Worldometer Daily Top Line
582 Total Deaths to Date
140 Daily New Deaths
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JHU Daily Top Line
March 24: COVID Tracker
March 24, 2020Finally, legit reasons for testing…
March 23, 2020For a couple of weeks, I’ve been asking:
Since doctors say that the treatment for symptomatic patients is the same whether a patient tests positive or negative for coronavirus, why all the fuss over test kits?
Over the weekend, I finally gleaned answers to my question.
Note: I use “gleaned” since no “experts” seem willing to explicitly say so
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1. Patients who present as symptomatic — but test negative — can be sent home to sleep off the flu rather than being admitted to a scarce hospital bed.
The consensus seems to be that roughly 90% of symptomatic patients who are tested are negative for coronavirus.
For them, self-quarantine is sufficient.
It makes sense that they be tested off-site (say, in a drive-thru testing site … and kept clear of doctors’ offices and hospitals.
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2. Healthcare personnel who treat coronavirus-infected patients need periodic testing to protect themselves and others.
By definition, these heroes of the fight are constantly exposed.
If they get infected, they deserve the benefit of immediate care … and, should be isolated
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That said, we need to ID the hidden carriers — the asymptomatics who are infected. That calls for a broadscale, rapid test.
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Monday: Sharp increase in new deaths.
March 23, 2020458 Total Deaths to Date Worldometer
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Daily New Deaths: Sharp increase +117
Worldometer
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JHU Daily Top Line
Sunday: Daily COVID-19 Tracker
March 22, 2020348 Total Deaths to Date Worldometer
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U.S. Hot Spots JHU
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Daily New Deaths: Slight Decline; NY +20
Worldometer
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Hydroxychloroquine: NY to start “clinical test” …
March 21, 2020Kudos to Cuomo for nudging the Feds
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You’ve probably heard some chatter about Hydroxychloroquine.
Hydroxychloroquine is a decades old anti-malaria drug that some researchers are advocating for “repurposing” to attack COVID-19.
Here’s what you need to know…
How will we know when we’ve turned the COVID-19 corner?
March 21, 2020Here’s the COVID-19 number that I’m watching.
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Cutting to the chase, I’ve concluded that the most reliable number being reported is the number of COVID-19 related “Daily New Deaths”.
According to Worldometers – the best data aggregation site that I’ve found so far – there have been 275 COVID-19 related deaths in the U.S. so far.
That chart looks exponentially ominous … but remember that we’re looking at relatively small numbers.
Note: Over 60% of the fatalities are clustered in 3 states WA, NY, CA — with half of those in Washington.
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So, I think it’s more useful to look at “Daily New Deaths” …. if that number keeps going up then, by definition, we haven’t turned the corner.
When that number starts trending down then, by definition, we have turned the corner.
Here’s what Worldometers is reporting on “Daily New Deaths” for the past 3 days: 41, 57, 49.
Don’t get too excited about yesterday’s drop in fatalities … again, keep in mind that we’re dealing with small numbers.
In the unlikely case that the number stays around 50, then it’s time to celebrate.
Keep in mind that during flu season, we rack up about 250 flu-related deaths per day.
Bottom line: If you want to know if we’re starting to turn the corner, keep your eye on the number of COVID-19 related “Daily New Deaths”.
Choose the level of aggregation based on your specific interest … world, nation or state.
Note: I’ll be focusing on the U.S. national number … and the national number less the 3 state hot spots.
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Why “Daily New Deaths”?
Was South Korea’s COVID success really attributable to testing?
March 20, 2020Testing — which wasn’t as “mass” as headlined — is only part of the story.
=================
It’s indisputable that South Korea has done a masterful job attacking COVID-19.
How did they do it?
Practically all of the punditry has centered on SoKo’s fast-to-market and aggressive testing procedures.
For example, Time says: “Countries (such as Korea) that have flattened the curve made testing widely and freely available, using innovative approaches like mass drive-thru test centers.”
Forbes said: “South Korea’s cumulative curve has indeed flattened somewhat. That’s primarily due to the government moving swiftly to ensure free and widespread public testing for COVID-19.
The implication: If the US just had more test kits and pop-up testing stations, we’d be able to get this outbreak under control pronto.
But, there’s way more to the story … SoKo also took strong enforcement actions based on the test results.
Here’s the story….
WSJ: “New” strategy narrows testing focus.
March 19, 2020Headline in the WSJ today:
In summary:
The current plan of attack emphasizes social distancing as the primary method to contain the new coronavirus, a shift away from its recent focus on widespread testing as a containment tool.
We don’t want people to focus on testing as a big magic bullet.
