Getting Another Feeling About Tuesday: Trump Will Finish in Second Place (or lower) Thanks to His Sloppy Handling of the New Hampshire Debate

Trump’s true colors shown through at the New Hampshire debate, and he was getting booed by rank and file Republicans.  They didn’t seem too impressed with his entertainment act.  That debate was almost painful to watch…almost.

Prediction time: I have no idea who will win the state for the GOP side, but I’m getting the feeling that it won’t be Trump.  I think he’s going to finish in second place (or lower).   First place could be Rubio, or Cruz.

On the Democratic side, I think Sanders will take New Hampshire.  Democratic voters there seem to be in sync with his message, and Clinton still has major trust issues.

It may be that she will be charged with a crime.  Her email problems seem to be getting worse by the day.

It’ll be very interesting to see if the national and New Hampshire polls have it right, or if Trump’s voters stay home in New Hampshire, like his followers in Iowa did. 

The polls in Iowa showed Trump leading Cruz anywhere from 3-9% just before the caucuses started.   New Hampshire polls are showing Trump leading by double-digits.   If Trump loses, he’s going to be crying foul even more than he did over Iowa.   I don’t think it’s going to be as easy a win as Trump thinks.

Should be interesting.

Coin Tosses in the Iowa Caucuses? And Hillary Clinton Won 6 Out of 6 of Them?

According to this report, the chances of Hillary going 6/6 on coin tosses in the Iowa caucus was 1.6%.  Yet it happened, and gave Hillary the razor-thin victory in Iowa.

I’m not a fan of either Democratic candidate, but something’s really wrong here.  Sanders could very easily turn this mess into a court case, and I can’t say I’d blame him.   The Democratic math is pretty fuzzy.

The chaos shown in YouTube videos is confirmation of things going really bad.  You have to watch the entire video, especially when they start to compare numbers at the 1:11 mark of the video.

They’ve got to get their act together…hopefully this fiasco isn’t repeated in any of the other states who don’t do this kind of caucus.  I can see why Rush has referred to this process as the “Hawkeye Cockeye.”  What a mess.

Predictions for Iowa Caucus on Monday: Sanders Will Win Democratic Caucus, Trump Will Finish Second or Third

I have a feeling about Monday’s Iowa caucus.

I think the email issue will cripple Hillary Clinton on Monday, and Bernie Sanders will win on the Democratic side.  On the GOP side, I don’t think that Trump is going to do as well as the polls are suggesting.

Cruz will probably win, with Trump in second or third place.  Rubio may surge too.

Trump’s supporters have to turn out in force, and I’m not sure they’re going to.  Younger voters traditionaly don’t turn out to caucus.  That’s Trump’s Achilles Heel…his supporters MUST turn out in order for him to win.

I still don’t like the Iowa caucuses, but with the bombastic Trump in the mix, it will be a very interesting evening.

Flint Water Situation is Outrageous: Screw-Up After Screw-Up, and Now The State is Responsible for Lead Contamination of Thousands of People in Flint

After watching the news coverage from when the story of the water problems in Flint emerged, and Governor Snyder’s State of the State address, I’m in shock that something like this could happen on so huge a scale.

The federal and state investigations should reveal who knew what, and when. 

I’m not joining the call for Snyder to resign at this time.  But it is disgraceful that a water quality problem of this magnitude is taking place in this state, which has many quadrillions of safe water to draw drinking water from.

People in these “protection agencies” need to DO THEIR JOBS so that something like this can be stopped from happening again.  If someone had done the proper tests prior to Flint switching its water source, and started screaming “STOP!!” this could have been prevented.

Now there’s one heck of a mess to take care of, and one that will go on for years and cost billions (which Michigan doesn’t have), and to take care of any kids that develop permanent brain damage from lead contamination.   This is not a political issue to be bandied around.  Politicizing this situation won’t make it better, either.

Texas Governor Proposes Constititional Convention: This is a Very Bad Idea

I’m opposed to convening a Constitutional Convention for any reason whatsoever.

