The Donald Evolves

Bokbluster

"David Harsanyi at the Federalist thinks the first Republican debate was awesome. I agree. The field looked strong all the way down to Carly Fiorina on the JV team.

"Then there’s The Donald. He refused a pledge not to pull a Ross Perot if doesn’t win the nomination. Why give up the leverage, he reasoned. Makes sense I guess. And he said he made Hillary attend his wedding by giving her money. Also believable.

"When asked how he came to change his views on taxes and abortion he said he evolved.

 Obama "evolves"

The Evolution Of The Politician
"Dr. Loop has identified what he believes is a prehistoric ancestor to today's politician–an early species he has named Homo Politicus." . . .

 

. . . So what happens when the species is exposed and trapped? "The instinct of modern Homo Politicus is to rapidly assess his position and resist efforts to be displaced—then continue trying to use any advantage this gives him as leverage for leniency in punishment. It's pathetic to watch, really."   More at Wacky Times

On Carly Fiorina

Masterful: Carly Fiorina Lists Hillary Clinton Lies In Interview With Chris Matthews

 I love the way she shut Matthews up.

 After the five o’clock debate, Fiorina trucked over to MSNBC (talking about going anywhere, anytime) to appear on Hardball with Chris Matthews, then proceeded to decimate Matthews, which even Mr. Thrill-Up-His-Leg acknowledged.  Republicans, are you paying attention? You have gold here. Watch on the next page, if you missed the Hardball appearance….Roger Simon at PJ Media

Wayne Dupree: Check out Carly Fiorina’s full speech at RedState Gathering!    "Many observers and online social tweeters agreed Fiorina dominated the earlier GOP debate among candidates who failed to make the prime-time edition because they fell outside the top 10 in a series of polls.

"Many supporters tried to get Fiorina into the top 10 with last minute drive, but it didn’t work out.
"The former Hewlett-Packard executive said she would continue to stress her business experience and the fact she is not a part of a “political class” that has failed the nation.
"The publicity from Thursday’s debate is likely to help her raise money, get endorsements and improve her name recognition among voters.

“What we’ve been doing is building momentum,” Fiorina said. “It gets a little easier when people know who you are.”

Politico: Is Carly Fiorina the real deal?  . . . " Dannenfelser said Trump’s now infamous exchange with Kelly about his views on women would have been put into better context if Fiorina had been on stage during the prime-time debate. “I think it would’ve been very helpful to have a woman that was on that stage being a grown-up and discussing this in terms that would resonate with people,” she said."

Looks Like Carly Fiorina Won Both Debates…video clips 
. . . "Carly Fiorina has been a relentless critic of Hillary Clinton. When asked about Hillary, Carly said, “Hillary Clinton lies about Benghazi, she lies about email, she is still defending Planned Parenthood and she is still her party’s frontrunner. 2016 is going to be a fight between conservatism and a Democrat party that is undermining the very character of this nation. We need a nominee who is going to throw every punch, not poll punches, and someone who cannot stumble before he even gets into the ring. I’m not a member of the political class. I’m a Conservative. I can win this job. I can do this job. I need your help. I need your support. I will, with your help and support, lead the resurgence of this great nation.”
"Maybe she could be our Margaret Thatcher."
 
S. Noble  :"This Is Why I Love Carly Fiorina"    "Andrea Mitchell asked Carly Florina what she would do about ISIS. Carly Fiorina blew that question out of the water.
"Carly:

I would do very specific things.

First, instead of having a Camp David conference to talk our Arab allies into a bad deal with Iran, I would have had a Camp David conference to talk with our Arab allies about how we can support them to fight ISIS.

Let me give you very specific examples. The Kurds have been asking us to arm them for three years, we still have not. The Jordanians have been asking us to provide them with bombs and materiel. We know King Abdullah of Jordan, I’ve known him for many years. He took the appropriate leadership steps when a Jordanian pilot was burned alive. He was here in this country asking us for bombs and materiel, we haven’t provided him with any of them; he’s now looking to China for that. The Egyptian president, a very brave and pious Muslim, who has said there is a cancer in the heart of Islam, has asked us to share intelligence. We are not. The Turks have asked us to help them topple Bashar al-Assad, we are not.