Diagnostics are important, but shouldn’t be the main emphasis. Social distancing is more important to containing community spread of the virus.
The priorities:
Testing will prioritize seniors aged 65 and older, front-line health care workers and patients hospitalized with symptoms
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Let’s dig a little deeper…
WSJ: “It’s Dangerous to Test Only the Sick”
March 18, 2020Earlier this week, we posted Let’s make COVID testing actionable, providing a decision matrix and arguing that asymptomatic people (boxes A and C below) should be tested to determine if they are “hidden carriers” who should be quarantined.
Complementing our post, the WSJ published a piece arguing that “It’s Dangerous to Test Only the Sick”
Its punch line: Random sampling is essential to learn the truth about virus spread and deadliness.
Let’s drill down on that…
Does anything on this map strike you as odd…
March 17, 2020Last night, when the Johns Hopkins COVID-19 Map was flashed on the screen, something caught my eye.
The red dots visualize the prevalence of COVID-19 in each geographic area.
Take a look… what do you see?
Let’s zoom in….
Let’s make COVID testing actionable…
March 16, 2020Seriously, who should get priority for COVID testing?
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COVID-19 testing has been getting a lot of attention recently since availability of test kits has been late and slow.
- TV pundit-doctors complain that they can’t get tests done on their patients.
- Some people are anxious to know if they have been infected.
- Scientists are dismayed that they don’t have enough data to accurately calibrate the problem.
The current answer: Google-enabled pop-up, drive-thru testing stations for people who have COVID symptoms (and want to be tested).
My question: Is that the right answer?
I think not…
California: “Isolate the elderly and chronically ill”
March 16, 2020Governor Newsom flips the COVID-19 paradigm
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The focused scientific advisories — at least until this weekend — have been for people infected (or believed to be infected) by the coronavirus but not requiring hospitalization to self-quarantine by isolating themselves at home for 14 days.
The game started to change during last Friday’s Federal COVID Task Force press conference.
Eldercare facilities were directed to put a moratorium on visitors and try to get all personnel tested.
Then, last night, Governor Newsom directed California seniors and people with chronic diseases (e.g. heart and respiratory diseases, diabetics and asthmatics) or compromised immune systems to self-quarantine during the coronavirus crisis.
Perhaps, for the first time ever, I agree agree with Gov. Newsom on something.
Let’s dive a little deeper…
Flattening the COVID-19 curve…
March 15, 2020Practically every time Dr. Fauci — the CDC’s undisputed truth teller — speaks, he references “flattening the curve”.
Graphically, here’s what he talking about…
Source: The Lancet
Let’s drill down on the chart…
Update: This coronavirus thing is getting personal…
March 13, 2020And, raises some interesting questions.
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Welp, my next week’s trip to Spring Training has been cancelled.
So have the grandkids sports events for the weekend.
All fair in the social distancing game, I guess.
And, just heard that the grandkids schools will be closed for 2 weeks starting next Monday.
Nitpicking, the latter raises a question: if closing the schools is crucial, why wait until Monday?
Or, since children are reportedly the least susceptible to coronavirus, why are schools closing at all?
And, here’s a bigger question…
Why I’m still optimistic that we’ll get thru this coronavirus thing…
March 12, 2020I’m not a scientist or a doctor … so, these may be famous last words, but I’m not panicky over the coronavirus.
Here’s why…
Correlation doesn’t prove causation, but…
March 11, 2020The WSJ mapped the incidence of coronavirus.
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Channeling data from Johns Hopkins, the WSJ reports that — as of Tuesday night, March 10 — the U.S. has 1,025 confirmed cases of corona virus … and, 25 confirmed coronavirus-related deaths … 23 of which occurred in the Seattle area nursing home.
Below is a geographical visualization of the confirmed cases.
Note the concentrations (i.e. the big bubbles) in Washington State, California and NY/NJ/NE.
Now, mentally juxtapose that map onto this one which displays the state-by-state results of the 2016 presidential election.
See any pattern?
Of course, we’re dealing with small numbers and, again, correlation doesn’t prove causation.
That said, the coronavirus concentrations might be explained by the urban population densities in Washington, California and NY/NJ/NE … or, it might just be that those locations are ports-of-entry for foreign travelers … with Wash & Cali being primary entry points for travelers coming from virus- originating Asian countries..
Or, it could be related to public health conditions in the locales … think homeless rates and poop in the streets of SF / LA /Seattle.
Or, it might be that folks living in fly-over country are healthier stock.
Draw your own conclusion.
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It’s Trump’s economy now…
March 10, 2020From the Babylon Bee…
MARTHA’S VINEYARD, MA — From his seaside mansion, former president Barack Obama announced today that he is formally passing ownership of the stock market and economy on to President Trump.
