blacks is part historical for Democrats, part a residual from Bill Clinton and part from President Obama’s 90% approval rating among Blacks:

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Source: Gallup

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I get that.

And, I hear Hillary & Bernie ranting about income inequality, implying that it’s all the Republican’s fault.

They seem to be forgetting that President Obama has been riding herd on the economy for 7-1/2 years.

Yes, he inherited the “worst recession since the Depression”, but look what has happened since the recession ended.

Median household income for Whites has pretty much leveled out.

But, median household income for Blacks has continued to fall off.

In fact, the median household income gap between Blacks & Whites has widened since the end of the recession under President Obama’s watch.

 

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Source: CNBC

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So tell me, why the sky-high approval rating and Hillary’s firewall?

I must be missing something.

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#HomaFiles

Follow on Twitter @KenHoma            >> Latest Posts

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Posted in Clinton, Hillary, Income Inequality, Obama Administration | Leave a Comment »

A couple of post-New Hampshire snapshots…

February 11, 2016

Cruz, Bush & Rubio were only separated by about 1 percentage point and each of the 3 walked away with the same number of delegates.

Kamikaze Christie trailed Rubio by more than 3 percentage points and headed back to NJ with no delegates …

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Bernie Sanders shot some hoops before his victory speech.

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Whatever Bernie eats, I want some.

That dude has stamina ….

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And, a couple of pics that sum up the final election ….

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Posted in 2016 Campaign, Clinton, Hillary, Trump, Donald | 1 Comment »

Hillary gets shlonged (again) …

February 10, 2016

Talk about about a smackdown …

Clinton camp was hoping to keep the margin within single-digits … didn’t happen.

New Hampshire voters were feelin’ the Bern, for sure.

Ranting more credibly against Wall Street’s 1-percenters and offering even more stuff for free than Hillary, Sanders coasted.

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Here are a couple of voting details that caught my eye …

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Women & children, widows & orphans … a week of mumbo jumbo.

November 20, 2015

We’re all used to politicians and government officials saying dumb stuff, but still, this week stands out, doesn’t it?

First, President Obama declares confidently he has ISIS contained.

A few hours later, ISIS radicals kill 129 innocent people in Paris.

Contained?

Contained where? To the face of the earth?

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Then, to show sympathy to the French, he declares the murderers’ rampage to be a “minor setback” in the non-war on terror.

Minor setback?

Tell that to the families of the 129.

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When asked about the Paris massacres, Hillary refused to even call the perps “radical Islamic terrorists”, for fear that their feeling might get hurt.

Say, what?

Then she declared that “we’re not at war with Islam, we’re fighting jihadists, not radical Islamic terrorists”.

Memo to Mrs. Clinton from Merriam-Webster:

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In other words, a jihadist is a radical Islamic terrorist, you knucklehead.

And, it doesn’t end there.

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Posted in Clinton, Hillary, Kerry, John, Mumbo jumbo, Obama | Leave a Comment »

Clinton Testimony: Let’s sum it up …

October 23, 2015

Glutton for punishment, I watched a  lot of the Clinton testimony yesterday … or, at least had it on in background when I was working.

For what it’s worth, here are my takeaways ….

In general, Clinton was well-prepared, had plausible cover stories and maintained a disciplined demeanor.

For anybody who watched a couple of hours of the testimony (and wasn’t very informed about the issues), she put on a winning performance.

Attorneys would label her a “good witness”.

 

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But, there were a couple of red flags in the testimony …

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