President Trumps is getting blasted for his presser with Putin.
“Naïve, Disgusting, Disgraceful. Treasonous.”
Just a minute guys…
Remember the 2012 Presidential debates?
A key moment was when President Obama ridiculed Gov. Romney’s knowledge of foreign affairs.
Given the current hysteria over Russia, the clip is a classic … try to stay calm when you.watch it
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Here’s more that’ll should make you scream …
Have to admit, I had to do a double-take when I saw this non-Trump-bashing New York Times headline:
More specifically, referring to NATO’s 2% defense spending guideline, the Times editorial read:
Now that the smoke has cleared from the NATO summit meeting, the most tangible result is apparent:
President Trump advanced President Barack Obama’s initiative to keep the allies on track to shoulder a more equitable share of NATO’s costs.
Hat tip to the Times for getting this one half-right.
Here’s the half that they didn’t get right…
A fast trip from ‘hair on fire’ to ‘whatever’
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The follow up to the Facebook story can be summarized in a couple of headlines.
The Washington Post started walking back the Trump angle:
Of course, one had to read to the bottom couple of paragraphs for the revelation of who the “more” were.
And, to boot, there’s some clear evidence of collusion.
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Loyal readers know that I’m not a big fan of Facebook.
I’m amazed by the amount of sensitive information that people post and, for most, the lack of interest (or sophistication) in protecting the privacy of that information.
So, I wasn’t surprised when yesterday’s “shocking” headlines started rolling about FB’s massive data breach.
By mid-day, the previous “no big news” climate shifted to near market hysteria
Why?
Bang … a Trump connection headlined in the NY Times:
In a nutshell, a data outfit called Cambridge Analytica “harvested” the personal information of more than 50 million Facebook users … and fed the information to Trump digital campaigners.
OK, data breaches are bad … it’s horrible to have your private info fall into the wrong hands (i.e. Trump’s)
Hmmm.
But, Trump and his supporters are all Neaderthals, right?
How did they do it … and where did they get the idea?
In the musical words of Sesame Street’s Ernie:
One Of These Things (Is Not Like The Others)
One of these things is not like the others,
One of these things just doesn’t belong,
Can you tell which thing is not like the others
By the time I finish my song?
Source: National Gallery
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There’s spin … and then there’s dizzying spin.
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I like to tune in to MSNBC to get a sense of what the far left is saying … and, for pure entertainment value.
To say the least, I was surprised that a constantly looped headline following Trump’s signing of the tax reform package was:
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I had to scratch my head: What Obama tax cut?
At first, I assumed that they might be referring to Obama’s billion-dollar stimulus program which gave a dollar-a-day Tax Credit ($400 per worker and $800 per couple) in 2009 and 2010.
Nope.
Here’s what they were talking about …
You might have missed this in the flurry on news last week…
President Trump issued an Executive Order redirecting NASA’s mission:
The directive I am signing today will refocus America’s space program on human exploration and discovery.
It marks a first step in returning American astronauts to the Moon for the first time since 1972, for long-term exploration and use.
This time, we will not only plant our flag and leave our footprints — we will establish a foundation for an eventual mission to Mars, and perhaps someday, to many worlds beyond — and bring back to Earth new knowledge and opportunities.
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I know what you must be thinking: What’s newsworthy about that … hasn’t that been NASA’s mission all along?
Nope.
President Trump’s Executive Order reverses former-President Obama’s marching orders for NASA.
In case memories have faded, let’s flashback to 2010 ….
To win Alaskan Senator Lisa Murkowski’s vote on the tax reform bill, a provision was slipped in to open part of the Artic National Wildlife Refuge. Source
Though the provision hasn’t got much coverage, I suspect that it will eventually cause an uproar.
To prep HomaFiles readers, we thought it would be a good time time to reprise a HomaFiles blast-from-the-past …
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According to Jonah Goldberg, writing in the National Review Online:
Both the New York Times and Washington Post editorial boards enthusiastically supported drilling in ANWR in the late 1980s.
The Post noted that the area “is one of the bleakest, most remote places on this continent, and there is hardly any other where drilling would have less impact on surrounding life. . . . ”
ANWR is roughly the size of South Carolina …
However, the area where, according to Department of Interior estimates, some 5.7 billion to 16 billion barrels of recoverable oil reside is much smaller and … would amount to the size of Dulles airport.
Tempted to vacation there? Keep reading …
Maybe Romney was right about more than Russia.