The governor of Texas has proposed it to add Constitutional Amendments in the following areas:

• Prohibit Congress from regulating activity that occurs in one state
• Require Congress to balance its budget.
• Prohibit administrative agencies from creating law
• Prohibit administrative agencies from pre-empting state law
• Allow a two-thirds majority of the states to override a Supreme Court decision
• Require a seven-justice super-majority vote for Supreme Court decisions that invalidate a democratically enacted law
• Restore balance of power between the federal and state governments by limiting the former to the powers expressly delegated to it in the Constitution
• Give state officials the power to sue in federal court when federal officials overstep their bounds
• Allow a two-thirds majority of the states to override a federal law regulation.

I like all of these ideas, but not when a Constitutional Convention is required to pass them. 

What’s to stop a runaway convention from enacting other changes that one interest group or another want?   Given the difficulty in convening a Constitutional Convention, these groups will realize it’s their one chance to change the law, they’ll come out of the woodwork with their own proposals that are best left in constitutional debate classes and not put into practice.

I prefer to have the Congress propose an amendment, debate it, pass it and then submit it to the states for ratification.  3/4 of the states need to ratify it.

This is a MUCH safer (though much slower) way to push through a Constitutional Amendment.   A convention could conceivably make an irreversible mess out of our Constitution.   That’s not worth the risk.

Militia Seizes Federal Wildlife Refuge Building: This Situation Goes Back to the 2014 Stand-Off Between the Bundy Family and the Federal Government Over Their Rustling of Bundy’s Cows

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I wrote about the Bundy situation in 2014 as it was unfolding then.  Here are the links:

Obama Administration is Provoking a Domestic Uprising With Their Stupid Cattle Round-Up: They Need to Stop Sending Police, K-9 Units and SWAT Teams to Handle Arguments With Farmers and Ranchers

Harry Reid Needs to Retire: He’s Acting Like Nevada’s Emperor over the Bundy Ranch Situation Instead of Acting Like the Senate Majority Leader and Dealing With More Pressing National Issues…Get With the Program, Reid, or Get Out of the Way!

Bundy’s Race Comments Are Major Screw-Up: Whatever Goodwill He Had Built Up Went Out the Window and He Won’t Get It Back

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A blind man could have seen this one coming.  And now Cliven Bundy’s family has jumped in with both feet and are part of the armed group that is holding a federal building in support of another landowner in Oregon who has a conflict going with the federal government.    

I am of the opinion that the miitias should go home.

All they’re going to do is push the government into taking further unconstitutional measures to eventually end gun ownership in the United States.   This is exactly what the current Administration wants, despite Obama’s denials and his ridiculing the NRA and others who are daring to speak out against President Obama’s presidential fiats.

The militia group, calling itself the Citizens for Constitutional Freedom, has vowed to stay put until its demands are met.   No police have shown up, and many pundits are predicting that the police and FBI will not move in unless lives are threatened. 

This is probably a good idea by the police.   A pitched battle with militia members who are just as heavily armed as a SWAT team is the very last thing that is needed.

Bundy and his group won in Nevada due to the federal government backing down, which is probably what lead to their invading Oregon in support of another landowner with his own legitimate arguments against federal government actions.  

On a side note, there were peaceful protests in nearby Burns, Oregon, to support the Hammond family.  Many of the locals turned out in support.  That’s how this entire thing should have gone down.  The Hammonds have also made it clear that they didn’t ask for the Bundys or the militias for help.  They turned themselves in after being resentenced for an arson charge (a controlled burn on their own land that spread into nearby federal land). 

This is a miscalculation by the militias, and one that will do more harm than good.   Even occupying the facility while unarmed would have been better than what they’re doing.

And what of Native claims, which predate the ranchers’ claims by thousands of years?  Bundy isn’t talking about that.  No, they’re opening a can of worms that may lead to an outcome that they won’t like.

Just…go home, militia.  Nothing good can come of this.

GOP Promises to Repeal Obamacare in 2016: Another Empty Promise in an Election Year That They Have No Hope (Or Apparent Intention) of Fulfilling

The GOP is promising that the first bill they will send to President Obama’s desk for his veto is the repeal of the (not) Affordable Care Act (aka Obamacare). 

