Archive for the ‘Trump, President Donald J.’ Category
June 1, 2022
Here’s a handy de-coding chart for you…
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Team Biden is stumping hard this week to “message” that Joe’s economic plan is working splendidly …. and that any perceptions of a bad economy are simply that: “perceptions”.
About those “perceptions”…
Biden has a 35.5% approval rating on handling the economy in the RealClearPolitics average because:
(a) Ordinary families are feeling the pain first-hand and they “believe their lyin’ eyes” every time that they pass a gas station price sign or (try to) shop at a grocery store.
(b) Everybody knows deep down that jobs have returned because pandemic shutdowns are ending, not because of anything constructive that Biden has done.
Let’s dive down on that second point: new job creation.
Below is the Fed chart of total non-farm employment going back to the start of the Trump administration … with a couple of defining milestones.
click chart to enlarge
(A) Employment was 143.2 million when Trump took office.
(B) Prior to the Covid lockdowns, total employment reached 152.5 million … an increase of 9.3 million
(C) The Covid lockdown sidelined 22 million workers … employment dropped to 130.5 million
(D) In the final year of the Trump administration, about 12 million jobs were regained … pushing employment back up to 142.5 million (which was 700k lower than when Trump took office)
(E) Currently — after a about a year of Biden — employment is at 151.3 million … up 8.8 million since his inauguration … but still 1.2 million lower than the pre-Covid level
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My take
(1) Seems reasonable to credit Trump with about 9 million jobs created during the “normal” period preceding the Covid pandemic.
(2) Less reasonable to tag Trump with “causing” the destruction of 22 million jobs during the Covid pandemic … true, he OK’ed the lockdowns … but, it’s reasonable to argue that the job losses were transitory, i.e. regainable once the pandemic passed.
(3) To that last point, during Trump’s last year, about 12 million of the Covid-related job losses were regained (i.e. not “created”)
(4) Since Biden’s inauguration, another 8.8 million jobs were regained from the Covid drop … pushing employment up to 151.3 million … still more than 1 million shy of the the nation’s pre-Covid employment level.
So, is Biden — as he claims — the greatest job creation president ever?
Those are the numbers … draw your own conclusion.
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May 12, 2022
Here’s a handy de-coding chart for you…
==============
Below is the Fed chart of total non-farm employment going back to the start of the Trump administration … with a couple of defining milestones.
click chart to enlarge
(A) Employment was 143.2 million when Trump took office.
(B) Prior to the Covid lockdowns, total employment reached 152.5 million … an increase of 9.3 million
(C) The Covid lockdown cut employment by 22 million … down to 130.5 million
(D) In the final year of the Trump administration, about 12 million jobs were regained … pushing employment back up to 142.5 million (which was 700k lower than when Trump took office)
(E) Currently — after a about a year of Biden — employment is at 151.3 million … up 8.8 million since his inauguration ,,, but still 1.2 million lower than the pre-Covid level
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My take
(1) Seems reasonable to credit Trump with about 9 million jobs created during the “normal” period preceding the Covid pandemic.
(2) Less reasonable to tag Trump with “causing” the destruction of 22 million jobs during the Covid pandemic … true, he OK’ed the lockdowns … but, reasonable to argue that the job losses were transitory, i.e. regainable once the pandemic passed.
(3) To that last point, during Trump’s last year, about 12 million of the Covid-related job losses were regained (i.e. not “created”)
(4) Since Biden’s inauguration, another 8.8 million jobs were regained from the Covid drop … pushing employment up to 151.3 million … still more than 1 million shy of the the nation’s pre-Covid employment level.
So, is Biden — as he claims — the greatest job creation president ever?
Those are the numbers … draw your own conclusion.
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April 26, 2022
Will his noble intentions get “trumped”?
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Last week, we asked the question: Will Elon be the dog that caught the bus?
We opined that — of the key assets that Musk is buying — all are a bit problematic.
- The brand name is polarizing and arguably passé
- The subscriber base is largely populated by left-leaning media and politicos … and woke, pro-censorship loyalists who are likely to defect from an open information platform.
- Ditto for advertisers, many (most?) of which are likely to “go Disney” and run for the hills rather than risk being outed as inadequately woke … or worse than that, being taint-branded as supporting free speech.
- The hardware infrastructure — computers and communications network — are in place and operation .. but replicable.
- The software — think: message transmission and control algorithms — are up & running … and being managed.
- The human assets — proficient and mission-dedicated — are the biggest question marks given their zeal for progressive politics and “moderated discourse”
That gets us to Musk’s biggest challenge: Getting the organization aligned with his “open forum” vision … and, operating for (not against) Musk’s goals.
Consider an analogy: Trump’s efforts to mobilize the Federal government to his America First agenda.
Please, let’s stipulate to, but put aside, Trump’s personality issues and focus on his policies.
Trump was actively sabotaged by the enforcement agencies — think: “Intelligence Community”, FBI, IRS — and slow-rolled by the career bureaucrats who make “the system” work (or, not work depending on your perspective).
Remember Chuckie Schumer’s admonition to Trump:
“Let me tell you, you take on the intelligence community, they have six ways from Sunday at getting back at you.” Source
It’s easy to imagine Musk running into similar roadblocks as he tries to shift Twitter 180 degrees from politically moderated discourse to an open forum of alternative views.
Twitter has about 7,000 employees that will need to buy into Musk’s vision.
That’s a reach given their numbers, their technical expertise, their access to the algorithms … and, oh yeah, their deeply embedded political leanings.
Getting them on board (or replaced) will be a monumental organizational transformation.
The good news: If anybody can do it, it’s probably Musk.
Go get ‘em, Elon.
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Posted in Musk, Elon, Trump, President Donald J., Twitter - tweets | 1 Comment »
April 6, 2022
Paper mulls: Why was the Hunter Biden story buried in the run-up to the 2020 election?
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Duh!
Let’s recap the story…
In October 2020 (i.e. a month before the election), the NY Post broke a story that a laptop belonging to Hunter Biden had surfaced which contained emails and other documentation that Hunter had “earned” millions of dollars by trading on his father’s name and political clout … with the Ukrainians and Chinese.
The story was conveniently ignored or dismissed by Biden-supporting media (i.e. all but the NY Post and Fox) as “Russian misinformation”.
A couple dozen “intelligence officials” lent credence to the disinformation claim in an open letter … though many of them admitted they had no evidence of Russian involvement.
So, the story was effectively blacked out … Twitter banned the NY Post and squashed posts that referenced the laptop story … Facebook’s algorithms buried the story.
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But, last month — a year and a half after the NYP’s story broke — the New York Times published an article indicating that they had confirmed that the laptop story was essentially true … and that there was hard evidence that Hunter had been profiting by trading on his father’s position as then-VP.
Holy Smokes, Batman … America’s self-proclaimed newspaper of record says there’s fire under the smoke.
Following the Times’ authentication, the Washington Post apparently felt some need to dig into the story and “discovered” evidence of Hunter’s misdeeds.