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A friend and I were chatting about the rash of naval accidents – 3 collisions and a ‘ran aground’.
How can that happen?
Conspiracy theorists wonder if the collisions were intentional acts of terror (remember the USS Cole bombing?) … or the result of computer hacking (military computer systems haven’t been immune from).
So far there hasn’t been any evidence of either terrorism or cyber-attacks.
Regarding the latter, there are back-up systems.
You know, sailors eyes – watching out for ships in the vicinity.
So, what the heck is going on?
He warned about military readiness, and Obama mocked him.
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Remember the 2012 Presidential debates?
Former President Obama mocked Romney for highlighting Russia as a major geo-political risk.
Governor, the 1980’s are calling.
They want their foreign policy back.
The Cold War is over!
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And, when Romney observed that our military strength had been depleted, especially with hot spots developing around the globe, Obama took him to the hoop again.
Romney said; “’Our Navy is smaller now than at any time since 1917.’
Obama quipped::
Well, Governor, we also have fewer horses and bayonets, because the nature of our military’s changed.
We have these things called aircraft carriers, where planes land on them.
We have these ships that go underwater, nuclear submarines.
And so the question is not a game of Battleship, where we’re counting ships.
The mainstream press and other Obama supporters took the opportunity to portray Romney as old-fashioned and clueless about modern warfare.
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Memo to former President Obama:
FYI: bayonets are still standard issue for marines … and all branches train recruits on hand-to-hand combat and knife wielding – a close cousin of bayonets – is a part of the training.
And, while horses aren’t a primary means of troop transport, special forces are sometimes forced to use horses to reach some of the tough terrain parts of Afghanistan.
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The bigger issue is the size of the Navy’s fleet.
Who’s right on that one: Obama or Romney?
We’ll address that in our next post.
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click to view Romney’s remarks and Obama’s mocking rebuke
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Pundits have been throwing around names of possible Comey replacements.
For example, the NY Times list includes:
Andrew G. McCabe, the acting director of the F.B.I.;
Senator John Cornyn, Republican of Texas;
Judge Michael J. Garcia of the New York State Court of Appeals and the former United States attorney for the Southern District of New York;
Alice Fisher, a former top Justice Department official who would be the first woman to run the agency.
Mike Rogers, the former chairman of the powerful House Intelligence Committee, who represented Michigan and once served as an agent in the bureau.
One person strikes me as a perfect choice … but I haven’t heard his name mentioned.
Here are his qualifications:
So, who’s my pick?
Even the mainstream media has had to acknowledge former President Obama’s infamous Syrian red line threat.
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You remember, the former President said that Syria would face grave consequences if chemical weapons were used.
When the WMDs were used, the Administration kicked into high gear with increasingly harsh teleprompter readings and and a pleas for the Russians to take charge.
Soon thereafter came the declarations of victory – bold self-praise that all chemical weapons had been destroyed or removed (to Russia, of course).
In case you’ve forgotten the chest-banging, here’s a great compilation of the self-congratulatory gobbledygook (def’n)
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Source: Washington Free Beacon
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Hmmm.
Naive, delusional, intentionally misleading?
You make the call.
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P.S. Here’s a question to ponder:
Any chance that Syria’s chemical weapons are stamped “Made in Iraq”
15 years ago there were claims that Iraq – given plenty of time while the UN dithered – had moved their stockpiles of chemical weapons to Syria.
But, the emerged narrative was that Bush lied – there never were WMDs in Iraq.
Might be time to re-think that conclusion.
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This recent brouhaha about General Flynn chatting up the Russian ambassador seems to have stoked new flames for hair-on-fire Dems.
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Let’s go back a few years.
Remember the 2012 Presidential debates?
A key moment was when President Obama ridiculed Gov. Romney’s knowledge of foreign affairs.
Given Democrats reaction to recent events, this clip is a classic … try to stay calm when you.watch it
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Here’s more that’ll make make you scream …
Wonder if the guy watched the 2012 Presidential debates when Obama mocked Romney and declared the cold war to be over …
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On the Sunday talk shows, outgoing CIA Director John Brennan had some sharp criticism and warnings for President-elect Trump.
Brennan said that Trump is a bit naive and doesn’t have a “full understanding” of Russia’s power and the threat to the world posed by Russia’s aggressive actions.
Brennan failed to mention that — up to a couple of months ago — President Obama didn’t consider Russia to be much of a threat.