“All the gains were mine — Trump didn’t build that — but this crash is all on Trump,” Obama said as he admired the ocean, which will consume his home in fewer than twelve years.
“My responsibility for the great economic gains in this country ended the moment the stocks started to tank this morning.”
The former president said that he does reserve the right to reverse his stance and reclaim credit for any economic gains realized after the market turns around, whenever that may be.
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Trump: “Maybe I shoulda been a doctor”
March 9, 2020Let’s start the week on a high note.
Last week, President Trump visited the CDC in Atlanta.
Answering reporters’ questions, he felt the need to substantiate his credentials to be overseeing the COVID-19 response.
His answer — paraphrased above — is classic Trump … this 1-minute video is a ‘must see’.
For skeptics: His Uncle John Trump was a professor at the MIT, a recipient of U.S. President Reagan’s National Medal of Science and a member of the National Academy of Engineering. Uncle John was noted for developing rotational radiation therapy. He was the paternal uncle of Donald Trump, the 45th president of the United States. Source
Logical inference: This science stuff is just in his genes.
Case closed.
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P.S. But, I’m not ready to have the guy operate on me.
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The day the music died for Sen. Warren ….
March 6, 2020Welp, she called it a day … declaring some victory of sorts and pulling out of the presidential race.
She insinuates gender bias, some pundits opine that she was totally inauthentic – having been caught in a couple of whoppers, and some say that her policy ideas were just too radical for mainstream America.
In my opinion, the demise of Warren’s campaign can be traced to a single incident that went viral…
Bloomberg takes American Samoa !
March 4, 2020DJT nailed the main Super Tuesday takeaways in 2 Tweets ….
My observation: Bloomberg’s 1st debate was like the curtain being pulled back in the Wizard of Oz … a self-inflicted wound that neutralized hundreds of millions of dollars of advertising.
My question: Will a humiliated Bloomberg continue to pour money behind Biden, Congressional Dem candidates and his causes – which obviously didn’t resonate with voters … or, will he take his wallet back home and sulk?
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My observation: Rather than drop out before yesterday’s vote (ala Pete, Amy, and Beto), Warren stayed in. Doing so, she demonstrated that her “higher purpose” of supporting the “Progressive cause” was a bunch of BS. Her vote totals — while meager — would have shifted a couple of states towards Bernie … or at least narrowed Biden’s delegate lead.
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Final take: Trump versus Biden will be fun to watch … especially since the Bernie Bros will stay home.
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The importance of Congressional races…
March 3, 2020During the last Dem debate, Mike Bloomberg claimed that his election generosity “bought” the Dems a majority in Congress.
Obviously, the GOP would like like to regain a Congressional majority to stop the constant stream of heretofore fruitless investigations that Pelosi & Schiff have instigated.
But, for the GOP. the stakes may be even higher than that.
Keeping the White House may depend on winning the Congress….
Bloomberg’s possible path to the Oval Office…
March 2, 2020Short answer: via a 3rd party run.
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Many pundits are speculating that Bloomberg’s only chance of winning the White House is to buy-off a sufficient number of “super delegates” at a brokered Democratic Convention.
I disagree.
In fact, if that were to happen, I think that Trump would prevail in a head-to-head match-up.
My take: Sanders’ supporters will be irate if Bernie enters the convention with a statistically significant plurality of delegates but is denied the nomination because of the Dems’ backroom “Stop Bernie” dealing.
Bernie’s Bros won’t shift their passionate support to Mini Mike … they’ll either stay home or cast Trump votes in protest.
So, the way I see it, Bloomberg has only one long-shot path to the White House: run as an independent.
It’s a wild scenario, but here’s my logic…
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First, I expect that Bernie will be the Dems’ nominee for president.
A reluctant Dem establishment will be left with no choice.
My bet: Head-to-head, Trump the capitalist would beat Sanders the socialist.
But …
What if Bloomberg – after failing to secure the Dem nomination – declares as a 3rd party candidate?
No chance that Bloomberg would beat Trump head-to-head …. and no chance that he’d win 270 electoral votes in a 3-way contest.
But …
What if Bloomberg were to win a state or two (think: New York, New Jersey) … just enough to stop Trump (and Sanders) short of 270?
Well, then the election gets tossed to the Congress.
In a nutshell: Congress gets to elect the President from among the top 3 candidates (based on their earned electoral votes).
Each state’s delegation gets one vote.
Assume that the Dems had the majority of “members” in a majority of state delegations.
Note: While the Dems currently hold a majority in Congress, the GOP currently has a majority of state delegations.