They could have already done that in the multi-trillion dollar budget that they passed last month.  Instead, they left Obamacare completely intact, and left Planned Parenthood intact as well, in a bill that really mattered.

By their actions so far, the GOP seems to be sending the message that they’d rather keep their Boogeymen (Obamacare and Planned Parenthood) around so that they have wedge issues that they can readily go after for political points. 

They don’t have a prayer of succeeding in either goal unless they increase their control of both houses (very unlikely due to the do-nothing Congress and GOP) and pull off a miracle in November and put someone in the White House.

The sooner the GOP puts up and shuts up, the sooner people like me will start to believe what they’re saying and promising.   I have no faith in the current Congress to get anything done this year, while I have every expectation for President Obama to do exactly what he says he’s going to do, and rule by presidential proclamation, regardless of whether it’s constitutional or not.

Prove me wrong, GOP.   Get something done.

Steve Harvey is Taking Too Much Blame for Miss Universe Disaster: Who Designed the Card That Set Harvey Up to Fail? He or She Should Be Taking Just As Much Blame

I don’t watch beauty pageants, and think they’re a waste of time unless Donald Trump and Rosie O’Donnell get into another feud over it.  But in this case, I’m making an exception because I like Steve Harvey.   He announced the wrong contestent had won and then had to painfully announce that another contestant had actually won.

Take a look at the card that they gave Harvey to read off of:

Now there’s a report out that the teleprompter that Harvey was reading off of was wrong as well.

Get off of Steve Harvey’s case, people.  The card above is clear as mud, and the teleprompter is never wrong…right President Obama?

Harvey’s mistake was the last in a string of mistakes made by others who need to share in the criticism.   Hope Trump and Rosie weigh in on this.   If they do, and Steve Harvey fires up his usual comic routine, it’ll provide all of us some much needed comic relief.

Here’s a Thought: What if Trump Won the GOP Nomination But Then Announced That He Was Running the Rest of the Race as an Independent?

That’s hard to imagine, but what if Donald Trump did take that step?

What legal options would the GOP have?   Is the nominee contractually bound to the party after accepting their nomination?   Would he have to decline the nomination?  I doubt the parties have a contingency plan for dealing with a nightmare scenario like that.  And it would be just like a vindictive Trump to force that kind of an issue.

I can’t see Trump leaving the GOP in a position to reorganize around a new candidate and challenge him if he were to start an independent run.

Trump’s in a position to destroy any chance of a GOP victory for the White House next year and decimate the national level organization.

Interesting thought.

On a side note, I’m not impressed with Lindsay Graham’s power of persuasion.   He’s being lead around by Trump too.

Trump is a Genius: Not Because of His Plan to Ban Muslims from Entering the Country, But Because He’s Forcing the ENTIRE Field to React to His Splash Statements

Donald Trump is a genius.  He’s leading the entire field around by the nose and kicking them in the butt at the same time.     No wonder his poll numbers have jumped.

He’s making fools out of the GOP.   Every politician who is reacting to his splash statements have fallen into a trap. 

His competitors have to stop allowing him to dictate what the next discussion will be.  If they want to win, they MUST get out in front of Trump and make their own waves.  Impress us.

U.S. Air Force Running Low on Munitions: Administration and Congress Needs to Pay Attention to Air Force Funding Requests

The Air Force announced that their stockpiles of missiles and bombs is getting a tad low, and that it might take up to four years to replenish the stockpiles to prewar levels.

They’ve dropped 20,000 bombs and missiles on ISIS, according to reports.

The Administration and Congress need to act to supply the Air Force with the kinds of munitions that they’re expending against ISIS, especially if it’s going to take a number of years to produce the needed weapons.

Is This What Trump Was Referencing When He Said That American Muslims Were Celebrating 9/11?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W5BtQgTGOI4

Very interesting story, especially since it’s a CNN story. 

Finally, Someone With Guts to Stand Up to Russian Aggression: While the Loss of Life is Regrettable, the Russians Have Been Inflicting Casualties on People Fighting ISIS

Turkey shot down a Russian Air Force aircraft, and put Russia on notice that it won’t tolerate Russia’s blatant disregard for the airspace of other nations.