I wish the shows’ anchors had asked Brennan if he remembered the 2012 Presidential debates?
A key moment was when President Obama ridiculed Gov. Romney’s knowledge of foreign affairs.
The clip is a classic … try to stay calm when you.watch it
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Here’s more that’ll should make you scream …
More precisely, I should have said “flashback” to 2008.
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Lots of attention on the alleged Russian hacking of the DNC and Clinton campaign.
Less attention on the Intelligence Community’s assessment that the RNC was hacked, too.
More surprising, there have been no references by Intelligence Agencies or the MSM to China’s hacking of the 2008 Presidential campaigns.
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So, let’s take a stroll down memory lane …
President Obama seems determined to leave office ungracefully … spending his lame duck time igniting a steam of transitional stink bombs to welcome the President-elect.
Or, as pundits like to say (when somebody other than Obama is doing it): “taking unprecedented unilateral action”.
Those who are gleefully cheering him on, should keep in mind that what goes around, comes around.
Some day, Trump may be in a lame duck period with a Dem president-elect ready to launch.
When he starts complicating life for the president-to-come, today’s cheer squad will have no legitimacy to whine.
Obama’s recent power plays reminded me of a “must read” opinion piece in the Washington Post archives.
The article was penned by left-leaning GWU law professor Jonathan Turley
Turley has long been warning that Dems may think it is clever and appropriate when Obama circumvents the Congress and courts to implement his partisan policies, but that they should be forewarned that what goes around, come around.
Specifically, he says:
Democrats have supported President Obama’s claims of unchecked authority in a variety of areas.
Obama has been particularly aggressive in his unilateral actions.
From health care to immigration to the environment, he has set out to order changes long refused by Congress.
Thrilled by those changes, supporters have ignored the obvious danger that they could be planting a deeply unfortunate precedent if the next president proves to be a Cruz or Trump rather than a Clinton.
While the policies may not carry over to the next president, the powers will.
The Obama model will be attractive to successors who, although they may have a different agenda, have the same appetite for unilateral decisions.
Here are some specifics that he cites:
According to his economists, the trillion dollar stimulus program was a bust!
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Lots of MSM headlines these days about the strong economy that Obama is handing Trump … with a strong suggestion that Trump will have a hard time matching Obama’s stellar performance as a job creator.
Really?
On the plus side, the reported unemployment rate has dropped from the financial crisis highs.
For today, we’ll push aside the facts that (a) American’s who have been economically crushed largely voted the Dems out of office; and (2) the labor force participation rate has dropped precipitously – giving the unemployment rate a faux boost.
But, let’s dig a little deeper into the numbers … using the Administration’s own analyses.
Remember the 2012 Presidential debates?
A key moment was when President Obama ridiculed Gov. Romney’s knowledge of foreign affairs.
Given the current hysteria over Russia, the clip is a classic … try to stay calm when you.watch it
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Here’s more that’ll should make you scream …
Flashback: Current POTUS skips more than half of his (while President).
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The MSM is blasting President-elect Trump for not having security briefings every day.
Keep in mind that Trump is President-elect, not President.
So, the briefings can be a learning experience, but there’s nothing actionable that he can do until January 20.
Putting that fact aside …
Flashback to a study done by Government Accountability Institute re: Obama’s briefing practices.
At the time, security folks were concerned that Obama was frequently skipping his Presidential Daily Briefings (PDBs).
Here’s what the GAI found …
What goes around, comes around.
Here’s what we posted March 8, 2016:
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There was a “must read” opinion piece in the Washington Post .
The article was penned by left-leaning GWU law professor Jonathan Turley
Turley has long been warning that Dems may think it is clever and appropriate when Obama circumvents the Congress and courts to implement his partisan policies, but that they should be forewarned that what goes around, come around.
Specifically, he says:
Democrats have supported President Obama’s claims of unchecked authority in a variety of areas.
Obama has been particularly aggressive in his unilateral actions.
From health care to immigration to the environment, he has set out to order changes long refused by Congress.
Thrilled by those changes, supporters have ignored the obvious danger that they could be planting a deeply unfortunate precedent if the next president proves to be a Cruz rather than a Clinton.
While the policies may not carry over to the next president, the powers will.
The Obama model will be attractive to successors who, although they may have a different agenda, have the same appetite for unilateral decisions.