If all the Dem’s state delegations cast “establishment” votes instead of “socialism” votes … i.e. they vote Bloomberg over Sanders … then Bloomberg is elected … even though he won a minimal number of electoral votes in the general election.
Of course, all hell would break loose … and American democracy would never be the same … but Bloomberg would be the President-elect.
A remote happening … but possible.
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Running mates?
February 28, 2020During this week’s Dem debate, my mind wandered to wondering about possible running mate choices.
I’m already on record projecting that Klobuchar would be a natural running mate for Biden if he rises from the ashes and snags the nomination.
- See our prior post: How Biden & Klobuchar could both become president.
Apparently, Amy is on that mind track, too.
Anybody notice how many times she said that she’s the one candidate that has sway in the swing Midwest states?
What if Sanders gets the nod? Who will he select?
Let’s put the coronavirus in perspective…
February 27, 2020In his coronavirus press conference, President Trump said that he was shocked when he was informed that over 60,000 Americans died from the flu last year
That number struck me as high, so I did some fact-checking…
Bloomberg: “My $100 million won the House in 2018”
February 26, 2020Paraphrasing, that was the line that caught my attention during last night’s Democratic melee.
Mayor Pete tried to sting Bernie with “The 40 new congressional reps who were elected, weren’t running on your platform, Bernie … and now, they’re already running away from it.”
Mayor Mike stepped into school him on the point:
“No, it was the $100 million that I personally threw into those campaigns.”
Did he really say that?
The guy who is who is literally trying to buy the 2020 presidential election, crowed that he successfully bought the 2018 Congressional races.
Yipes.
The guy who is supposed to be the Democratic champion for capitalism offered up one of the strongest talking points against it.
When jabrones like Bloomberg grow their wealth to a point that they can buy control of the government, and try to do it, that’s a problem.
Chilling, isn’t it?
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The questions that I’d ask Bloomberg tonight …
February 25, 2020I expect Bloomberg to be better prepared tonight, but expect that he’ll continue to take incoming fire from the other candidates.
Just to make him squirm, here’s the first question that I’d like to see somebody ask him:
Mr. Blumberg, when you were mayor of NYC, you supported the policing policy called stop & frisk.
The murder rate in NYC dropped significantly when stop & frisk was enforced.
But, the policy disproportionately impacted young minority males.
You recently apologized for supporting stop & frisk.
Does that mean that, if you had it to do over again, you would have halted stop & frisk and accepted a continuing higher murder rate?
Easy answer: “I would have halted stop & frisk, and doubled down on other murder prevention initiatives such as ….”
My bet: Bloomberg will freeze and blow it if the question is asked.
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And, here’s the pivotal question that I’d ask…
India to Trump: “Macho, macho man”
February 25, 2020Trump 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.
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India plays “Macho Man” by Village People as Trump enters Sardar Patel Stadium
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By end-of-day, I expect MSNBC to charge the Indians with election meddling …
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No wonder that I’m always looking over my shoulder…
February 24, 2020Forbes reported an MIT study that ranked cities by how liberal or conservative they were.
Of course, San Francisco topped the list.
Which other cities made the top 10?
Trump: Thank you, Senator Warren!
February 21, 2020She provided the Trump 2020 Campaign with the ad it needed
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If Bloomberg’s leveraged buyout of the Democratic succeeds and he gets the Dem presidential nomination, I’m betting that we’ll see this clip over and over and over.
click to view or read transcript below
Warren blasts Bloomberg:
I’d like to talk about who we’re running against—a billionaire who calls women fat broads and horse-faced lesbians, and no, I’m not talking about Donald Trump, I’m talking about Mayor Bloomberg.
Democrats are not going to win if we have a nominee who has a history of harassing women, and of supporting racist policies like red-lining and stop-and-frisk.
If Bloomberg is the Dem nominee, suburban women may be caught between a rock and a hard place come November.
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Follow on Twitter @KenHoma
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Basic economics: What happens when demand outraces supply?
February 20, 2020Yesterday, we posted: Has ObamaCare provided more healthcare?
On cue, WSJ ran a complementary op-ed by Sally Pipes — a healthcare policy expert: Medicare for All Could Mean Doctors for None.
Pipes’ fundamental conclusion:
Everyone would have coverage, but that’s not the same thing as care.
More specifically:
Patients would have to compete for appointments with a dwindling number of overloaded and underpaid doctors.
Here’s the logic and facts that underlie Pipes’ conclusions…
Has ObamaCare provided more healthcare?
February 19, 2020Not really: it just covered more people with health insurance?
