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JULY 24,  2011

SHORT TAKES ON THE DRIFTING WRECKAGE:

SHOCK AT NORWEGIAN POLICE RESPONSE – It is just sinking in to many in Norway that their police took more than an hour to reach the massacre of Norwegian children, children who had absolutely no defense and no security.  Norway is one of those leftist-run countries that endlessly "prides itself" on its self-declared high level of civility and humanity.  Great pride, great pride.  So their police didn't have any means to get to a massacre in less than an hour, allowing a single gunman – one man – to kill the equivalent of almost three infantry companies.  It's always the same thing with these welfare states:  They have great pride in their own superiority, but a lot of people ultimately wind up dead.  We counted our own death toll from crime in the thousands each year in New York before Rudy Giuliani put an end to the liberal madness and fought back, saving the lives of many more thousands.  But the leftist element never "takes pride" in progress like that.

WHITE SHIFT? – A new Pew poll shows a dramatic shift in white voter support toward the Republican side.  No doubt some will attribute this to "racism," but it appears to be a reaction to economic stress and a giving up of hope.  Then why, one might ask, is there not the same slippage among minorities, who certainly are being hurt by the economy?  The reason, I think, is a kind of ethnic solidarity, an understandable desire to protect "the first."  But a racial divide, for whatever reason, can be a real danger to America as we enter an election year, and a source of fodder for the demagogues of any race.

July 24, 2011     Permalink

HESS TODAY, GONE TOMORROW – AT 8:38 A.M. ET:  The events in Norway have focused attention on right-wing extremist politics in Europe.  By that we emphatically do not mean conservative politics, although attempts are already underway by the usual suspects, led by The New York Times, to link the two, a particularly vulgar tactic.  And we sometimes forget that Europe has an ugly history on the fringe right.  We were reminded by a strange story out of Germany.  From the Weekly Standard:

Earlier this week, as reported first in Süddeutsche Zeitung, the remains of Rudolf Hess were disinterred from a Protestant cemetery in Wunsiedel, Bavaria. (Der Spiegel has also reported on this in English.) Ever since the suicide of Hitler's deputy in 1987 at age 93 (he was the sole inmate at Spandau), his gravesite had become a problem, attracting neo-Nazis who turned the quiet town into a pilgrimage site. But the town had finally had enough. In agreement with Hess's family, the headstone was removed and the body scheduled for cremation and burial at sea—a similar fate that Adolf Eichmann met after his execution in Israel in 1962.

COMMENT:  That's pretty much the bin Laden solution.  Get rid of the body and avoid a shrine.  The Israelis did the same when they executed Adolph Eichmann, the organizer of the Holocaust.  The Weekly Standard points out that those sentenced to death at Nuremberg were all cremated, and their ashes dumped in an undisclosed ditch.

And so Hess, once one of the most powerful figures of the Nazi regime, will finally disappear from this Earth.  And I'm willing to bet that his burial at sea will also be used by a blinded press to condemn "right-wing" politics and attempt to make fascism and "conservatism" appear the same.  Fight back.

July 24, 2011      Permalink

AND THEN THE RACE WILL CHANGE – AT 8:27 A.M. ET:  If there's an 800-pound gorilla in the room in GOP politics it's Governor Rick Perry of Texas.  The conventional wisdom, which I believe is correct, is that a Perry entrance into the presidential contest will shake things up considerably.   We won't have long to wait.  From The Hill:

Texas Gov. Rick Perry, who has been flirting with a presidential run in 2012, said Friday that he'll make an announcement in three to four weeks.

He said during a forum with Republican governors in Aspen, Colo., that his decision-making has been a “thoughtful process” and that presidential aspirations had not been on his radar two months ago, according to the Aspen Daily News.

Perry, who has taken several high-profile meetings with potential supporters over the past month, said, "I'm basically asking people, 'Do you think there's room in this presidential election for a full-throated, unapologetic fiscal conservative? And if you do think there's room, are you going to help?'"

Those are the right questions.  As we noted here yesterday, Perry is very sharp, one of the sharpest politicians I've seen in recent years. 