Here are some specifics that he cites:
Slot this one in the ‘you can’t make this stuff up” file.
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I don’t really give a hoot about the legalization of marijuana one way or another.
But, I love ironic twists, so …
Story #1
According to NPR:
“The Obama administration has denied a bid by two Democratic governors to reconsider how it treats marijuana under federal drug control laws, keeping the drug for now, at least, in the most restrictive category for U.S. law enforcement purposes.”
“So, under federal law, marijuana remains a Schedule 1 controlled substance, which means it’s considered to have “no currently accepted medical use” and a “high potential for abuse.”
OK, so far so good.
Now, let’s advance the story …
The Brussels terrorists’ attacks were were an immense tragedy … to be taken seriously.
You wouldn’t know it, given some of the past week’s noteworthy dumb & dumber happenings.
Let’s start with the UK’s response to the bombings.
Did the Brits make any notable raids to crack the terrorists’ network of killer cells.
Nope, instead of going for the jugular, UK authorities went for the capillaries and arrested some dude for for making an inappropriate, potentially anti-Islamic tweet:
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The charges were eventually dropped, but please tell me, how does law enforcement prioritize chasing insensitive tweeters over cold-blooded killers?
Maybe it has to do with the UK police patrolling with 1 bullet less than Barney Fife.
Tweeters are probably “safe stops” … cold-blooded killers, not so easy.
Or, maybe the world is just going completely wacky. A couple of more examples …
Now that it looks like Trump will be the GOP candidate. it’s time to reprise a “must read” opinion piece that appeared in the Washington Post a couple of months ago.
The article was penned by left-leaning GWU law professor Jonathan Turley
Turley has long been warning that Dems may think it is clever and appropriate when Obama circumvents the Congress and courts to implement his partisan policies, that they should be forewarned that what goes around, come around.
Specifically, he says:
Democrats have supported President Obama’s claims of unchecked authority in a variety of areas.
Obama has been particularly aggressive in his unilateral actions.
From health care to immigration to the environment, he has set out to order changes long refused by Congress.
Thrilled by those changes, supporters have ignored the obvious danger that they could be planting a deeply unfortunate precedent if the next president proves to be a Cruz rather than a Clinton.
While the policies may not carry over to the next president, the powers will.
The Obama model will be attractive to successors who, although they may have a different agenda, have the same appetite for unilateral decisions.
Here are some specifics that he cites:
I’m a political junkie, and even I got bored during the debate last night …
Yesterday, Romney (who I still think would have made a great President), Rubio (a smart policy wonk who looks like a Latino Doogie Howswer and will never shake the ‘Gang of 8’ goo off of his shoe), Cruz (who holds deep conservative principles that include cheating to win) took their best shots at Trump and the Donald swatted them all back at them in short order.
Bottom line: Nobody cares that Trump is shallow on policy, used Trump U. to swindle some folks, sprinkled money to practically all politicians as a cost of business, or is ambivalent about Planned Parenthood.
After years of watching Obama get pushed around by loose-cannon world leaders and ISIS, many Americans just want a President who will “man-up”. Out-bully the bullies who are taking our lunch money …
That’s the Donald.
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During the debate, I was reminded of a poll taken a couple of years ago.
The question: Who is the stronger leader: Putin or Obama ?
YouGov polled Americans on that very question. asking folks to to rate Obama and Putin – whether they are strong or weak leaders.
How would you have rated each of them: very strong, somewhat strong, somewhat weak, or very weak?
And the survey said …
A couple of weeks, we posted: Why does he persist in calling it “ISIL”?
The central observation was that EVERYBODY else (including the Washington Post and New York Times) called the terrorist group ISIS, but Obama continued to use the more arcane term ISIL
According to Wiki :
“The usage of the term “Levant” has been relegated to academia in the fields of archeology and literature, but there is a recent attempt to reclaim the notion of the Levant as a category of analysis in political and social sciences.”
For a detailed explanation of the nuanced differences, see ISIS, ISIL,Islamic State, etc.
We asked “Why?” … and hypothesized that the President was playing a card right out of the “Power Personna” playbook.
Rule #3: Establish superiority through language, e.g.
“I’m way smarter than you are, so I’ll call it ISIL (especially since you don’t call it that and you’re stupid)”
Well, well, well …
At his press conference last Friday, President Obama finally broke down and called the terrorist group ISIS.
Hmmm
Let’s recount the bidding ….