Apparently, those revelations stirred some ethical angst at WaPo … whose editors wrote a mea culpa of sorts:
A “reckoning”?
The editorial fessed that the essence of the laptop story was true … but, it threw shade, arguing that Joe was oblivious to Hunter’s alleged misdeeds … and, articulated a journalistic dilemma:
The lesson learned from 2016 was evidently to err on the side of setting aside questionable material in the heat of a political campaign.
The lesson learned from 2020 may well be that there’s also a danger of suppressing accurate and relevant stories.
Who could have ever imagined that suppressing accurate and relevant stories might pose a danger?
What kind of danger?
Tilting an election to the media’s candidate of choice? Away from a candidate that they loathed?
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For the record…
After the election, Democrats who voted for Biden were polled.
> More than 1/3 (36%) said that they didn’t know about the Hunter laptop and his influence peddling
> Of the “know nothings” about 1 in 8 (12.7%) said that they “would not have voted for Joe Biden had they known this story”.
> Doing the math, that means that 4.6% of all Democrats wouldn’t have voted for Biden if they were aware of the story
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Remind me: What was Biden’s margin of victory in Arizona, Georgia, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin?
And WaPo — channeling George Costanza — asks: Was it wrong to to bury a story that might have turned an election?
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March 23, 2022
In 2018, Trump tried to warn NATO members …
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But, it took Putin’s Ukraine invasion to force a long overdue realization that reality bites.
As we posted yesterday:
Western European NATO nations have dug themselves into two very deep holes.
First, they have green-thought themselves into energy dependence on Russia … largely by declaring nuclear and non-Russian fossil fuels to be existential threats.
Second, they have de-prioritized security and grossly underspent on their own defense … apparently assuming that Putin’s Russia and China were just misunderstood nice guys … and that, worst case, the U.S. would swoop in and save them (again).
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Regarding the European energy hole, we channeled the WSJ’s Kimberly Strassel who opined that “Putin’s shocking violence in Ukraine — his willingness to wield energy as a weapon — sobered the Continent overnight” … and optimistically pointed out that several European nations are already taking decisive remedial steps to minimize their Russian-energy dependence.
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Today, let’s look at the European security & defense hole …
From the get-go, Trump chastised NATO nations for underspending on defense — if effect, shifting their responsibility to the U.S. and he threatened to withdraw the U.S. from NATO if other member nations didn’t increase their defense spending to at least 2% of their GDP.
At a NATO summit in 2018, Trump literally doubled down on his criticism of defense spending among NATO members by upping the target for defense spending to 4% of GDP.
At the time, left-leaning analysts and European leaders dismissed Trump’s 4% defense spending targets because he did not indicate specifically how the money would be spent or why such a massive increase in defense spending was needed. Brookings
I guess that Putin’s Ukraine invasion summarily and conclusively answers the “why” question.
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The most important current question is how the European nations will now act to fill their conspicuous security & defense hole.
According to the WSJ:
European NATO allies and Canada have increased defense spending, but many still don’t hit NATO’s commitment to contribute 2% of gross domestic product to defense.
The good news :
European Union heads of state or government said in a March 11 declaration that “we must resolutely invest more and better in defence capabilities.”
The leaders vowed to “increase substantially defence expenditures” and “invest further in the capabilities necessary to conduct the full range of missions.”
More specifically:
Germany, Europe’s biggest economy and its most notorious defense free rider, has pledged to meet its 2% commitment … starting with an immediate €100 billion down payment.
Smaller countries are stepping up too. Poland, which already meets the NATO target, recently passed a law increasing defense spending to at least 3% of GDP in 2023.
Frontline nations Romania, Latvia and Lithuania have publicly set clear goals or passed legislation to boost.
Better late than never … but they’d better get hopping … Putin is on his way west.
Given the turn of events, Trump has every right to say “I told you so”.
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March 14, 2022
Is it really better to have a groveler-in-chief dealing with our adversaries?
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Over the weekend, Bill Maher made news by asking a simple question:
Maher’s question reminded me of the above headlined post from the HomaFiles archives, circa 2016 …
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During the 2016 Presidential campaign, cartoonist Scott Adams hit the nail on the head on his Dilbert blog …
Adams observed that, during the campaign, Hillary’s constant refrain was that we can’t have a loose cannon bully in the White House.
Of course, Dems and their media friends kept that notion front-burnered during the campaign.
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Adams cut to the chase on on “Dangerous Trump”:
(more…)
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January 25, 2022
Not “real” wages, Joe!
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Yesterday, we data-tested Biden’s claim that he “created 6 million new jobs — more jobs in one year than any time before.”
The fundamental conclusion: They’re not new jobs. They’re just old jobs that are being re-filled as lockdowns end and the economy re-opens.
The fun conclusion: By Biden’s measure of job creation, Trump, in his last 6 months, “created” jobs at a rate 4 times Biden’s rate.
The metric to watch: How many people are employed … and, we’re still 3.7 million jobs below pre-Covid employment levels.
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Wage Gains
Today, let’s look at Biden 2nd most touted claim: “Workers are getting raises. Wages are (finally) going up.”
Let’s unpack that claim…
According WaPo, channeling BLS numbers, nominal average hourly wages did rise 4.7% last year.
But, “real” wages — adjusted for inflation, fell 2.4%.
Note that:
> During the Obama years, nominal wages (the blue line) were flat … and real wages dipped below the “stay-even” with inflation line
> During the Trump years, nominal wages increased at a slow but steady rate … and real wages stayed above the stay-even line.
> During Biden’s year, nominal wages did increase (by 4.7%), but raging (non-transitory!) inflation more than ate up the gain … so real rages dropped far below the stay-even line (by 2.4%)
So what?
In plain English, according to an NBC poll, over 60% of Americans do not think that their family income is keeping up with the cost of living.
Also, according to the NBC poll:
“Overwhelming majorities of Americans believe the country is headed in the wrong direction.”
Coincidence?
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January 24, 2022
By Biden’s measure, Trump added 12 million in his last 6 months!
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In last week’s press conference, Biden boasted about his economic record.
Top of the list: Biden touted “record job creation” during his presidency.
He said, “We created 6 million new jobs — more jobs in one year than any time before.”
Hmm.
Let’s look at the numbers … focusing on “employment”…
> Before Covid hit 152.5 million were employed
> During the intense Covid lockdown period, employment dipped 22.4 million (14.7%) … down to 130.2 million
> Between the lockdown employment trough in May 2020 until Biden’s inauguration in January 2021 (i.e. Trump’s last 6 months in office), employment increased by 12.6 million (9.7%) to 142.7 million.
> From Biden’s inauguration until now, employment increased by 6.2 million (4.4%) to 149 million.
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“Job Creation” or “Ending Lockdowns”?
So, does the 6.2 million employment increase represent the “creation of new jobs” or “refilling old jobs” by removing the Covid lockdowns and re-opening the economy?
To that latter point, note that employment is still 3.7 million (2.3%) lower than the pre-Covid level (152.5 million).
Hmm.
Bottom line: We’re still 3.7 million below the pre-Covid employment level … and relatively few new jobs have been created … we’re just filling the pandemic hole.