There are a whole set of things that we’ve been asked to do by our allies who know this is their fight, and we’re not doing any of them. So I would hold a summit and talk with them about that.

"Take that Andrea! Take that Hillary!" . . .

PJ Media

Roger Simon: Carly Rules the Fox News Night   . . . "But the person who really summoned the forces on Thursday was by far Carly Fiorina, who appeared in the earlier debate for also-rans. She was so good her ghost hung over the second debate." . . .

 Michael Warren: Carly Wins Undercard Debate  . . . "Fiorina argued for greater integration of law enforcement efforts to combat cyber warfare and terrorism, calling for a “different mindset” with respect to this fight. “We need to tear down cyber walls, not on a mass basis but on a targeted basis,” she said. She repeated a frequent stump speech promise that her first two calls as president would be to “her friend” Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu and to the supreme leader of Iran. This, she said, to send a message to both our allies and our enemies that “America is back in the leadership business.' ” . . .

Krauthammer: Who Is the One Actually Making Common Cause with Iran’s Hard-Liners, Mr. President?

Charles Krauthammer   . . . "This tragicomedy is now in the hands of Congress or, more accurately, of congressional Democrats. It is only because so many Democrats are defecting that Obama gave the AU speech in the first place. And why he tried so mightily to turn the argument into a partisan issue — those warmongering Republicans attacking a president offering peace in our time. Obama stooped low, accusing the Republican caucus of making “common cause” with the Iranian “hard-liners” who shout “Death to America.' ”. . .

. . .

"Common cause with the Iranian hard-liners? Who more than Obama? For years, they conduct a rogue nuclear weapons program in defiance of multiple Security Council declarations of its illegality backed by sanctions and embargoes. Obama rewards them with a treaty that legitimates their entire nuclear program, lifts the embargo on conventional weapons and ballistic missiles, and revives an economy — described by Iran’s president as headed back to “the Stone Age” under sanctions — with an injection of up to $150 billion in unfrozen assets, permission for the unlimited selling of oil, and full access to the international financial system." . . . Read more

Obama and Iran’s ‘Hardliners’  . . . "To be sure, Obama’s media friends are helping him broadcast this fairy tale; that, no doubt, is why the president is able to run to the nearest college campus and get applause for his kooky claims. But the reality is that Khamenei – the guy Obama implored to cooperate with him – is the chief hardliner. The Iran deal could not have happened unless Khamenei supported it; he supports it precisely because it is breathtakingly good for Iran." . . .

On the Fox Republican debate

Rosie O'Donnell responds to Donald Trump's debate barb 
  She was not happy.

American Thinker:
What if the media had treated Barack Obama as Fox journalists treated Donald Trump?  "We might have had a different president, and America would be far better off.
 "However one feels about the Republican Party, the multitude of candidates for president, and Donald Trump, last night’s debate was an example of how journalism should be practiced."
Debating Fox News moderation of GOP prime-time debaten. . . "The performance of Fox News makes a strong case that they should be allowed an opportunity to host at least one of the Democrat debates." . . .

DNC indicates which candidate they fear most . . . "The only debater their Twitter feed attacked during the debates was Carly Fiorina, and this tells us whom they fear the most, and whom they saw gaining the most traction."

.......

Three from Drudge:
 NY Times: A Foxy, Rowdy Republican Debate . . . " On Thursday night in Cleveland, the Fox News moderators did what only Fox News moderators could have done, because the representatives of any other network would have been accused of pro-Democratic partisanship." . .  .
The questions asked "were the right ones, starting with a brilliant opener: Was there any candidate who was unwilling to pledge support to the eventual Republican nominee and swear off a third-party run?
"Trump alone wouldn’t make those promises, even though the moderator who asked that question, Bret Baier, pointed out that such a third-party run would likely hand the presidency to the Democratic nominee."
. . . "They should square their slogans with their records, and that’s what Fox made them do. On this night, the network that pampers Republicans provoked them instead. It was great television, and even better politics."
 GOP debate: Early numbers suggest record audience
 Donald Trump vs. Fox News
.......
Investors.com: Fiorina impresses as Trump's schtick wears thin   "Republicans. . . in Cleveland . . . produced the beginning of the beginning for a Carly Fiorina surge and the beginning of the end for a Donald Trump campaign."
.......
Legal Insurrection: 
 Debate Post-Analysis – Trump Rorschach test. . . "the punditry is unanimous that Carly Fiorina was the clear winner, and it was her Breakout Moment. The other candidates in that grouping should just drop out. "