The HomaFiles takes the President to task for using arcane academic language to appear superior to the masses.
Days later, the self-proclaimed ‘gifted’ orator changes course and starts talking like all of rest of us folks … blurting out the phrase ISIS.
Coincidence?
What’s next “Radical Islamic Terrorists”?
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#HomaFiles
Follow on Twitter @KenHoma >> Latest Posts
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There was a “must read” opinion piece in the Washington Post last weekend.
The article was penned by left-leaning GWU law professor Jonathan Turley
Turley has long been warning that Dems may think it is clever and appropriate when Obama circumvents the Congress and courts to implement his partisan policies, that they should be forewarned that what goes around, come around.
Specifically, he says:
Democrats have supported President Obama’s claims of unchecked authority in a variety of areas.
Obama has been particularly aggressive in his unilateral actions.
From health care to immigration to the environment, he has set out to order changes long refused by Congress.
Thrilled by those changes, supporters have ignored the obvious danger that they could be planting a deeply unfortunate precedent if the next president proves to be a Cruz rather than a Clinton.
While the policies may not carry over to the next president, the powers will.
The Obama model will be attractive to successors who, although they may have a different agenda, have the same appetite for unilateral decisions.
Here are some specifics that he cites:
I got a few questions and comments after the post earlier this week asking about President Obama:
Once again, let’s answer the question: what’s the difference among all those names?
OK, I know that “Levant” refers to a broader area than Iraq and Syria.
My point: if you’re trying to communicate clearly, it usually helps to speak in the jargon of the listeners.
Even, media shills refer to the terrorists as ISIS … and, they even do it to help readers — translating what Obama means when he says “ISIL”.
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To get a bit more technical, Wiki says:
“The usage of the term “Levant” has been relegated to academia in the fields of archeology and literature, but there is a recent attempt to reclaim the notion of the Levant as a category of analysis in political and social sciences.”
Hmm.
An arcane academic usage … being reclaimed by politicos.
But, for what reason?
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:
In other words, a jihadist is a radical Islamic terrorist, you knucklehead.
And, it doesn’t end there.
During last Friday’s press conference, President Obama criticized opponents to his policies as having “half-baked ideas” and speaking “mumbo jumbo” … and, he said that Congress should tighten gun control laws because “the polling says the majority of Americans understand we should be changing these laws “ and “Congress should act on behalf of the majority” Source
Yesterday, we commented on the majority rule part of the teaching moment …. pointing out that “acting on behalf of the majority” didn’t seem to be important for ObamaCare or the Iran Deal.
Perhaps the President has had a change of heart re: the will of the majority.
Or he, himself, may be spewing some mumbo jumbo.
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Today, let’s dig a little deeper on the basic premise behind his call for action on stricter gun laws: a majority of Americans favor such a move.
With Russia now propping up the Assad regime, “requesting” that the U.S. pull all troops and planes from Syria, and clearly establishing its sway in in the Middle East, I think a flashback is in order.
Remember the 2012 Presidential debates?
A key moment was when President Obama ridiculed Gov. Romney’s knowledge of foreign affairs.
Given recent events in the Ukraine, the clip is a classic … try to stay calm when you.watch it
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Here’s more that’ll make make you scream …
The Obama-friendly MSM has been trying its best to hype the deal as the most consequential foreign policy act in history … or at least the past hundred years.
Republicans and Israelis are ranting doom and gloom. The former largely for political reasons; the latter with legitimate concerns that they’re toast.
So, I’ve been feeling a bit guilty that I can’t get revved up on the issue
Thought Obama’s press conference yesterday might get me interested.
For what it’s worth, here’s my take …
This was a big week: Easter, NCAA Finals, and baseball’s opening day ….
Let’s play off those events and flashback for some yucks.
First, W and O throwing out opening day pitches.
One of them throws a strike, one of them doesn’t.
Guess …
OK, I know what you’re thinking: “He’s just picking on Obama. Everybody knows that hoops is his game”.
Hmmm.
Remember the Easter eggs festivities at the Whitehouse in 2013?
The shooting of 2 cops in Ferguson Wednesday night prompts the question again.
Below is a post from last December when the 2 NYC cops were shot dead.
At the time, some dismissed the assassinations as just the random act of a “crazy guy.”
Is this another “crazy guy” to be shrugged off?
Looks to me like the Ferguson cops were shot because somebody hated them
Why hasn’t Holder airlifted the FBI to hunt down the perps?