While I doubt that Russia will attack Turkey militarily, I can see diplomatic and economic reprisals in the near future. 

The last thing that Russia needs is a shooting war with NATO.

With Possible ISIS Bomb Bringing Down Russian Airliner Over Sinai Peninsula, Perhaps Russians Will Get With the Program and Start Focusing on ISIS Exclusively Instead of Assad’s U.S.-Backed Enemies

One of the features of Russia’s air campaign in Syria has been that Russian jets have been rarely hitting ISIS targets , while focusing most of their targeting on President Assad’s U.S.-backed opposition.   Note the map below:

Even though this map has not been updated since October 5th, the Russian targeting hasn’t changed a whole lot.  Reports of Russian air strikes on rebel controlled territory have been coming in daily.

But with a possible bomb onboard a Russian airliner over the Sinai Peninsula, and with ISIS claiming credit for taking down the flight with over two hundred Russian citizens on board, perhaps the Russians will go after ISIS more, which is what they should have been doing from the very beginning. 

Assad’s fate can be decided later. 

ISIS is the bigger threat; that’s the narrative that the American and Russian governments need to agree on.   

Carson is Partially Right, Though What He Probably Meant to Say Was that Sharia Law is Incompatible With the U.S. Constitution

Dr. Ben Carson created a furor when he said that Islam was not compatible with the U.S. Constitution.  I believe what he meant was that Sharia law is incompatible with Constitutional law.

All you have to do is look at the Preamble to the Constitution and then look at the plight of women already living under Sharia law, especially the type embraced by ISIS, the Taliban, Saudi Arabia (with their morality police), and other Islamic countries whose women are treated horribly.

And it doesn’t matter which flavor of Sharia law we’re talking about, whether it’s Shiite or Sunni.  It’s equally awful to women.

Liberty for all people is not possible under Sharia.  That makes it totally incompatible with life under the United States Constitution, which is common sense.  Wish Carson hadn’t stumbled over this issue.   

While the Constitution does not permit the specific banning of Sharia law, it does invalidate any laws that come into conflict with the Constitution, which is the Supreme Law of the land.  That includes 12th century barbarism that our enemies want to impose on us.

I hope the courts remember that.

Some European Countries Now Under A Refugee Tsunami Once Criticized U.S. Moves on Illegal Immigration: Now They’re Doing What They Once Criticized to Deal With Their Own Problems

The wheel turns, does it not?

I’ve been watching the unfolding European drama on illegal immigration with great interest, and can’t help but think about those European nations that once harshly criticized U.S. moves to prevent what’s now enveloped Europe. 

U.S. immigration policies of the past have been dubbed “racist” and “fascist” by European governments, and over at the U.N.,  in particular the 2010 Arizona anti-alien laws which placed tough restrictions on illegal immigrants entering Arizona and finding work there.

Now some of these same European countries are following similar tracks to control the tidal wave of illegal immigration to their nations, and it’s making American liberals very uncomfortable.   European nations are rushing troops and police to their borders and shutting down their transportation systems to prevent movement of people.

That being said, there’s no easy answer to today’s problems and Europe is getting hit with a heavy dose of reality.   It may tear the EU apart far faster than anything else.

The West needs to do a far better job with their collaborative foreign policies, so that there’s less of an incentive for people to leave their home countries.  Why leave when one can earn a living and live in relative safety with family and friends in familiar surroundings?  That should be the Western goal, if they don’t want to absorb millions of new people.

Come Now, CNN: “Anchor Babies” is a Racist Term According to Liberals and Their Pro-Immigration Supporters, So Why Are You Allowing One of Your Web Site Commentators to Use the Term to Describe Conservatives?

Nice going, CNN.

One of their commentators dared to use the “anchor baby” label to describe conservatives in a new op-ed piece, which flies in the face of the official liberal party line against using the term in the ongoing immigration debate.

Is it a racist term, or is it not, CNN?  And if it is, someone owes everybody an apology.  If it’s not, they should still apologize for offending the feel-good crowd whose feelings are undoubtedly hurt by those words even appearing on a liberal news outlet’s web site.