Was Debate Carly Fiorina’s Breakout Moment?   . . . "The consensus among many in media was that Carly Fiorina won the debate. CNN made note of the tweets declaring Fiorina the winner:" . . .
.......
NRO:
A Fabulously Awful Night for Donald Trump   . . . "He, of course, couldn’t answer about his evidence that the Mexican government is pushing people over the border. And his slap at Megyn Kelly was a classic case of not knowing your audience. The last month has been Trump making the rest of the field look small; tonight was the opposite." . . . Rich Lowry
 Carly   "She was the winner and it wasn’t even close — poised, forceful, fluid. It’s what anyone who has seen her at the cattle-calls or other events would expect (and many of the lines were the same)." Rich Lowry
Fiorina’s Triumph & a Few Other Thoughts  . . . "The first thing to keep in mind, it seems to me, is that just because the people in the primetime debate have higher poll numbers doesn’t necessarily mean they are better political talents. For instance, if you could rank the candidates by their records instead of by poll numbers, Rick Perry and Bobby Jindal would certainly belong on the big stage ahead of many of the folks in the 9 o’clock slot. This far out, poll numbers have more to do with a bunch of variables — from fundraising to name recognition to entertainment value to the fresh-new-thing factor — than they have to do with some single “objective” metric." . . .Jonah Goldberg

.......
Lucianne:

GOP candidates battle to stake their positions in first 2016 debate
" From fiery criticism of ObamaCare and the Iran nuclear deal to support for Israel and the rights of the unborn, the top 10 Republican presidential candidates did all they could to define and separate themselves Thursday night during the Fox News debate in Cleveland, Ohio."

Democrats jubilant after chaotic Republican debate . . . “I felt pretty good that we increased the chances that the Democratic nominee whoever it is, will ultimately be elected president of the United States,” Debbie Wasserman Schultz, chair of the Democratic National Committee (DNC), told MSNBC on Friday.

" 'When you expose America to the extremism that is the Republican party today like they did last night, it’s very evident that there will be a dramatic and clear contrast going into the general election and Democrats are going to show off that we care about fighting for the middle class and they care about taking care of the wealthiest 1%.' ”

 

Much more commentary at Lucianne

Multiple articles on Fox GOP debates coming to this spot

Aggregating them as we speak. TD

Remember this? Hillary’s Meeting With Everyday Iowans Was a Fake

The PC Graveyard   . . . "Hillary tried to pull a fast one on Iowa voters but was caught in the act.  She was pictured sitting down and having a discussion with 3 “ordinary Iowans.”  Only thing is, they weren’t so ordinary:"

"The meeting in a coffee shop in LeClaire , Iowa (Sound familiar? That’s the home of American Pickers) was supposed to be a chance meeting between Hillary Clinton and three ordinary Iowan citizens. The three “ordinary” Iowans turned out to be Austin Bird, a former Clinton campaign intern, Carter Bell, University of Iowa College Democrats president, and Planned Parenthood of the Heartland staffer Sara Sedlacek.

"It wasn’t an accident either. Hillary campaign staffer, Troy Price arranged the entire thing. He called Bird and arranged for the three to meet him at the Village Inn in Davenport, Iowa. Bird explains:

“ 'We were asked to come to a meeting with Troy, the three of us, at the Village Inn. It was supposed to be a strategy meeting…then all of a sudden he says, ‘Hey, we have Secretary Clinton coming in, would you like to go meet her?’”

"Bird said Price vetted them for half an hour and then drove the three to LeClaire, where the accidental dinner took place. The three sat at a table by themselves and soon Hillary came over like she had picked them at random to talk to.

“ 'I mean, Troy asked us all to do – to go to a meeting with him. And we didn’t really know what it was about. I mean, he did. He knew.”

"It is not known if everyone at the cafe was a plant. By time of the writing of this article, the only other patrons to be identified was the mayor of LeClaire and his wife and Price.

"Price was the leader of the Iowa Democratic Party until last week when Hillary selected him to work for her campaign. Price has not answered any news organizations requests for a comment."

Open Thread: 2016 GOP Main Event Presidential Debate.