Here’s the original post …
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Today, we’ll be serious, not sarcastic.
As everybody should know by now …
“Without provocation, an attacker ambushed and killed officers Wenjian Liu and Rafael Ramos while they sat in their marked patrol car in the Bedford-Stuyvesant Area of Brooklyn … ‘They were quite simply assassinated, targeted for their uniform,’ Police Commissioner William Bratton said at a news conference.”
Earlier in the day, the killer posted a photo of a silver handgun and a message on Instagram in which he talked about killing police officers “in retaliation for the deaths of Garner and Brown.”
Let’s think about that for a moment …
Since President Obama has returned ANWR to the front-burner, we thought it would be time to reprise a HomaFiles balst-from-the-past …
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According to Jonah Goldberg, writing in the National Review Online:
Both the New York Times and Washington Post editorial boards enthusiastically supported drilling in ANWR in the late 1980s.
The Post noted that the area “is one of the bleakest, most remote places on this continent, and there is hardly any other where drilling would have less impact on surrounding life. . . . ”
ANWR is roughly the size of South Carolina …
However, the area where, according to Department of Interior estimates, some 5.7 billion to 16 billion barrels of recoverable oil reside is much smaller and … would amount to the size of Dulles airport.
Tempted to vacation there? Keep reading …
Today, we’ll be serious, not sarcastic.
As everybody should know by now …
“Without provocation, an attacker ambushed and killed officers Wenjian Liu and Rafael Ramos while they sat in their marked patrol car in the Bedford-Stuyvesant Area of Brooklyn … ‘They were quite simply assassinated, targeted for their uniform,’ Police Commissioner William Bratton said at a news conference.”
Earlier in the day, the killer posted a photo of a silver handgun and a message on Instagram in which he talked about killing police officers “in retaliation for the deaths of Garner and Brown.”
Let’s think about that for a moment …
The United States Elections Project estimates that only 36.6% of eligible voters cast a ballot on Tuesday.
That’s pretty ironic since the Dems were, before the election, boasting about their predictive analytics and their unstoppable get-out-the-vote organization.
I haven’t been hearing much on the news about the GOTV machine that failed to get-out-the-vote.
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So, what happened? Here are a couple of hypotheses to ponder (more…)
Last week, the NY Times took aim at the Obama-deniers – the Dem Senatorial candidates who wont even admit that they voted for the guy (even though they voted with the guy over 90% of the time).
Specifically, the Times blasted:
But one of the reasons for his unpopularity is that nervous members of his own party have done a poor job of defending his policies over the nearly six years of his presidency, allowing a Republican narrative of failure to take hold.
Few voters know that the 2009 stimulus bill contributed heavily to the nation’s economic recovery, saving and creating 2.5 million jobs.
I can nit pick that it should be “recovered” not created … and I could point out that full-time jobs are being replaced with part-time jobs … and I could pile on by mentioning that most of the jobs are in the low pay hospitality and retail industries.
But, I won’t do that, because I want to make another point.
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Let’s flashback to the Obama Stimulus …
Excerpted from USA Today …
Studies also have shown that voters don’t always remember accurately just who it was they backed before.
Why?
“Voters who defect from their party … are more likely to ‘forget’ this over time and to report a vote more consistent with their current party identification”
“Reports of past vote also correlate with current preferences.”
That’s to say, if the candidate gets elected and disappoints, some voters revise history and claim that they never voted for the bum.
A recent USA TODAY/Suffolk University poll in a half-dozen states with key Senate races underscore the point.
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Here’s what’s going on …
Last week President Obama another shout-diss to FoxNews as the reason that roughly half of the country’s 300 million population think that he’s not doing such a great job.
Hmmm.
Let’s think about that.
Qualitatively speaking, , no disputing that Fox leans right and pounce’s on the Administration’s frequent miscues.
Quantitatively speaking, the President’s concern seems unfounded.
Fox boasts – with merit – that it outdraws left-leaning CNN and MSNBC combined.
That’s true.
And, top dog O’Reilly draws almost 3.5 million viewers … more than 4 times what best competitor Rachel Maddow draws.
But, that’s only part of the story …
Let’s put a couple of pieces together.
On 60 minutes, the President blamed the Intelligence Agencies – specifically, Director of National Intelligence James Clapper — for failing to detect the rise of ISIS (or, ISIL, if you prefer).