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Biden vs. Trump
And, note again that in the 6 month period from the Covid trough until Biden’s inauguration, employment increased by 12.6 million.
Using Biden’s bogus logic and semantics, that means that Trump, during that period “added” jobs at an average rate of 2 million per month … 4 times Biden’s rate of 500,000 per month.
Hmm
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Takeaway
As even CNN observes:
Biden is free, of course, to boast about how quickly the hole is being filled.
But his claims about setting records should be viewed with contextual caution.
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Posted in Biden - gaffes & lies, Bidenomics, Economic indicators, Employment - Jobs, Jobs - Unemployment, Trump, President Donald J. | Leave a Comment »
December 1, 2021
How does he rack up versus Obama & Trump?
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Earlier this week, we posted some results from a 130,000 person survey done by a polling company called Civiqs.
The poll centered on the question: Do you approve or disapprove of the job that Joe Biden is doing as president?
Consistent with other recent polls, Civiqs found that at the national level a majority disapproves of the job Biden is doing .. and his job approval is underwater (or, “upside down”) by 16 percentage points … and he’s underwater in all but 5 states.
A couple or readers opined: “Yeah, but Trump was worse”.
As evidence, one reader linked me to a Statista recap chart.
Fair enough…
> Biden started out at about 57% approval … and has already fallen 24 percentage points to 43%
> Trump was slower out of the gates with about 45% approval … and, to a comparable time point in his term of ofice, he dropped about 7 percentage points to 38%
> For reference. Obama started out at a sky high 67% approval … and slid about 16 percentage points to 51%.
Bottom line: Trump certainly didn’t get a honeymoon period … his “opposition” was entrenched from the get-go … so, his 7-point performance slide was less than Obama’s 16 point drop or Biden’s 24 point slide.
That said, it’s true that Biden is outscoring Trump 43% to 38% ten months into their presidencies.
But…
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Taking a longer-run view, note that Trump rallied from his 38% low to almost 50% … as the economy grew, the Southern border was contained and the Middle East stabilized.
Then, Covid hit our shores and Trump’s approval plummeted back down to about 35%.
The question of today: Has Biden’s slump bottomed out?
If so, will his performance earn him the same approval trajectory that Trump enjoyed pre-Covid?
I’m betting the under on that one.
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Thanks to JD for raising the question and feeding me the Statista lead.
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November 10, 2021
Maybe my sample isn’t projectable…
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I recently had a very encouraging experience when I went to one of my granddaughter’s cross-country running meets.
There were 20 Baltimore area teams … about 400 runners … most of whom had family & friends there to root them on … a very diverse group.
Everybody seemed to be having good family time … most adults were encouraging all the runners … regardless of their team affiliation, their speed and position or their race … no chatter about CRT or any other political hot buttons.
Everything seemed so normal.
When I told my story to some friends, they opined that there’s still a big group of people “in the middle” … far away from the loud extremist positions … more concerned about family life and community than political scuffling.
That meshed with my cross country experience but, of course, I had to get analytical …
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The Pew Research Center has tracked party identity and ideology for decades.
One way they do it is by scoring the Republicans and Democrats on a 10-item scale of political values … more liberal values sort to the left … more conservative values sort to the right.
Here’s how America looked about 15 years ago … in 2004.
Democrats clustered to the left (the light blue hump), Republicans clustered to the right (the red hump ).
The dark blue hump in the middle is the moderate middle … consisting of both Democrats and Republicans who shar similar values.
Back in 2004, both the Democratic and Republican humps peaked relatively close to the middle … and the moderate middle was sizable.
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Now, fast forward to 2017 — the latest Pew survey.
Democrats cluster further to the left, Republicans cluster further to the right.
The distance between the peak in the Dem’ hump and the peak in the GOP’s hump widened.
Less than 10 percent in each party overlaps ideologically with the other side.
So, the moderate middle substantially shrank.
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What has happened since 2017?
While Pew hasn’t published a directly comparable study since 2017, they did run a poll that asked whether the country is more or less divided before and after the pandemic.
The bottom line: Most people believe their society is now more divided than before the pandemic.
Source
Said differently, the moderate middle is continuing to shrink … and is being swamped by the the increasingly distanced partisan groups.
Apparently, my real life sample isn’t projectable.
That’s sad.
Maybe some day.
Hopefully sooner rather than later.
===============
Click here to see the complete evolution in the Pew graphic from 2004 to 2017 … with some situational commentary.
.
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Posted in Ideology - polarization, Obama, Political polarization, Trump, President Donald J., Uncategorized | Leave a Comment »
April 29, 2021
It’s no secret that American politics has become increasingly – and maybe, irreversibly – polarized.
Biden lays it all off on Trump … totally ignoring the role that he and Obama played.
Let’s look at some inconvenient facts and put them in perspective…
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Way back in 2014, Meet the Press host Chuck Todd observed:
Polarization is no longer just polluting the system — it’s paralyzing it.
The deepening divide between the right and the left has largely hollowed out the center of American politics.
Gone are the politicians who once occupied the large “middle” and the voters who once gravitated to them.
Todd’s observations were true then, and they’re true now.
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The Pew Research Center has tracked party identity and ideology for decades.
One way they do it is by scoring the Republicans and Democrats on a 10-item scale of political values.
Based on the latest Pew data (from 2017), here’s where we stand:
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What the chart means …
Democrats cluster to the left, Republicans cluster to the right.
Less than 10 percent in each party overlaps ideologically with the other side.
That’s where we are.
How did we get here?
(more…)
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April 28, 2021
Obvious answer: yes … but it’s unlikely that the MSM will tag Biden with the loss.
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Let’s start with the basics:
The Pfizer and Moderna vaccines were approved and launched by the Trump administration.
The J&J vaccine was developed under the auspices of Trump’s Operation Warp Speed.
But, the J&J vaccine was approved by the Biden administration (on Feb. 27).
Now, let’s advance the story…
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In a mid-March statement, Biden said:
“You know, when we came into office (Jan. 20), we began working with the (manufacturing) team at J&J to accelerate and add capacity to their manufacturing and production efforts.
Got it? Team Biden was on the manufacturing case.
The outcome: In early April, 15 million doses of the J&J vaccine failed quality control and had to be tossed.
Workers at an Emergent Technologies plant in Baltimore manufacturing two coronavirus vaccines (for J&J and Astra Zeneca) accidentally conflated the ingredients several weeks ago, contaminating up to 15 million doses of Johnson & Johnson’s vaccine. Source
Nice job, boys.
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Then in mid-April, reacting to 8 reported cases of blood-clotting (out of about 8 million shots administered), Team Biden’s med-science regulators “paused“ the distribution and administration of the J&J vaccine “in an abundance of caution”.
As Paul A. Offit, a vaccine expert at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia told the Washington Post:
If I hear the phrase ‘abundance of caution’ one more time, I’m going to jump out of my window.
After 2 weeks of review, Biden’s crack med-science team got out their calculators and concluded that, perhaps, they were panicking over an apparent one-in-a-million occurrence.