Perry also picked up an unexpected statement of support following remarks he made about gay marriage.

The group GOProud reacted to Perry calling New York’s decision to legalize gay marriage “fine by me.”

Perry said gay marriage is an issue for the states to decide. “That is their call,” he said of New York. “If you believe in the 10th Amendment, stay out of their business."

GOProud sent out an alert to supporters on Saturday calling Perry “absolutely right. Thank you for staying true to your conservative principles by supporting states’ rights,” it said.

When a Texas conservative can stay conservative, yet get the support of a GOP gay group, you've got to admire the guy's ability to maneuver.  Perry understands there's a route to the presidency and a candidate had better study that route carefully.  That route consists of an entire nation, not four or five comfortable states.  Getting hung up on side social issues that are being resolved state by state is not the way to go.

We await Perry's announcement.  If it's positive, we'll then see how he does as he comes to bat.

July 24, 2011       Permalink

NONE DARE CALL IT WEINERGATE – AT 8:17 A.M. ET:  Another congressional Democrat is in trouble, or should we say is again in trouble over sex charges.  Where have we see this movie before?  From the Politico:

Rep. David Wu spoke to House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and other top Democrats on Saturday about his political future in the wake of allegations of a sexual encounter with a teenager, but it is not clear whether the Oregon Democrat will step down from office.

Wu has been accused of having an “unwanted sexual encounter” with the teenage daughter of a longtime friendlast year over Thanksgiving weekend. The teenager, whose identity has not been disclosed, and her family have not filed any criminal complaint against the longtime lawmaker, but the incident, the second accusation of inappropriate sexual behavior against Wu, is “extremely troubling” to Pelosi and other Democrats, say Democratic insiders.

Yeah, they seem deeply troubled.  Get this:

Wu, who was born in Taiwan, has disappeared from public view in the past day. He is believed to be holed up in his congressional office or residence on Capitol Hill. Wu has not commented on the allegations other than to release a short statement calling the matter “very serious.”

And...

In 1976, Wu was accused of attempted rape by a former girlfriend. No charges were filed in that case, but Wu, who was then attending Stanford University, was required to see a counselor and was disciplined by the university.

Are we seeing a pattern here?

Shortly before the 2010 elections, Wu began behaving erratically, including sending a picture of himself in a tiger costume to his staffers. More than a half dozen aides and campaign consultants quit as Wu bombarded them with troubling phone calls and emails. Wu’s remaining staffers canceled all campaign events, relying on TV ads to win his race.

After news reports of his behavior appeared in February and March, Wu began treatment for an unspecified mental health condition.

What is remarkable is that this dude got elected, then reelected, in a "liberal" district in which women's rights would presumably be a sensitive issue.  The hypocrisy flows.

Resignation required.  Today.

July 24, 2011     Permalink

JULY 23,  2011

SHORT TAKES ON THE DRIFTING WRECKAGE – AT 7:14 P.M. ET:

NORWAY – No dramatic developments.  One researcher at a human-rights group claims he's traced the alleged killer's e-mail address to a pseudonym at a neo-Nazi website in Sweden.  I was also struck by a report saying that, up to yesterday, the most heavily fortified building in Oslo was the US Embassy, a fact that, the story said, produced eye rolling among Norwegians, who thought the security excessive.  Perhaps the eye rolling will now stop, and the adolescent mentality that accompanied it will stop as well. 

ANOTHER BUSH? – Former Florida Governor Jeb Bush has raised eyebrows by saying he doesn't "anticipate" a run for the presidency in 2012.  It wasn't exactly the Sherman oath.  Bush also said he's learned never to say never.  Bush is a very attractive guy, with a fine record as governor.  But most observers see him for 2016, when some of the anger directed toward his ex-president brother dies down.  I think that's probably good common political sense.  But, you never know when the itch strikes a politician.  If Jeb sees an opening for 2012, I wouldn't be shocked to see him "reassess" his position.