Squealing sources in the intelligence agencies have leaked that the President’s Daily (Security) Briefs PDBs have contained detailed threat warnings about the Islamic State dating back to before the 2012 presidential election.
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So, what’s going on?
In his speech this week, President Obama said:
Last month, I ordered our military to take targeted action against ISIL to stop its advances. Since then, we have conducted more than 150 successful airstrikes in Iraq.
He made it sound like a big deal … and built on the point, saying that the air strikes would continue across a wider target area. Possibly extending into Syria.
Picture from NATO web site
Of course, the comment got me thinking … are 150 airstrikes a lot or a little?
Works out to about 5 missions per day … which doesn’t strike me as up there with shock & awe.
But, I wanted to put 5-a-day in context and got some counsel from a friend…
A couple of day-after–the-speech thoughts…
First, some props for the President.
On the style front, I’ was glad that he was eyes forward last night. As loyal readers know, for prior talks to we0the-people, I asked Why didn’t he look us in the eyes? Apparently he reads HomaFiles and changed course.
But, the speech left me scratching my head ….
This may seem petty, but it has been gnawing at me …
Last Thursday, President Obama announced to the nation that he had authorized airstrikes in Iraq.
His rationale: act against an act of genocide and protect Americans stationed in Iraq.
I’m ok with the reasons and the actions.
This isn’t a political observation.
Here’s what’s been bothering me ….
First, a definition lifted from Wiki:
Buyer’s remorse is the sense of regret after having made a purchase. It is frequently associated with the purchase of a big ticket item such as a car or house.
It may stem from fear of making the wrong choice, guilt over extravagance, or a suspicion of having been overly influenced by the seller.
Buyer’s remorse is thought to stem from the post-decision cognitive dissonance that arises when a person makes a difficult decision.
Factors that affect buyer’s remorse include resources invested, the involvement of the purchaser, whether the purchase is compatible with the purchaser’s goals, and what positive or negative evidence the purchaser encounters post-purchase that confirms or denies the purchase as a good idea.
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Bet you can guess where this one is going.
Remember the 2012 election when Obama squared off against Romney?
Obama won the election with 51% of the popular vote.
My, how things have changed.
Recent Pew Poll …
Slim majority of folks agree that President Obama “cares about people like me”.
There are still believes: 51-49 on “trustworthiness”
But, less than half agree that he’s a “strong leader” who is “able to get things done”.
Source: Pew
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Poll didn’t ask”faithfully executes laws” or “able to raise big money for political campaigns”
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According to Business Week…
There was a growth spurt in bowling alleys after World War II. The U.S. added 2,000 bowling alleys between the end of World War II and 1958.
In 1958, the American Society of Planning Officials reported that “the bowling alley is fast becoming one of the most important—if not the most important—local center of participant sport and recreation.”
But, the bowling craze peaked and started to fade as folks found other ways to spend their spare time.
The U.S. had 4,061 bowling centers in 2012, down 25 percent from a high water mark in 1998.
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To counter the downward trend, bowling alleys are rebranding themselves as “bowling centers”, spiffing up the facilities, and adding ancillary entertainment (e.g. rock music, gaming arcades).
Following the industry lead, “the exclusive bowling lanes reserved for White House employees and their guests are getting an upgrade.” (more…)
A recent Gallup poll reports that 72% of Muslims approve of the job that President Obama is doing.
78% of Mormons dis-approve …
More generally, the President is under-water with Christians … above water with non-Christians and atheists … and still has Jewish support.
Hmmm.
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Last week, one the Administration’s talking points was “not to worry, the 5 Taliban leaders being released won’t be allowed back in Afghanistan for a year … and by then practically all troops will be out of the country … so the odds of Americans being killed are relatively low.”
Are you kidding me?
In a prior post, I posed a simple over-under bet: Do you think that the number of Americans who will be killed — either directly or indirectly – by the Taliban-5 will be under 1 or over 1?
I’m taking the over and haven’t gotten many takers for the under.
Today, let’s connect a couple of dots and personalize the situation…
Don’t worry, I’m not going deeply philosophical on you … I’m just going to pose a simple wager.
Last week, one the Administration’s talking points was “not to worry, the 5 Taliban leaders being released won’t be allowed back in Afghanistan for a year … and by then practically all troops will be out of the country … so the odds of Americans being killed are relatively low.”
Are you kidding me?
Let’s reduce this argument to a simple bet …