Weasel Zippers

 

Entire post quoted below with emphasis added:

1. Trump refuses to pledge he will not run as an independent.

2. Fox is asking tough questions. Perhaps too attack dog…

3. Jeb stands by his ‘Act of Love” statement.

4. They definitely seem to be trying to pin Trump. Good immigration answer by Rubio. Better answer by Cruz, emphasizing no amnesty.

5. Paul just skewered Christie referring to ‘the hug’ with Obama

6. Cruz- can’t defeat radical Islamic terrorism if you can’t call it that.

7. Carson just said a funny, noting that he was being skipped over a little with the attempt to skewer Trump. Carson is doing much better.

8. Grilling Trump on his past support for single payer and Pelosi and Clinton. Trump said he gave Hillary money so she would come to his wedding?

9. Walker perhaps the line of the night: Every place Hillary has touched is worse off.

10. Carson – great whack on Hillary talking about Alinsky and the progressive danger, “useful idiots”.

11. Bush- mostly canned answers.

Fox is not giving everyone the same amount of time or the same questions, so it’s concentrating on some and slighting others.

12. They really are going all out to skewer Trump. Now bringing up his bankruptcies.

13. “Trust but vilify” – good points now by Huckabee. Obama trusts our enemies, but vilifies anyone who disagrees.

Anyone keeping a clock on how long since they asked Cruz a question??? I’ve had a clock on it, it’s been over half an hour, every other person has had at least 1 questions and some 2 or more questions.

14. Kelly to Trump: When did you become a Republican? Trump: I evolved like Ronald Reagan.

Freezing out the most intelligent three – Cruz, Walker and Carson.

15. I like Walker a lot. But not the best answer for a conservative on Black Lives Matter.

Cruz clock: over 40 minutes since he has been asked a question. Everyone else has had a question. Trump and Bush multiple questions.

Ding Ding ding, finally a question! Cruz knows the people, knows the policy and slams it. Brings up Ronald Reagan getting release hostages day he came in.

Questions now, “Obama did x wrong, What would you have done?” Carson giving a knowledgeable and intelligent answer.

Another line of the night. Rubio: God Has blessed us with good candidates and Democrats haven’t even found one.

Will they be asking the Democrats if God speaks to them???

Just bagged in Rand, you’ve been to Ferguson? Buh bye…

Love the Carson, Cruz, Walker closing statements. Huckabee got in a great zinger at Hillary.

My take? Best three overall- Carson, Cruz, Walker. Huckabee did better than expected, but doesn’t have a shot. Rand came across as angry but not in a good way. Christie, Kasich just not interesting.

Krauthammer asks, Just who is helping Iran’s hard-liners?

Charles Krauthammer

 

. . . "Inspections? Everyone now knows that “anytime, anywhere” — indispensable for a clandestine program in a country twice the size of Texas with a long history of hiding and cheating — has been changed to “You’ve got 24 days and then we’re coming in for a surprise visit.” New York restaurants, observed Jackie Mason, get more intrusive inspections than the Iranian nuclear program.

"Snapback sanctions? Everyone knows that once the international sanctions are lifted, they are never coming back. Moreover, consider the illogic of President Obama’s argument. The theme of his American University speech Wednesday was that the only alternative to what he brought back from Vienna is war because sanctions — even the more severe sanctions that Congress has been demanding — will never deter the Iranians. But if sanctions don’t work, how can you argue that the Iranians will now be deterred from cheating by the threat of . . . sanctions? Snapback sanctions, mind you, that will inevitably be weaker and more loophole-ridden than the existing ones." . . .

William J. Bennett on The Conservative Case for Common Core

 We've all heard so much against CC, I felt it past time to see what the case is for it. TD


 "Federal intrusion and misleading rumors do a disservice to an effort that started in the states."

Wall Street Journal
. . . "When I was chairman of the National Endowment for the Humanities in the 1980s, I asked 250 people across the political spectrum what 10 books every student should be familiar with by the time they finish high school. Almost every person agreed on five vital sources: the Bible, Shakespeare, America's founding documents, the great American novel "Huckleberry Finn" and classical works of mythology and poetry, like the Iliad and the Odyssey.

 

"The same goes for math. Certain abilities—the grasp of fractions, decimals, percentages, ratios and the like—should be the common knowledge of all.