Since Dems are making ObamaCare an election issue, let’s flashback to a prior post and inject some facts…
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In my consulting / problem-solving class, I always emphasized asking the right question before starting to gather data, doing analyses, drawing conclusions and making recommendations.
Makes sense, doesn’t it?
Then, would someone please explain to me why the politcos (on both sides) obsess over health insurance coverage (how many people are covered) and largely ignore the quantity & quality healthcare that Americans are getting?
Source: AAMC
My conclusion: More Americans now have health insurance, but healthcare hasn’t increased … it has just been re-distributed.
Remember how healthcare costs were going to drop by $2,500 for every family?
February 18, 2020The Dem presidential candidates are making a big deal out of “fixing the healthcare system” … and “cutting healthcare costs”.
That’s noble, but raises a question that’s been bugging me …
Wasn’t Obamacare supposed to do that?
Specifically, Obama — who never lied according to the MSM — told us that every family’s healthcare costs would go down by $2,500.
So what happened?
In 2016 (Obama’s last year in office), employees paid $11,000 out-of-pocket for healthcare … up $2,500 since 2012.
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Milliman – a well-regarded actuarial consulting” firm – has published an annual recap of healthcare spending since 2001.
The Milliman Medical Index tracks the total costs of providing health care to an average family of four covered by an employer-sponsored “preferred provider plan” … that’s about 155 million employees and their dependents.
The total includes the health insurance premiums paid by both the employer and the employee, as well as the actual expenditures for health care paid by the insurance plan and out of pocket by the insured family.
The big news: In 2016, the average healthcare costs for a family of 4 surpassed $25,000 for the first time … the $25,826 is triple the cost to provide health care for the same family in 2001 … and up about $5,000 since 2012.
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The bad(est) news is the increased proportion of the healthcare costs being shouldered by individual employees …
Trump’s tailwind in 3 charts.
February 17, 2020I get bewildered when I hear the Dem presidential candidates whine about how bad things are going and how bad off Americans are.
I guess that they need to keep harping on the theme — and stimulating some despair — because Americans seem to think they’re doing ok.
Who says?
According to Gallup, “Satisfaction With Personal Life” is at an all time high 90% … up from 78% during the Obama years.
Hmm.
And, things get even better….
Read the rest of this entry »
How Biden & Klobuchar could both become president.
February 14, 2020Simple: Biden should pre-announce he’s a 1-termer and name Amy as his running mate … and she should gracefully bow out of the 2020 presidential race and run as Joe’s VP.
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I hate to give the Dems useful advice, but…
Imagine a Joe Biden that is old but not cognitively challenged … and is nice and well-intended, not influenced by Ukrainian bribes laundered through his ne’er-do-well son.
Or, at least imagine that Biden’s above shortcomings could be sufficiently minimized or obscured so that voters revert to “It’s just Joe being Joe” and give him a pass.
If that were the case, the Dems dream ticket might be Biden-Klobuchar.
Here’s my logic…
Adam Corolla explains why LA doesn’t act on its homeless crisis.
February 13, 2020Adam Corolla is a comedian and podcaster … a very clever guy who sees things that other people miss and presents his insights in his comedy.
He was recently on the Tucker Carlson show, opining about the homeless crisis in LA.
I thought the segment was both entertaining and insightful.
Here’s a link to the full 10-minute interview … which, in my opinion, is worth viewing.
And, here are a couple of snippets to tease your interest…
So, what happened to Biden and Warren?
February 12, 2020Both Warren & Biden got smoked in NH last nite … they finished out of the money (4th & 5th place) … each got less than 10% of the vote … and neither scored any delegates.
Pundits are coming up with many convoluted explanations, but the answers are really quite simple.
For Biden, the answer can be summed up in one word:impeachment.
Not his, Trump’s.
As we previously posted, Looks like Dems aimed at Trump but hit Biden…
I get it that Pelosi got pressured by AOC and her extreme liberal squad and by the most avid Trump-haters in her caucus.
Didn’t she realize that Biden would get caught in the crossfire? Or, was she just ok with sacrificing his candidacy?
Either way, Biden was toast from the get-go.
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In my opinion, Warren’s rapid slide can be traced to a single incident that went viral…
Who wants to be president?
February 11, 2020Or, more to the point: why would anybody want the job?
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The Iowa debacle didn’t surprise me. Maybe its an omen.
The morning after the last pre-Iowa Democratic debate, James Freeman of the WSJ asked: Doesn’t anybody want to be President?
Freeman opined:
Six competitors took the stage at the Democratic presidential debate, but nobody wanted to compete.
Given a final opportunity to challenge rivals before Democrats begin selecting the party’s nominee, the candidates looked just as bored as the television viewers who were treated to stale recitations of campaign talking points.