Perhaps they should hold a funeral for this term too.  After all, it worked so well when they held a funeral for the “n” word in Detroit and elsewhere and symbolically buried the (real) racist term. 

So much for CNN’s pretense of impartiality.  Again.

Aren’t there more pressing stories to cover, instead of a news outlet making itself part of the news?

GOP and Democratic Presidential Nomination Fields are Weak Due to Top Draws Being Sideshow Distractions: Trump Makes Waves, and Hillary is Getting Smacked Around by Waves of Trouble

Donald Trump keeps drowning the other GOP candidates out, and Hillary Clinton is drowning in her own troubles.  

And if Trump is talking about throwing away $1 billion on his campaign, he isn’t going away anytime soon.   As an entertainer, Trump has no equal.  But his political skills are unproven, and his ability to deliver on promises that he’s making are questionable at best, except in one area: the economy.  I think he’s got the best chance out of all the candidates to turn things around in that area.

Hillary Clinton’s legal problems are continuing to mount, and her scheduled appearance before Congress next month to answer “all” questions seems to be a last-ditched effort to save her political career from smashing onto the rocks.  She seems to be putting herself in additional legal peril with this move.  

If Hillary is charged with a crime, Biden’s almost certain to jump in.  He has a certain credibility that Hillary does not have in the honesty department.   Gore is a one-issue candidate if he were to jump in.   He won’t get elected on a global warming platform. 

Sanders is a joke.  The first and only thing that he’s said that I totally agree with is this: he owes BlackLivesMatter no apology whatsoever.   They stormed his rally and should be apologizing to Sanders, not the other way around.    I totally disagree with Sanders on all of his other stands.  

The other GOP candidates need to be bold, and be themselves, not repackaged Democrats.  EVERY time a Republican tries to out-Democrat a Democrat, he or she gets pounded on Election Day.   They’re allowing Trump to control the direction of the conversation, and reacting to Trump instead of getting out in front with their own ideas.  Get on it!

What Happens to Hillary Clinton’s Campaign if She’s Charged With a Crime? Will She Get Out?

Hillary Clinton’s campaign for the White House will likely end if she is charged with a crime. 

She should probably get out now, so that she can begin to prepare her legal defense against the criminal investigation that is now being conducted by the FBI.   And it is a criminal investigation.

Hillary should have realized that what she was doing with her email was illegal and a major security problem.     Given that, I wonder who she will throw under the bus to save herself. 

That’s what the Clintons do best.

Japanese Emperor Should Issue Final and Complete Apology for Japan’s Role in World War II, Then There Should Be No Expectation of Further Apologies: Today’s Japanese Political Leaders Weren’t Even Alive During World War II, So It’s Unfair to Insist That Generation After Generation of Japanese Leaders Who Had Nothing to Do With World War II to Keep Apologizing

Japanese Emperor Akihito delivered a glancing blow of an apology to nations that Japan invaded during World War II, which set off a new round of resentment in South Korea and in China. 

Under the Japanese constitution, the Emperor cannot make or issue political statements without the permission of the Japanese government, so he went out on a limb to say what he did about World War II.

Prime Minister Abe is openly resentful of apologizing, which has generated a ton of resentment in China and in South Korea.

It’s really past time for Japan, South Korea and China to let World War II finally end, and I think the Emperor will have to get really involved.  He needs to issue a complete and final apology on behalf of the entire Japanese nation for Japan’s role in World War II, including the rape of Nanking and the use of “comfort women” for Japanese soldiers. 

Then there should be no expectations of further apologies from Japan’s political leaders.

It’s unfair for China and South Korea to continue to want apologies from Japan’s political leadership as most of Japan’s current politicians were born after World War II.  Prime Minister Abe was born in 1954.   

Every time a Japanese prime minister is forced to issue another World War II apology, it causes huge political problems for him from his domestic audience.  Communist China may want that, but it isn’t good for one nation to exert that kind of influence over another.

Japan’s leadership really needs to get it together and allow the Emperor to issue a final statement.   It’s time to let World War II get out of the realm of current events and allow it to take it’s place in the history books.