Monthly Archives: September 2016
September 27, 2016 — Scott Johnson
Every observation, thought or prediction I have had on the course of political events this year may have proved wrong. My observations here can therefore probably serve most usefully as a contrary indicator, but I had a few watching last night’s incredibly painful debate and at this point I can only say I hope I’m wrong. If you either support the defeat of Hillary Clinton or the election of Donald
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September 26, 2016 — John Hinderaker
For those who didn’t watch my live commentary on tonight’s debate–that would be most of you!–here are my thoughts. 1) The first half hour was great theater. The moderator left Trump and Clinton alone, like a referee who lets boxers fight it out. The candidates went back and forth, for a while seeming to validate Trump’s suggestion that they might not need a moderator. Trump did very well in this
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September 26, 2016 — Paul Mirengoff
Well, that was fun — watching two candidates I can’t stand argue for 90-plus minutes and seeing the candidate I dislike more (Hillary Clinton) get the better of it. Why do I think Clinton got the better of it? First, I thought she was more composed. Second, I thought she was on the attack for much of the debate and was able (with the help of the moderator) frequently to
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September 26, 2016 — John Hinderaker
This live stream is from the Pourhouse in Minneapolis. Commentary will begin a few minutes before the debate starts.
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September 26, 2016 — Steven Hayward
If you want to know just how crazy things are, consider that Hofstra University, host of tonight’s debate, has posted a “trigger warning” outside because some Hofstra students might find the content of the debate traumatizing. And just who do you think will do the triggering? I suppose if Hillary collapses on stage (is Lloyd’s quoting odds, or any Las Vegas bookmakers taking bets?) I suppose liberals will be traumatized,
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September 26, 2016 — John Hinderaker
Tonight’s debate shapes up as an epic confrontation. It should be the most-watched debate in presidential history, with 100 million or more tuning in, and it could have a decisive impact on this year’s election. One fun way to follow the proceedings in the company of hundreds (maybe thousands) of your fellow conservatives will be to log into Power Line Live. You can comment on the action as you see
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September 26, 2016 — Paul Mirengoff
Donald Trump has added ten more names to the group people he says exemplify what he’s looking for in a Supreme Court Justice. Previously, he put out a list of eleven such possibilities. I discussed that group here. The new list consists of: Mike Lee — U.S. Senator, Utah Neil Gorsuch — Judge, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit Margaret Ryan — Judge, U.S. Court of Appeals for
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September 26, 2016 — John Hinderaker
The FBI released its definitive report on crime in 2015, so it’s now official: violent crime spiked upward in 2015. * In 2015, an estimated 1,197,704 violent crimes occurred nationwide, an increase of 3.9 percent from the 2014 estimate. *** * There were an estimated 372.6 violent crimes per 100,000 inhabitants in 2015, a rate that rose 3.1 percent when compared with the 2014 estimated violent crime rate. After decades
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September 26, 2016 — Steven Hayward
I am preparing a full-scale, end-of-the-world beat down on the abomination of pumpkin spice for an upcoming Week in Pictures, but I can’t help but wonder whether I’ve been trumped (heh) by this recent “scholarly” article in the journal GeoHumanities: The Perilous Whiteness of Pumpkins Lisa Jordan Powell & Elizabeth S.D. Engelhardt Abstract This article examines the symbolic whiteness associated with pumpkins in the contemporary United States. Starbucks’ pumpkin spice
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September 26, 2016 — John Hinderaker
In recent days, it has begun to dawn on a lot of people that Donald Trump really may win the election. (I, of course, have been predicting it all along…) This is causing near-hysteria in some quarters, and louder demands by Democrats for journalists in general, and the debate moderators in particular, to put their thumbs on the scale. As if they weren’t already doing so! Last night the Democrats
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September 26, 2016 — Paul Mirengoff
In writing about the pathetic efforts of John Kerry to arrange a cease fire in Syria, I’ve referred to the Secretary of State as the village idiot. But what about President Obama? Though his intellect may be overrated, he’s anything but an idiot. Obama is, instead, a clever operator who often thinks several moves ahead of his domestic, though not his foreign, adversaries. Why, then, has U.S. policy paved the
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September 26, 2016 — Steven Hayward
Further to our recent posts here and here on the weakness of the Obama economy, here are two stories of note from this morning: Profit Slump for S&P 500 Heads for a Sixth Straight Quarter Companies in the S&P 500 are now expected to report an earnings decline for the sixth consecutive quarter in the coming weeks, according to analysts polled by FactSet. That slump would be the longest since
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September 26, 2016 — Scott Johnson
Sticking around in New York following his address to the UN General Assembly last week, Benjamin Netanyahu called on both Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton yesterday. We received the Trump campaign’s summary (“readout”) of the meeting. I was interested in it and thought some other readers might find it of interest: Donald J. Trump met privately today with Prime Minister Netanyahu for over an hour at Mr. Trump’s residence in
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September 26, 2016 — Scott Johnson
When the New York Times comes through town to check in with Minnesota’s Somali community, a variation of the genre World ends: Women and minorities hardest hit is at hand. Times reporter Jack Healy, for example, arrived this past June just in time for the verdicts in the terrorism case involving Minnesota’s ISIS wannabes. Healy’s article on the verdicts (written with freelancer Matt Furber) sought to convey the impression that
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September 25, 2016 — Paul Mirengoff
It will be a cold day in hell before I root for the New York Giants to beat the Washington Redskins (or any other team not named the Cowboys). But after today’s game between New York and Washington (won, somehow, by the Redskins), I have a strange new respect for the football Giants. Why? Because every member of the team stood with respect during the playing of our National Anthem.
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September 25, 2016 — Paul Mirengoff
In advance of Monday night’s debate, Hillary Clinton’s cheerleaders in the media have been encouraging moderator Lester Holt to contradict, during the debate, candidates whose assertions of fact they disagree with. Glenn Kessler, the liberal “fact-checker” for the Washington Post, even compiled a list of assertions he says don’t withstand fact-checking, the vast majority of which are by Donald Trump. He urges the moderator to “clip and save.” It is
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September 25, 2016 — Steven Hayward
I’m a certified New England Patriots hater. Don’t even get me started. But you do have to tip your hat to them when they deserve it. Their 3 – 0 start without pretty boy quarterback Tom Brady is a remarkable feat of coaching by the worst-dressed coach in all of pro sports, Bill Belichick. But something else Belichick is doing is a terrific example of the law of unintended consequences
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