The reasonable conclusion is that both of America’s major political parties will be relying on Donald Trump to drive turnout in November.
I think Freeman may be selling Bernie short — that guy wants the job — but he’s on the right track.
In fact, I’d reframe the question and broaden it beyond the Dems roster of candidates.
For the the life of me, I can’t understand why anybody — including Donald J. Trump — would want the job rolling into 2021.
Here’s my thinking…
Romney 2016: “If Trump is the GOP nominee …”
February 10, 2020Some dire predictions from our national arbiter of morality.
===============
At the risk of piling on …
Last week, we flashed back to Romney’s 2016 public diatribe against then nomination candidate Trump.
Click to see a 3-minute video summary or a transcript of the speech
Of course, he dwelled on Trump’s boorish personal behavior (as if that wasn’t already evident to all) and his choppy business record (with emphasis on the entrepreneurial failures, e.g. Trump University and the Atlantic City casino).
And, he made a couple of dire predictions.
First, he unequivocally predicted: He will lose to Hillary Clinton.
Hmmm.
I guess his logic was: “I was a better candidate than Trump and I lost, so …”
![image[4]](https://homafiles.info/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/image4.png?w=450&h=327 "image[4]")
And, if Trump does get elected …
Reprise: How Beef-Loving Voters Can End Up WithTofu
February 7, 2020Was Biden a victim of the process or simply an awful candidate?
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This is from the HomaFiles archives – one of my favs.
The original WSJ article was inspired by Clinton’s win over elder Bush (the Perot factor), younger Bush’s win over Gore (the Nader factor), and Jesse Ventura’s gov win in Minnesota.
But, the analysis has current relevancy given the Iowa (partial) results.
Let’s look at how election processes influence results…
Romney touted his deep Christian values …
February 6, 2020But forgot to mention how much he hates Trump.
===============
Romney’s “guilty” vote should have been expected.
Listening to his near tearful rationalization of his vote, my mind immediately flashed back to his 2016 unforced diatribe against Trump.
Though Romney wasn’t a presidential candidate at the time, he felt it was his moral responsibility to give a speech to call out Trump.
- If you need a refresher, here’s a 3-minute summary.
In a nutshell Romney opined: “Trump is a phony and a fraud lacking the temperament or judgement to be President” and “If his economic plans are implemented America will go into a deep recession.”
He could have stated his deep Christian assessment more simply as: “I hate Trump.”
I thought he was warming to Trump when he groveled for the Secretary of State job.
When Trump rejected him, the die was cast.
Revenge was certain … it just needed an opportunity.
Imagine how frustrating it was for Romney hear Trump recount his many presidential accomplishments during the State of the Union.
Well, Pelosi-Schiff-Nadler provided the opportunity … and Romney took it.
His vote really didn’t matter other than depriving Trump the chance to use the phrase “on a strictly partisan vote”.
It’ll be interesting to see how long his moral courage will be touted by the Dems who previously called him a racist, misogynist, animal abuser and corporate looter.
My bet: He’ll be a quickly fading Dem hero … hours or days … not months or years.
Romney is trying to claim the mantle that Comey forfeited as as America’s self-proclaimed moral arbitrator.
My question to him: When did hate become a Christian value?
============
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Looks like Dems aimed at Trump but hit Biden…
February 5, 2020Two charts tell the story.
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Yesterday, as the Dems’ impeachment gambit continued to fizzle towards its inevitable conclusion, Gallup reported that:
President Donald Trump’s job approval rating has risen to 49%, his highest in Gallup polling since he took office in 2017.
His 94% approval rating among Republicans is up 6 percentage points from early January. His 42% approval rating among independents is up 5 points, over the same timeframe.
Rather than being a casualty of the Dems’ flailing impeachment attempt, Trump seems to be a beneficiary.
But, what about good old Sleepy Joe Biden?
Bottom line: Trump was less guilty than Obama, Clinton and the Bidens.
February 3, 2020OK, I’m willing to stipulate that Trump pressured Ukraine — by throttling some congressionally approved military aid — to get European nations to step-up with more aid (i.e. burden-sharing) … and to investigate the Bidens.
But, Schiff & Nadler weren’t able to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that Trump wanted the investigation to undercut Biden’s presidential campaign — versus legitimately investigating a corrupt act … nor were they able to demonstrate that the check-cutting delay created a security risk for either the U.S. or Ukraine.
And, Trump’s transgressions were shown to pale in comparison to those perpetrated by Obama, Clinton and the Bidens … all of whom skated free.
Let me explain…
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Let’s start with Obama.