Maybe, there was the proverbial “no there there”.
So, they lifted the J&J vaccine halt.
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No harm, no foul, right?
WRONG!
As Lawrence Gostin, a global health law professor at Georgetown University, put it politely:
In the short to medium term, at least, the Johnson & Johnson vaccine has taken a reputational hit.
J&J has had major production problems at its Baltimore plant and (given the risk-induced halt) people (might be) more hesitant to take it. Source
Or, as another med-science pundit put it more bluntly: Team Biden “all but gutted the enthusiasm for Johnson & Johnson’s vaccine.”
So, how bad is the “reputational hit”? The slide in enthusiasm?
According to a Washington Post poll, only 28% of unvaccinated adults now think that the J&J vaccine is “very” or “somewhat” safe.
Performing a common sense test, WaPo reframed the question and found that 3 out of 4 unvaccinated adults would be unwilling to take the J&J
Common Sense Test: Raise your hand if you’d line up for a vaccine that you thought was somewhat safe.
Now, that’s a problem … a big problem.
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What if?
Imagine that Team Trump had:
- approved the J&J vaccine
- supervised production of the vaccine
- encountered production quality issues
- dumped 15 million contaminated doses
- halted administration of the vaccine due to health risks
- lifted the ban (as daily 1st shots started dropping like a rock)
All of which combined to make 75% of unvaccinated people unwilling to take the vaccine.
I’m going to go out on a limb on this one and guess that the media would be publicizing this situation differently if Team Trump owned it.
But, it’s Biden, so …
What do you think?
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April 26, 2021
That’s a question that Politico is asking after chatting with former Trump aides
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For openers…
Polls consistently report that so-called “vaccine hesitancy” is highest among Republicans and Blacks.
I’m a bit baffled about the GOP numbers since practically all of my Republican friends have been vaccinated … the couple who haven’t been vaxed have very legitimate medical reasons (e.g. immune system disorders).
For now, I’ll put my personal sample aside (as I always advised students to do), and stipulate that a large number of Republicans are vax-hesitant.
Trump hasn’t been visible pitching the “get vaxed” message to his supporters.
As one pundit observes: “We have the odd spectacle of Joe Biden creating a massive PR campaign for the vaccines Trump helped develop, while Trump himself refuses to get in front for his own success. It’s a lost opportunity (for Trump and the Republican party).”
So, why might Trump be staying on the sidelines?
(more…)
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March 31, 2021
Of course, we’ve been all over this topic for months (links at he end of this post), so it’s delightful to see the Biden-friendly press to concede the point:
In the words of ABC News …
Biden and his top aides have repeatedly accused the Trump administration of having “no plan.”
Despite calls for national unity and bipartisanship, President Joe Biden and his top aides have declined to give the Trump administration credit on the nation’s COVID-19 vaccine rollout while relying heavily on a system established by their predecessors.
Many of Biden’s public “wins” on the vaccine, including expanding supply and distributing doses to local pharmacies, are tied directly to efforts initiated by policy aides working under Trump before he left office.
While Biden has purchased additional vaccine supply, it was always expected that Pfizer and Moderna would ramp up their supply throughout the year.
Under Trump, the U.S. agreed to buy enough doses for 200 million adults from vaccine makers Pfizer and Moderna with “options” to buy more if necessary.
It also had purchased enough J&J vaccine to buy supply for 100 million adults once authorized — enough supply to cover every U.S. adult by summer.
Also, Biden’s playbook for vaccine distribution has relied heavily on a system created by the Trump administration, including federal partnerships with state officials and agreements with local pharmacies.
In fact, the federal pharmacy program created by Trump aides is what Biden relied on to expand eligibility to teachers.
And when Biden called for “100 million shots in 100 days” — a pace of about 1 million shots per day — former health officials noted that the U.S. had already hit that pace the week of Biden’s inauguration in mid January.
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What is new under Biden are more than a dozen mass vaccination sites managed by the Federal Emergency Management Agency with special attention paid to hard-hit and vulnerable communities.
Glad the media is catching on to what we’ve been saying all along:
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March 30, 2021
Anybody notice that Biden put “equity” and “essentiality” on the back burner.
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Let’s connect a couple of dots …
Maryland — which had been lagging on ‘shots in arms’ — has been in a full out sprint the past couple of weeks.
The magic sauce: state-run mass vaccination sites.
In the past couple of days , a couple of friends got shots at Maryland’s up & running mass vaccination sites … one at Six Flags and another at M&T Stadium (where the Ravens play).
Both raved about how organized and efficient the process was. No complaints.
That’s really encouraging news since max-vax has emerged as the primary vaccine distribution channel in Maryland.
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And, Maryland’s not alone.
Coincidentally, I spotted an article headlining that Texas and Georgia — which together account for 10% of the U.S. population — will be opening vaccine distribution “to all comers” in the next week or so.
That means anybody 18 or older (kids aren’t legit yet), no “employment “essentiality”, no jurisdictional boundaries.
Just “come & get it”.
How can they do it? What’s the downside?
(more…)
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March 25, 2021
Hard to accuse Bloomberg of being a right-wing, pro-Trump rag.
=============
Biden has oft claimed that Trump didn’t have a plan to acquire enough vaccine and that he (Biden) quickly remedied that shortcoming to ensure that all of America got vaccinated fast.
We previously debunked that claim, See Biden: “Trump blundered, I’m saving the day”
Now, a Bloomberg assessment blows holes in Biden’s claim.
The Bloomberg article concludes:
“The U.S. government, first under Donald Trump and then continuing under President Joe Biden, had already arranged to buy all of Pfizer’s and Moderna’s known U.S. production, assuring hundreds of millions of doses for American arms.”
More specifically, Bloomberg says…
> Both Biden and Trump have been unapologetic that they’ve aimed to vaccinate Americans first.
> The Trump administration wrote clauses into contracts with manufacturers and also used the Defense Production Act, … to prioritize U.S. orders, explicitly requiring domestic U.S. production, exclusivity and continuing “rights of first refusal.”
> The same tools the Trump administration used to keep domestically produced vaccines within the nation’s borders have been employed by Biden’s team.
=============
As one pundit put it:
Biden deserves credit for recognizing the wisdom of Trump’s plan, and for bolstering it by getting Merck licensed to produce Johnson& Johnson’s vaccine.
But the idea that Biden didn’t get a plan or a reliable supply of COVID-19 vaccines is a shabby lie, one that Bloomberg punctures.
Perhaps Biden will concede the point at today’s press conference.
But, I’m betting the under…
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Posted in COVID - vaccine, Operation Warp Speed, Trump, President Donald J. | Leave a Comment »
March 16, 2021
Simple answer: over 800 million doses
=============
Biden continues to denigrate or dismiss Operation Warp Speed and claim (or least blatantly insinuate) that he and his administration should get credit for the hugely successful vaccination program.
Malarkey!
Let’s do a deep dive, starting with the basics …
Dr. Fauci — Biden’s go-to political-scientist (and highest paid Federal employee) — told the nation repeatedly in 2020 that no vaccines would be available until mid-2021 at the earliest, more likely in 2022 … and possibly later than that.