FIVE-DOLLAR GAS? – Oil experts suggest the possibility that gasoline prices, rising again, could possibly top five dollars a gallon during 2011 if the US Government defaults, if there's unrest in another oil-producing nation in the Mideast, or if emerging markets in Asia and Latin America start to use even more oil, driving the price upward.  Five-dollar gas could be disastrous for the American economy, driving down consumer spending for other items, and possibly driving up unemployment.  It could also have a profound political effect on President Obama, assuming Republicans, who work hard to lose elections, can come up with a coherent, convincing plan to lower prices if they win next year.

AGAIN, SAN FRANCISCO – A legislative proposal in San Francisco would make felons and ex-convicts a protected class, along with the currently listed protectees, which include blacks, preganant women, and people with all kinds of problems.   Under the proposal, employers and landlords would not be permitted to ask applicants if they have a criminal past.  Makes perfect sense if you think like the San Francisco left.  After all, why would a day-care center have to know if an applicant is a convicted child molester or sex offender?  We must rise above these simple prejudices, darlings.

July 23, 2011       Permalink

OBAMA NOT LEFT ENOUGH? – AT 11:55 A.M. ET:   CNN is reporting that President Obama's approval is down among liberals.  I wonder what their alternative is?  I mean, Dennis Kucinich isn't running...yet:

Washington (CNN) – President Barack Obama's approval rating is down to 45 percent, driven in part by growing dissatisfaction on the left with the president's track record in office, according to a new national survey.
A CNN/ORC International Poll also indicates that the Republican "brand" is taking a beating in the minds of Americans.

The survey's Friday release comes as the Obama administration and top congressional officials continue talks on a potential deal tying roughly $3 trillion in new savings over the next decade to an increase in the nation's debt ceiling. If Congress and the President fail to raise the country's $14.3 trillion limit by August 2, Americans could face rising interest rates, a declining dollar and increasingly jittery financial markets, among other problems.

According to the poll, the president's 45 percent approval rating is down three points from June. Fifty-four percent of people questioned disapprove of how Obama's handling his duties, up six points from last month. His 54 percent disapproval rating ties the all-time high in CNN polling that the president initially reached just before last year's midterm elections.

"But drill down into that number and you'll see signs of a stirring discontent on the left," says CNN Polling Director Keating Holland. "Thirty-eight percent say they disapprove because President Obama has been too liberal, but 13 percent say they disapprove of Obama because he has not been liberal enough - nearly double what it was in May, when the question was last asked, and the first time that number has hit double digits in Obama's presidency."

Looking at that figure another way, roughly one in four Americans who disapprove of the president say they feel that way because he's not been liberal enough.

Obama's approval rating among liberals has dropped to 71 percent, the lowest point in his presidency. And the number of Democrats who want the party to renominate Obama next year, now at 77 percent, is relatively robust by historical standards but is also down a bit since June.

"It's likely that this is a reaction to some of Obama's recent actions, including his willingness to discuss major changes in Social Security and Medicare as part of the debt ceiling negotiations," adds Holland.

COMMENT:  Well, let's look at that.  So 13% of Americans don't think Obama is liberal enough.  What does that tell you about so-called "liberals"?   It really tells you that there's a liberal fringe, which can't muster more than 13%, that has really always been there.  It's concentrated in some parts of big cities, in college towns, and among people who pine for Ralph Nader. 

These folks will have nowhere to go but Obama in the general, but they can also stay home.  That is a legitimate worry for the Obama crowd.  It was stay-at-home Dems who sank Hubert Humphrey's campaign in 1968.  But I don't see the more-liberal-than-Obama faction running America anytime soon.

July 23, 2011       Permalink 

SMART, SMART, SMART – AT 10:53 A.M. ET:  I've been watching Rick Perry carefully.  It's clear he's about to enter the race for the GOP presidential nomination.  It's also clear a lot of people aren't satisfied with the current field.

The more I see of Perry, the more I like.  He's smart, he's fast, he's practical.  I sense that he can get the job done.  I also sense that he fights back, that he won't be intimidated by a press that will try to destroy him right from the start.  (Wait 'til you hear some pundit say, "Rick Perry makes George W. Bush look like a liberal."  Believe me, it's coming.)