To appease the Russians, Obama withdrew support for the Polish missile defense system that was being developed … and ceded the strategically pivotal Crimea peninsula to the Russians by refusing to provide the Ukranians with lethal defensive munitions.
Disclaimer: My ancestry is 1/2 Polish, 1/2 Ukranian … so I take both acts of neglect a bit personally.
I was delighted that during the Schiff investigation the State Department witnesses had to admit that that Trump was providing Ukraine more substantial military aid than Obama — mostly in the form of Javelin anti-tank missiles … and, that the delay in military aid didn’t have any material impact, e.g. no Javelins were delayed since they were previously funded under a separate program (that some of the House Managers voted AGAINST).
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Then, there’s the Steele Dossier situation … funded by the Clinton campaign and the DNC.
Though going through a couple of laundering channels, they engaged a foreign agent (Steele) to dig up dirt on Trump … by soliciting “information” from Russian sources.
Of course, we all know how that turned out.
Falsified FISA requests opened the door to spying on the Trump campaign.
Any reasonable person might conclude that was engaging foreigners to interfere with a U.S. election, right?
I loved it when House Manager Jefferies stammered through a tortured rationale that said, in essence, that all they did was “purchase some opposition research’ … no harm no foul.
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And finally, the Bidens.
As I’ve argued before, if Burisima had handed Sleepy Joe a suitcase containing a million dollars to get the prosecutor fired, even Chuck Todd would have to admit it was a bribe.
My view: there is insignificant difference between a suitcase full of loot and a million dollar board seat for a family member who lacked any relevant experience or expertise … and who only attend a couple of board-related events.
The latter is just a lightly laundered bribe paid in installments rather than as a direct lump sum.
The Bidens are guilty as sin … and Trump had authority and responsibility to have their corruption investigated.
What I love is that the Biden case is so easy for everyone to understand: son gets a million bucks, dad fires prosecutor. Case closed.
Compare that to the tangled web of suspicions, inferences, and presumptions that the House witnesses provided.
When pressed, all those witnesses denied having any direct evidence of an impeachable crime.
Close that case, too.
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Why the Senate won’t be hearing additional witnesses…
January 31, 2020OK, it’s coming down to whether or not to call witnesses.
My take: No way.
For many reasons, the GOP will stick together and, by majority vote, the Senate won’t call additional witnesses.
Here’s my thinking….
Reading minds to discern intentions…
January 30, 2020OK, Trump delayed aid to Ukraine and encouraged Zelensky to look into the Biden’s million dollar fauz-job scheme.
But, did he delay aid it because (1) he didn’t think other countries — more dependent on peace in Ukraine — were paying their fair share, or (2) he thought that a VP taking a million dollar bribe — albeit disguised — was corrupt, or (3) he was shaking at the prospects of facing Sleepy Joe in the election and wanted to kneecap him, or (4) some combination of the above.
The question boils down to how can you discern a person’s intentions?
An opinion piece by Sharyl Attkisson in The Hill titled “Democrats can read minds” crystalized something that’s been bothering me for awhile.
Remember when IG Horowitz outlined 17 (or more) mega-errors in the FBI FISA process.
Though all of the miscues were material and in the direction of securing warrants to surveil Trump campaigners, Horowitz asserted that he didn’t have testimonial or evidential proof (i.e. “smoking guns”) that the “mistakes” were the result of political bias.
Said differently, Horowitz refused to draw a conclusion re: motivation because “I can’t read minds”.
Fair enough.
The FBI / FISA situation was reminiscent of Comey’s press conference re: Hillary’s transgressions…
Re: witnesses … maybe Maxine Waters has the right idea.
January 29, 2020Punt the ball back to the Congress!
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First, a couple of disclaimers:
- I’m neither a lawyer nor a Constitutional scholar.
- I think that Maxine Waters is a complete idiot.
That said, Waters may have inadvertently provided some air cover for the “pivotal 4 moderate GOP Senators” … permitting them to stop wringing their hands … to vote no on witnesses … and to vote for acquittal.
Here’s my rationale…
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First, what’s the “Water’s Doctrine”?
Simply stated, she has stated publicly that if Trump is acquitted, the Congress will just reload and issue new articles of impeachment.
Brilliant, Maxine.
So what should the Senate do?
Simply stated, the GOP should vote no on additional witnesses (the source of this week’s hand wringing) … and vote to acquit based on the evidence provided by the Congress.
The underlined words are key.
Based on the evidence Congress turned over to the Senate … Trump will be acquitted.
Everybody knows that.
If the Congressional majority really believes that more witnesses (Bolton, the Bidens, etc.) are case-breaker for them … then they should reconvene Schiff / Nadler.