For the record, the Pfizer vaccine got its Emergency Use Authorization on December 11, 2020 … and, we’re on a track to have the country vaccinated before Fauci — who is always certain, but often wrong — said the first shot would be available.
In subsequent posts, I’ll be referring back to Fauci’s gross misjudgment.
Spoiler alert: I’ll be arguing that his pessimism gave states legitimacy for procrastinating their preparations for the vaccine rollout … which left many states unprepared (or underprepared) when the vaccines were approved.
=============
Biden even said in a CNN townhall that there was were no vaccines available when he took office. Source
Apparently, he forget that he got his first dose on December 21, 2020 … and his 2nd dose on January 11, 2021.
Senior moment or intentional fib?
Biden has backtracked on that remark but…
===============
Biden keeps claiming, to this day, that Trump’s Operation Warp Speed was negligent for not ordering enough vaccine.
C’mon, man.
For openers, the Operation Warp Speed team made pre-approval vaccine commitments in mid-2020…
That is, they placed non-cancellable vaccine orders before any of the vaccines were proven effective in clinical trials and approved for use.
Note: These pre-approval commitments mitigated drugmakers’ risks … allowing them to put manufacturing capacity in place “on spec”, instead of waiting to start after FDA approval.
Fact: As part of Operation Warp Speed, the Trump administration entered into contracts with multiple drugmakers … while their potential vaccines were still in clinical trials … and, with no certainty that the respective vaccines would ever be approved.
Specifically, pre-approval commitments were made to 6 vaccine manufacturers:
- Pfizer-BioNTech: 100 million doses (two-dose regimen)
- Moderna: 100 million doses (two-dose regimen)
- J&J: 100 million doses (one-dose regimen)
- AstraZeneca: 300 million doses (two-dose regimen)
- Novavax: 100 million doses (two-dose regimen)
- Sanofi-GSK: 100 million doses (one- or two-dose regimen)
If all 6 vaccines were to make it through clinical trials and the FDA approval process, the amounts agreed to under these pre-commitment contracts would total about 800 million vaccine doses, or enough to fully vaccinate more than 450 million people. Source
Of course, not all of the vaccines have been approved (yet) … and, some may never get approved.
So, let’s focus on the vaccines that have been approved…
(more…)
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Posted in Biden - gaffes & lies, COVID - vaccine, Operation Warp Speed, Trump, President Donald J. | 1 Comment »
January 14, 2021
That’s the question that a couple of pollsters asked Americans … with predictable results
=============
According to a Hill-HarrisX poll taken before the Congressional vote:
- 44% support Trump’s impeachment and removal from office
- 18% think that Trump should be censured
- 38% said no action should be taken toward him.
- 79% of Democrats said Trump should be impeached and removed
- 71% of Republicans said no action should be taken
- 38% of Independents think that Trump should be impeached & removed; 36% think that nothing should be done; 26% think that Trump should be censured.
==============
A Politico-Morning Consult poll had similar findings:
Overall, 44% said ‘yes’; 41% said “no”; and 8% said “what?”
Digging into the details:
> 81% of Dems said ‘yes’; 84% of GOP said “no”
> A plurality of Independents (44%) said “no”; 41% said “yes”.
============
So what happened?
Consistent with the surveys’ partisan findings:
> 222 Dems voted for impeachment
> 10 GOP voted for impeachment
> 197 GOP voted against impeachment
Depending on political leaning, the vote is being headlined as either “bipartisan approval” … or “party line vote”.
You decide.
Regardless, Biden’s First 100 Days just got a bit more complicated.
Vive la Unité!
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October 21, 2020
It’s no secret that American politics has become increasingly – and maybe, irreversibly – polarized.
Obama is hitting the campaign trail for Biden.
I expect that Obama will lay blame for the political polarization on Trump and his band of ignorant deplorables.
In anticipation, let’s look at some inconvenient facts and put them in perspective…
=========
Way back in 2014, Meet the Press host Chuck Todd observed:
Polarization is no longer just polluting the system — it’s paralyzing it.
The deepening divide between the right and the left has largely hollowed out the center of American politics.
Gone are the politicians who once occupied the large “middle” and the voters who once gravitated to them.
Todd’s observations were true then, and they’re true now.
=========
The Pew Research Center has tracked party identity and ideology for decades.
One way they do it is by scoring the Republicans and Democrats on a 10-item scale of political values.
Based on the latest Pew data (from 2017), here’s where we stand:
=========
What the chart means …
Democrats cluster to the left, Republicans cluster to the right.
Less than 10 percent in each party overlaps ideologically with the other side.
That’s where we are.
How did we get here?
(more…)
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Posted in Ideology - polarization, Obama, Political polarization, Trump, President Donald J., Uncategorized | Leave a Comment »
September 29, 2020
Trump’s low taxes were courtesy of an “unwitting gift” from Obama-Biden !
=============
It didn’t surprise me that Trump paid virtually no income taxes for the past decade.
But, I was surprised to read an under-hyped part of the story:
Starting in 2010 (Trump) claimed, and received, an income tax refund totaling $72.9 million — all the federal income tax he had paid for 2005 through 2008, plus interest.
(The $72.9 million refund) was “an unwitting gift from an unlikely source — Barack Obama.” Source
Say, what?
Here’s the relevant part of the story…
(more…)
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Posted in 2020 Presidential Campaign, Income Taxes, Taxes, Trump, President Donald J. | Leave a Comment »
August 24, 2020
Pre-convention, Team Trump released the President’s “core” priorities for his 2nd term.
==============
Here is the initiative in each category that caught my eye:
- Jobs: Provide “Made in America” Tax Credits
- Covid-19: Launch vaccine by end of 2020; nationalize all critical medicines and medical supplies.
- China: No Federal Contracts for Companies who Outsource to China
- Healthcare: Cover All Pre-Existing Conditions and Protect Social Security and Medicare
- Education: Provide School Choice to Every Child in America
- The Swamp: Pass Congressional Term Limits
- Police: Fully Fund and Hire More Police and Law Enforcement Officers
- Immigration: Block Illegal Immigrants from Becoming Eligible for Taxpayer-Funded Welfare, Healthcare, and Free College Tuition
- Innovation: Win the Race to 5G and Establish a National High-Speed Wireless Internet Network
- Foreign Policy: Stop Endless Wars and Bring Our Troops Home
Here’s the full list…
(more…)
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Posted in 2020 Presidential Campaign, Trump, President Donald J. | 2 Comments »
July 1, 2020
More specifically, a recent Rasmussen poll of 1,000 likely voters found:
38% think Biden is suffering dementia … the breakdown: 66% of GOP, 30% of Independents, 20% of Dems
48% do not think Biden is suffering dementia … apparently, they think either (1) he’s sharp as a tack, or (2) he’s just “Joe being Joe”, or (3) there’s no dementia, he just started long ago at a low base
14% said they didn’t know or were unsure … or were, themselves hopelessly confused.