Perry also oozes common sense.  He knows when to leave things alone, and recognizes that ideological groups within parties must, as Reagan knew, sometimes be kept at a bit of a distance.  Consider this, from The Politico:

Rick Perry's comment which we noted earlier - that the New York gay marriage law set to take effect on Sunday is "their business" but that he's fine with it - comes as part of his states-rights sell, which would be a strong basis of his candidacy. It's also in keeping with his anti-Washington comments (and book).

According to the AP:

"Our friends in New York six weeks ago passed a statute that said marriage can be between two people of the same sex. And you know what? That's New York, and that's their business, and that's fine with me," he said to applause from several hundred GOP donors in Aspen, Colo. "That is their call. If you believe in the 10th Amendment, stay out of their business."

He also said he strongly opposes same-sex marriage himself, which he's made clear. Still, his comments may further inflame some Tea Party critics, who have questioned his conservative credentials.

But not couching his opinion in federal terms would give him something of a bridge in a general election on an issue where the national popular opinion has, gradually but clearly, shifted.

COMMENT:  Exactly right.  No matter how you feel about gay marriage, it is nuts for the Republican Party to get hung up over it.  Perry has punted to the states, and that's a good, sound strategy.

Remember, Ronald Reagan never addressed an anti-abortion rally in person.  He always did it by phone.  He kept his distance from these social issues, as did FDR, who borrowed some programs from the socialist movement, but never acknowledged it. 

Having a set of clear priorities is critical to an election campaign.  Perry understands that.  In politics, I'd rather have 65% of something than 100% of nothing.  Ideologists, across the political spectrum, never understand that.  Please recall Winston Churchill's definition of a fanatic, as someone who can't change his mind and won't change the subject.  Fanatics don't win elections.

July 23, 2011       Permalink

NORWAY – AT 10:17 A.M. ET:  The death toll continues to rise, with 84 now confirmed dead at the youth camp attacked by at least one gunman yesterday.  We say "at least" because eyewitnesses say they saw a second gunman.  His existence is unconfirmed.  Eyewitness reports can be notoriously inaccurate.  There may have been a second gunman, there may not have been.

It now appears the shooting at the camp went on for two hours.  Two hours in which children were sitting ducks.  It appears there was no security provided at all, with no one nearby trained in defense, no one with a weapon.  I don't wish to sound political, or to wave the National Rifle Association flag, but this is what happens when only the criminals have guns. 

I watched the Norwegian prime minister on TV in the middle of the night.  It was like watching a town official in the United States.  We reported yesterday that Norway drives American security people crazy because it doesn't take terrorism seriously, and never believed it could happen in Norway.  It can happen in Norway.

The alleged shooter had bought six tons of fertilizer, which is used to make explosives.  It was sold to him by a supply house, but the house did not feel the sale was suspicious because the purchaser, now the alleged gunman, was involved in agriculture.  Gee.  Six tons sounds like a lot for a small farming operation.

The alleged shooter, who also presumably set off the huge bomb in Oslo earlier in the day, is described as a "Christian conservative" with right-wing views, and was associated with extremist groups.  I'd be awfully careful about descriptions at this point.  The international left is going to have a field day with this one, and I can just hear the leftist commentators in the United States trying to link the horror in Norway to, say, the thinking of the Tea Party in America.  After all, that is exactly what they did after the Tucson shooting.  In Tucson, the alleged shooter turned out to be a mental case with no known politics.

It is remarkable to watch reporters contrast the violence in Norway to the fact that the Nobel Peace Prize is awarded by that country.  The cynicism flows.  The Nobel Peace Prize has become a bad joke, but to some on the left it is still an iconic award.   I mean, they gave it to Jimmy Carter and Al Gore, didn't they?

Already the foreign minister of Norway, who reflects the naiveté of his society, is lecturing Norwegians about not jumping to conclusions after terror attacks.  Many did assume, in the first hours, that this assault was the work of Al Qaeda.  The foreign minister was quick to say that most political violence in Norway comes from the right.  He did not add that most terror violence in the world comes from jihadists, but he's a major-league appeaser, so why ruin the party line?

We'll keep you posted if anything is new. 

July 23,  2011     Permalink