Their “Impeachment Version 1.1” could start with the calling of Bolton and other witnesses. Something they should have done in the first place.
Yeah, Trump will claim executive privilege — with a stronger hand since the issue has been thoroughly hashed out in the Senate “trial” … and Congress will have to appeal to the Courts.
That’s OK … in fact, it’s better than ok because it’s the proper process.
After the court rules, the Congress can proceed accordingly and — if they get the smoking gun that their frantically searching for — they can issue new, more specific articles of impeachment.
Note: Since impeachment is a political process, not a legal process, I don’t think that double jeopardy rules apply. But again, I’m not a lawyer or Constitutional scholar.
Of course, that won’t happen.
They won’t find a smoking gun … and the clock will likely run out on them.
What’s the downside?
Trump is branded “an impeached president” for life (<= as declared by Pelosi) … but he can boast that he was acquitted. Win-win.
The “do nothing” Congress can continue doing nothing except chasing its collective tails for the rest of its term … which, incidentally, I think is a good thing.
The Senate can get back to doing its “work of the people” … including, appointing more Federal judges.
Sounds like a perfect solution to me.
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So, how many Americans can ID Ukraine on a map … and, so what?
January 28, 2020In a previous post, we asked loyal readers: Can you find Ukraine on a map?
If you didn’t take the test then, try sticking a pin in Ukraine now. (Prior post has the answer )
Our bet at the time: The vast majority of Americans can’t find Ukraine on a map … even those in the impeachment brigade.
Well, some political scientists did a survey on the question.
Here’s what they found…
Cutting to the chase: the central impeachment questions.…
January 27, 2020
Cutting to the chase, the Congressional Democrats impeached President Trump on 2 charges:
(1) Abuse of Power – for pressuring the Ukrainian President to investigate Joe & Hunter Biden, and
(2) Obstruction of Congress – for withholding documents and blocking his aides’ testimony.
- click to view the Impeachment Articles
In a prior post, we replayed Prof. Jonathan Turley dismantling the obstruction charge against President Trump.
The essence of his argument:
- The President has every right to withhold testimony and documents citing “executive privilege”.
- If Congress disputes the right to executive privilege, it can appeal to the courts.
- If the courts deny the claim of executive privilege and the President still withholds, then — and only then — is he guilty of obstruction.
Congress did not appeal to the courts and it has no standalone legal power to deny executive privilege and charge obstruction.
Case closed.
So, what about the other impeachment charge: abuse of power?
This is will emerge as the central issue in the trial, especially given the hornet’s nest poked by the Bolton book draft leaks.
So, let’s dig a little deeper …
My favorite split screen … ever!
January 25, 2020A picture is worth a thousand words, right?
Below is Adam Schiff seemingly directing our attention to the My Pillow ad on the left.
My view: An appropriate end to the Dems dog-and-pony show.
It says it all.
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So, how’s the Dem’s impeachment gambit doing?
January 24, 2020Here are the initial numbers from RCP’s poll-of-polls …
Opposition to Trump’s removal is now a plurality … and the gap is widening
Note that:
- Support / opposition was a push when the Congressional Dems passed the impeachment articles
- Opposition turned upward during Pelosi’s slow roll handing the impeachment articles over to the Senate
- Support for removal turned down as soon as the Dem managers started talking.
- The Present’s defense hasn’t been presented yet.
Perhaps McConnell should give the Dems even more time to pitch their case.
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Nobody that I know is watching…
January 24, 2020… and, they’re not alone!
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Apparently, the folks who are watching are the ones who are alone.
According to a New York Magazine recap….
- TV ratings for the first two days of the trial, the six news networks covering Trump’s impeachment averaged a little over 11 million viewers combined.
- Viewership dropped by about 20 percent on on the 2nd day, with a total of 8,858,000 million watching.
To put those numbers in perspective …
- Approximately 125 million Americans voted in 2016 … so, fewer than 1 in 10 voters say they’re tuning in
- The 2018 testimony of Christine Blasey Ford and Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh drew an audience of 20.4 million … about twice the impeachment viewership.
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My key indicator of audience engagement are the head-to-head ratings for Hannity and Maddow.
- Hannity drew 4,246,000 million viewers on Wednesday night.
- During the same time slot, Maddow drew 2.99 million viewers
- Both Laura Ingraham and Tucker Carlson both beat Maddow’s ratings with 3.93 million and 3.73 million viewers. respectively.
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My take: Who cares? It’s a partisan political battle and positions are already hardened. Who wants to watch a bunch of hypocritical politicos repetitiously bloviate for hours on end when the outcome is already determined?
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