Drilling down on the survey’s results….
(more…)
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April 15, 2020
Let’s start with a refresher course on the story of Bre’r Rabbit:
Br’er Rabbit was constantly being pursued by Br’er Fox, who had personal dinner plans for the rabbit.
One day, when grabbed by Br’er Fox, the helpless but cunning Br’er Rabbit pleads, “Do any thing you want to me, but please, Br’er Fox, don’t fling me into the brier-patch.”
That prompted Br’er Fox to do exactly that.
But, Br’er Rabbit was born in this brier patch, and was at home in thickets.
So, the resourceful Br’er Rabbit used the thorns and briers as a safe haven and the threatening fox was thwarted.. Source
OK, what does the story of Br’er Rabbit have to do with the coronavirus, the governors and President Trump?
=============
In this Monday’s press conference, Trump went off on his “total authority” to determine the start and speed of the country’s re-opening.
I found that odd since Trump resisted calls that he order a nationwide shutdown. Rather, he was steadfast the the Feds could provide guidelines, but that the ultimate decisions were in the hands of the governors. Why the change of heart?
Predictably, the press went wild on “King Trump – the authoritarian despot”.
Governors (think: Gov. Andrew “Not My Fault” Cuomo) started shrieking “unconstitutional” … asserted that they were in charge … and threatened to sue to maintain control over the re-opening.
Then at the Tuesday press conference, Trump did an about face, saying that governors would be in charge … that Feds would just provide support … and. most important, the governors would be held accountable.
The press reported: “Trump folds under pressure from Governors”.
BINGO! The light bulb went on.
=============
A friend of mine has long opined that “Trump is playing chess while everybody else is playing checkers”.
I used to think that was a long reach, but over time, I’ve started to think my friend is right.
Think about it.
For the past couple of months, Trump has been held totally accountable for the coronavirus response.
Even when unjustified, the press and governors laid every stumble at his doorstep. Why are the test kits late and few? Why doesn’t NY have enough ventilators? Etc.
My view: Re-opening the economy is going to be long and messy. There will be stumbles, retreats and disappointments.
Why would Trump want to “own” that whole process? Why would he want to be the only person held accountable things that happen — large and small?
Answer: He wouldn’t.
But, if his opening position had been that the governors own it and they’ll be the ones held accountable, he would have been accused of shirking his buck-stops-here responsibilities. The press and governors would have rebelled.
Instead, he pulled a variation of Br’er Rabbit’s “get what you want” gambit… getting the governors to deprive him of the authority … and demand that they get the authority (and accountability). They united to throw Trump into the thicket patch. So there, Mr. President!
Now, when things large or small go haywire, Trump can simply point to the accountability-demanding governors.
Check … and CHECKMATE!
=============
Addendum: A loyal reader alerted me to a similar analogy – Tom Sawyer tricking his buddies into painting a fence for him. See Trump Whitewashes the Fence
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Posted in Coronavirus - Covid 19, Trump, President Donald J. | 2 Comments »
April 13, 2020
Biden said he did … and it got him 4 Pinocchios.
============
Seems like this one just won’t go away…
Fortunately, the fact-checkers at the Washington Post — not exactly a right-wing, Trump-loving rag — looked into the “said it was a hoax” claim when Crazy Joe started running it in a campaign ad.
What did they find?
Let’s start with the ad’s “manipulation”:
The video shows a montage of intentionally unflattering clips of President Trump.
So far, it looks like a standard Internet campaign ad.
At the 10-second mark, the camera shows a tight shot of the president saying “coronavirus” and then cuts to a wide shot where he says, “this is their new hoax.”
What’s wrong with that?
The fact-checker explains….
(more…)
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March 29, 2020
Last week, White House coronavirus response coordinator (and media-certified truth-teller) Dr. Deborah Birx praised President Donald Trump’s attentiveness and ability to analyze and integrate data, linking his capacity to do so with his business background.
Asked her perspective on Trump’s performance both with the public and “behind the scenes”, Dr. Birx responded in an interview:
He’s been so attentive to the scientific literature and the details and the data.
And I think his ability to analyze and integrate data, that comes out of his long history in business, [has] really been a real benefit during these discussions about medical issues.
Because, in the end, data is data, and he understands its importance.
And that all comes from the president seeing the data and then really directing these policies and the guidelines that go out to the American people.
Not bad for a guy who the media tags to be anti-science (and stupid).
And, based on the latest polls, the public seems to agree with Dr. Birx, not the media.
Here’s the data…
(more…)
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Posted in Coronavirus - Covid 19, Polls & Surveys, Trump, President Donald J. | 1 Comment »
February 25, 2020
Trump is despised by internationally, right?
Well, don’t tell the folks in India.
Over 100,000 packed a stadium rally for him.
Instead of the Star Spangled Banner or Hail to the Chief, the Indians ushered him into the rally to Village People’s classic Macho, Macho Man.
This clip – which, for some reason, isn’t being looped on many stations – is hysterical … well worth viewing.
When you click the link, be sure to ‘unmute’ the video (by moving your cursor over the video and ‘unchecking’ the x next to the speaker icon) … and watch the Trump-hatted crowd dancing.
==============
India plays “Macho Man” by Village People as Trump enters Sardar Patel Stadium
==============
By end-of-day, I expect MSNBC to charge the Indians with election meddling …
=============
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Posted in 2020 Presidential Campaign, India, Trump, President Donald J. | 1 Comment »
January 3, 2020
Who’s the man that Americans most admire?
According to Gallup — the most trusted polling organization — it’s a dead heat between former President Barack Obama and current President Donald Trump.
Photo source: Gallup
Both are “most admired” by 18% of Americans.
Trump’s score increased by 5 percentage points from 2018.
Obama’s inched down by a point over that period.
Pundits say that Trump’s increase is mostly attributable to the continuing economic boom
I’ll take that…
Obama’s decline?
In 2018, Obama was “most admired” by 39% of Dems … that number dropped to 35% in 2019.
Hypotheses include:
- Out of sight, out of mind … happens to all former presidents.
- Way more “hope” than “change”
- Not progressive enough for 2019 Dems.
Gallup didn’t offer a point-of-view as to whether impeachment boosted or dampened Trump’s scores.
=============
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Posted in Obama, Polls & Surveys, Trump, President Donald J. | Leave a Comment »
October 7, 2019
Whose approval numbers were higher – Trump’s or Obama’s?
================
Well, at this stage of their presidencies, Trump and Obama had approval ratings that were statistically equal.
Can’t be right … can it?
Below is the composite chart from RealClearPolitics — the bible of poll-of-polls aggregation.
Trump’s numbers are the bolder lines – black for approval, red for disapproval. Obama’s are the fainter lines – same color scheme.
Focus on the end-points — where the black lines converge.
That may be a little hard to read, so let’s zoom in to the summary box at the top…
(more…)
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October 3, 2019
“Resist” may be alive and well … with the tables turned
=============
Yesterday we ran through a couple of scenarios if Trump did end up getting bounced from office.
The scenarios assumed that Trump would still run in 2020, probably against Warren, maybe with a “moderate” independent jumping in.
My bet: Trump would be be re-elected.
Why?
Largely because Trump supporters would turn out in droves, angry that their votes were overturned by flimsy political machinations … and because:
“In recent interviews of several big-money Democratic donors and fundraisers in the business community, CNBC has found that this opinion is becoming widely shared as Warren surges against Joe Biden.”
Specifically, big bank executives and hedge fund managers that electing Warren would be tantamount to “shutting down their industry.”
And, oh yeah, there’s that wealth tax that she has been proposing.
===============
Even while pulling back their support, some Wall Streeters are strategizing for a possible life under President Warren…
(more…)
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October 2, 2019
Big new from today’s New York Times…
Here are my takeaways (with emphasis added):
The Democratic head of the House Intelligence Committee, Representative Adam B. Schiff of California, learned about the outlines of a C.I.A. officer’s concerns that President Trump had abused his power days before the officer filed a whistle-blower complaint.
The C.I.A. officer approached a House Intelligence Committee aide with his concerns about Mr. Trump.
The House staff member, following the committee’s procedures, suggested the officer find a lawyer to advise him and file a whistle-blower complaint. The aide shared some of what the officer conveyed to Mr. Schiff.
The early account explains how Mr. Schiff knew to press for the complaint when the Trump administration initially blocked lawmakers from seeing it.
The whistle-blower’s decision to offer what amounted to an early warning to the intelligence committee’s Democrats is sure to thrust Mr. Schiff even more forcefully into the center of the controversy.
Note:: Schiff had said publicly (on tape)that neither he nor his staff “have spoken directly to the whistleblower” before the complaint was made public.
Oops.
The entire NYT article is worth reading … especially since it’s from the Trump-adverse New York Times.
Draw your own conclusions.
Ah, the plot thickens.
============
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October 2, 2019
Impeachment imbroglio raises some very interesting scenarios.
==============
Over the weekend, mused about possible outcomes for the Dems impeachment offensive and the impact on the 2020 election.
My current bet:
- House will approve articles of impeachment on a straight party line vote (regardless of any evidence or legal logic) … a couple of GOP reps jump ship, allowing Pelosi to position the vote as bi-partisan.
- A majority of Senators will vote to remove Trump from office but the vote won’t be close to the 2/3s threshold that’s needed, so Trump survives.
- Biden will be toast, so it’ll be Warren versus Trump … and maybe an Indie will jump in.
- It’ll be Nixon vs. McGovern 2.0 … as pro-Trumpsters come out of the woodwork in droves … and Dem fat cats reject Warren’s brand of socialism.
But, there are a couple of other interesting “what if” scenarios…
(more…)
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September 23, 2019
Russiagate, the Mueller fail … and now the Ukrainian whistleblower fiasco bring back memories of legendary cartoon character Wile E. Coyote.
First, some background for younger readers.
Back in the olden days, there was a cartoon series called Looney Tunes. One of the main characters was a clever, ground-running bird named Road Runner.
Road Runner’s nemesis was a wannabe clever coyote named Wile E. Coyote (get it?).
Wile E. spent every waking hour crafting devious plots to “get” and eat the Road Runner.
Invariably, the plots failed … and often boomeranged … inflicting deserved pain and anguish on Wile E. Coyote.
For 3 minutes of flashback entertainment, see “Wile E. Coyotes Top 10 Fails”
Looks to me like Wile E. is on the Dems payroll these days.
Evidence: the unraveling of the Ukrainian “bombshell”…
=============
Using Federal whistleblower statute for cover, an “intelligence officer” files a workplace complaint that President Trump threatened to cut off foreign aid to the Ukraine if the Uke Prez didn’t restart an investigation into corrupt activities by Hunter Biden — Sleepy Joe’s son.
It’s alleged that Hunter’s firm rallied some dough from the Chinese, laundered it, and plopped it into Uke energy companies.
When the Ukes started poking around, then VP Biden stepped in and threatened to pull the plug on a billion dollar loan guarantee for the Ukes unless they called off the investigative dogs who were nipping at Hunter’s heels. They did.
Want evidence?
In a classic video appearance:
Joe Biden brags about how he threatened to pull $1 billion in loan guarantees from Ukraine if it didn’t immediately fire Prosecutor General Viktor Shokin.
The prosecutor, who was fired, was leading a corruption investigation into a company that employed Biden’s son, Hunter.
Trump admits that he told the Uke Prez — in a top-to-top classified phone call — to re-open the probe.
The whistleblower toots to an Inspector General that Trump pulled a no-no and the impeachment lobby rallied to the cause.
But, the case seems to be unraveling.
Some reports say that the alleged incident isn’t even covered by Fed whistleblower statutes, so the process is compromised.
But, Trump offered an illegal quid pro quo … that’s a big deal and needs spotlighting, right?
Well, some folks who were listening in on the call are saying that Trump didn’t offer a quid pro quo or threaten the Uke Prez.
Did you notice the nuance?
That’s what folks who were listening in report.
Turns out that the whistleblower wasn’t even on the call.
He was simply blowing his whistle on the basis of a rumor that he heard.
Say, what?
Oh, and did I mention that the whistleblower is alleged to be a Democratic political hack?
Or, maybe it’s Wile E. Coyote.
I guess we’ll eventually find out.
=============
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Posted in Impeachment, Trump, President Donald J. | 1 Comment »
August 9, 2019
Last week — following Trump’s tweet calling out Baltimore — we reminded readers that: Once upon a time, Baltimore was thriving…
Noting former mayor William Donald Schaefer’s positive leadership and attention to detail, concluded:
imagine a mega-initiative to clean-up the inner city — haul away the garbage (and maybe some of the rats).
Hire Baltimore’s notorious squeegee boys (and other unemployed residents) to attack the problem.
It wouldn’t fix all of Baltimore’s problems, but it would be a conspicuous step forward.
Well, the city administration didn’t rally the notorious squeegee boys (nor anybody else, as near as we can tell).
But, some people did step up…
(more…)
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July 16, 2019
Unforced error or political brilliance?
=============
These days — with the S&P over 3,000 and all politicians proving to be incompetent idiots — I’m finding politics decreasingly interesting, save for its entertainment value.
And, there’s plenty of that, for sue.
Cue Trump’s shocking (?) weekend tweet … and the nationally televised press conference by the self-named “Squad”.
Let’s run through that …
(more…)
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July 8, 2019
5 point surge in past couple of months.
=============
If it were Rasmussen, we’d have to dismiss it as right-side bias, but this is an ABC-Washington Post Survey that’s reporting that despite a constant barrage of negative media coverage and a majority feeling that he acts unpresidential:
Aided by a strong economy and perceptions that he has dealt with it effectively, President Trump’s approval rating has risen to the highest point of his presidency.
Specifically, his approval has gone from 42% in April to 47% in July … a 5-point gain.
He’s still underwater by 3 points — 47% to 50% … but that gap has closed from the 12 point deficit in April) 42% to 54%).
How can this possibly be?
(more…)
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June 10, 2019
Pelosi spews silly-talk; GOP Senators outted as border-indifferent.
============
OK, Trumps threatens Mexico with tariffs unless they help with the border crisis.
Think “wallets” and you’ve variant of a Teddy Roosevelt negotiating principle: “If you’ve got them by the balls, their hearts and minds will follow.”
Mainsteam media made fun and lambasted (“won’t work”) Dems cried foul (”abuse of power”); some GOP Senators jumped ship (opting to side with corporate donors).
But, within a week, an agreement is reached with Mexico agreeing to militarize its southern border and hold asylum seekers in Mexico.
Not a bad week, right?
But, there were some losers…
(more…)
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May 14, 2019
DOJ focus shifts to counterintelligence effort that Barr called ‘spying’
=============
According to the NY Times…
AG Barr has assigned a top federal prosecutor in Connecticut to examine the origins of the Russia investigation.
John Durham, the US attorney in Connecticut, has a history of serving as a special prosecutor investigating potential wrongdoing among national security officials.
Opening a DOJ investigation is “a move that President Trump has long called for but that could anger law enforcement officials who insist that scrutiny of the Trump campaign was lawful.”
Now, there are 3 related investigations…
(more…)
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May 13, 2019
GOP gambit makes Mueller’s testimony less appealing (to Dems)
===============
After weeks of hyperventilating about the need for Special Counsel Robert Mueller to testify, House Judiciary Chairman Jerry Nadler abruptly cancelled this week’s planned inquisition.
Note: The story isn’t that Trump wouldn’t let Mueller testify – he said it was up to Barr and Mueller.
So, why did Nadler suddenly back off?
(more…)
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Posted in Congress - Senate, Obstruction of justice, Russia - Russians, Trump, President Donald J. | 2 Comments »
March 23, 2019
“It may be that Mr. Trump has kept repeating his mantra of ‘no collusion’ because it’s true.”
=============
That’s a conclusion the the NYT editorial staff reached.
But that conclusion was apparently tough for the Times to swallow, so the editors pulled a Comey in their editorial.
Remember when Comey said: “Here’s a list of all the laws and policies that Secretary Clinton violated, but no reasonable prosecutor would indict her”?
Well, the Times – apparently still grateful for the memo that Comey leaked to them to get the special counsel rolling – styled their editorial after his Clinton ruling.
After the obligatory reaffirmation of Robert Mueller as “a man whose name is synonymous with integrity and fairness”, the Times reheated all of allegations about collusion and obstruction that Mueller decided didn’t merit indictment.
The Times conceded (I think) that the investigation was ‘by the book’ and fair.
But, unlike the Clinton-Comey affair, when the glee-dancing Times said that was time to turn the page, this time – since Trump is center stage – they declare:
William Barr, the attorney general, needs to release as much of Mr. Mueller’s work as he possibly can, and soon.
All Americans deserve the chance to review those findings and reach their own conclusions.
Whatever happened to “turn the page”?
=============
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Posted in Russia - Russians, Special Counsel - Mueller, Trump, President Donald J. | Leave a Comment »
February 18, 2019
Last week, we posted Rasmussen poll results indicating that Trump’s approval got a bump after the SOTU.
See Trump approval up since SOTU…
Since Rasmussen leans right and doesn’t use classic interviewing techniques, it’s easy for some folks to dismiss the numbers.
But, Gallup is the gold standard of polling, right?
Well, the Rasmussen conclusion seems to be corroborated by Gallup.
The most recent Gallup survey indicates that (1) Trump has more than bounced back from the shutdown dip, and (2) His approval – which is at a high water mark – is double that of Congress!
So, what’s going on?
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Posted in Border Security, Border walls, Polls & Surveys, Trump, President Donald J. | Leave a Comment »
February 15, 2019
Over the past couple of weeks I’ve put up a few posts addressing the border wall legislative mess.
To get you ready for weekend cocktail party debates on “the bill” and National Emergency, I’ve pulled together the posts into a sort of border wall primer.
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For openers, Dems like to say that Trump doesn’t have a plan … or that his defacto plan is “a concrete wall from sea to sea”.
Yes, the “build the wall” campaign rhetoric provides fodder for the sea-to-sea claimers, but Trumps plan (yes, there is one) has evolved to about 225 miles of steel slat barriers, strategically placed to slow the inbound flow across the borders and channel border crossers to bolstered “ports-of-entry.
See Cutting to the chase: What exactly is Trump demanding?
But, walls are ineffective and fundamentally immoral, right?
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Posted in Border Security, Border walls, Pelosi, Nancy, Trump, President Donald J. | 2 Comments »
February 14, 2019
In technical terms. a binary switch got flipped.
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Pro-wall extremists are fretting that Trump got hosed since he only got $1.375 billion towards the border wall/
Not to worry, folks.
The deal reminded me of an old story that provides some perspective…
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Posted in Border Security, Border walls, Pelosi, Nancy, Trump, President Donald J. | 1 Comment »
February 11, 2019
May put a new paint job on conference committee negotiations.
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First, a disclaimer of sorts.
Rasmussen skews right and its surveys are scoffed at by most traditional pollsters because they’re conducted without human contact … folks just answer questions via touch tone phone responses.
That said, I’ve found Rasmussen to be a good predictor on sensitive issues when people are reluctant to tell somebody what they think, but are willing to interact with an impersonal computer.
Bottom line: Rasmussen says “Trump’s approval rating among likely voters has soared since the State of the Union and are at an all time high.”
More specifically…
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Posted in Polls & Surveys, SOTU, Trump, President Donald J. | 1 Comment »
February 9, 2019
MUST READ: Is this the trick that President Trump has up his sleeve?
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In the last few days, Trump has seemed way too sanguine about the outcome of the conference committee trying to hash out a budget resolution … especially since the best case (from Trump’s perspective) is a token amount of money that is tightly specified so that it’s not to be used to construct a “wall”.
Trump also has signaled that he won’t force another government shutdown and won’t declare a national emergency … and, indicated that he might be able to operate under existing “executive authority“.
So, what’s he got up his sleeve?
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In a prior post, we posed a gut-check question for Pelosi (and anybody else) who says that walls are immoral and don’t work:
Should the border wall between San Diego and Tijuana be torn down?
Well, late Friday afternoon when the media was busy with the Bezos and Virginia fiascos, the San Diego – Tijuana story took a strange twist.
The DHS issued a press release headlined “DHS Issues Waiver to Expedite Secondary Fence Replacement Project in San Diego“.
click to view the press release on the DHS site
This may be a signal of what’s to come, so let’s drill down on it…
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Posted in Border Security, Border walls, IIRIR Act, Pelosi & Schumer, Trump, President Donald J. | 1 Comment »
February 6, 2019
Twas a bad night for the haters, following a very bad week.
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Imagine if Pelosi had resisted the theatrical power-play of delaying the SOTU address.
If she had kept to the traditional schedule, Trump wouldn’t have had these current events mega-talking points…
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Posted in SOTU, Trump, President Donald J., Trump-haters | Leave a Comment »
The Homa Files 