"That's the fundamental idea behind a core curriculum: preserving and emphasizing what's essential, in fields like literature and math, to a worthwhile education. It is also, by the way, a conservative idea.

. . . "Forty-five states signed up originally. But the process was contaminated by politics, and that brings us to the debate we have now."

 Conservatives have reason to be upset by this federal overreach. The Obama administration has run roughshod over individual rights and state sovereignty, on issues ranging from health care to climate change. But the federal intrusion into Common Core, however unwelcome and unhelpful, does not change a basic truth: Common, voluntary standards are a good, conservative policy.

We have associated CC in our minds with Obama's social engineering, but apparently it is not.

. . . " Why then is Common Core drawing such heavy fire? Some of the criticism is legitimate, but much of it is based on myths. For example, a myth persists that Common Core involves a required reading list. Not so. Other than four seminal historical documents—the Declaration of Independence, the preamble to the Constitution, the Bill of Rights and Lincoln's Second Inaugural Address—there is no required reading list. Textbook companies have marketed their books disingenuously, leading many parents to believe that under Common Core the government mandates particular textbooks. Also not true." . . . Emphases mine, TD

The standards are designed to invite states to take control and to build upon them further. The standards do not prescribe what is taught in our classrooms or how it's taught. That decision should always rest with local school districts and school boards.
The principles behind the Common Core affirm a great intellectual tradition and inheritance. We should not allow them to be hijacked by the federal government or misguided bureaucrats and politicos.

Henceforward I will not reject a candidate just because he or she likes Common Core. TD

 Seven facts you should know about new Common Core tests

 The problem(s) with the Common Core standards 

 "Our schools will not improve if we continue to focus only on reading and mathematics while ignoring the other studies that are essential elements of a good education... Our schools will not improve if we value only what tests measure... Not everything that matters can be quantified."

. . . "If the organizations that were so gung-ho to produce the national standards don’t see that their job has just begun, and that the next, even larger, effort is to secure equitable resources for schools, then the document being released today will have little meaning." . . .

Good debate on education here: The Common Core will be the tipping point for homeschoolers

 

Some items from the old grab bag

 The Early Debate: A Breakout Moment for Fiorina? " It's too soon to make any solid predictions about which candidates will benefit from the early debate featuring the GOP candidates who didn't make the cut for the primetime debate later tonight. But based on some instant reactions, it appears that Carly Fiorina has been turning heads of viewers:" . . . More on this at the link.

What War on Women?

Bookworm Room

 Why is Hollywood so abusive to women and minorities? Wait… what?

CNN: These Headlines About Hillary’s Email Look Pretty Bad, Don’t They?
" Granted, these are the five lies about her email that we know of so far. There could be more."
Progressives Today links to the GOP site here.

Hillary Clinton Bars Young Supporters from Speaking to Press
"I know progressives are having a hard time getting excited about Hillary Clinton but when MSNBC mocks a Democrat for being stupid and paranoid, the writing is on the wall."

Just so you know, this next is from Kevin Jackson's The Back Sphere:
So if white people are so bad, why does everybody want to live with them? 
 "The government hates that America is mostly white, because mostly white people means civility. The racist Left wants you to believe that white people are bad, when they know that African, Middle Eastern, and other “brown” countries are beyond deplorable. Mistreatment of women, mistreatment of gays, the wanton murder of their own people for no reason are standard. Archaic laws that shouldn’t be practiced anywhere in the world prevail there."  He said it, not me.

 

Hat tip to Bob Broderick Vernon, Connecticut

The Co-Founder of Greenpeace Explains Why Climate Change is a Sham

And Now, The Co-Founder of Greenpeace Explains Why Climate Change is a Sham
 "I posted this video on College Insurrection today and I’m re-posting it here in the hope that it’s seen by as many people as possible.

"This is Patrick Moore, a co-founder of Greenpeace. I especially like the point he makes about the term “climate deniers” because I find it offensive for the exact reason he cites."

What They Haven't Told You about Climate Change 

Watcher's Council: Our Weasel Of The Week!!

Nice Deb "Yes, once again, It’s time to present this week’s statuette of shame, The Golden Weasel!!

"Every Tuesday, the Council nominates some of the slimiest, most despicable characters in public life for some deed of evil, cowardice or corruption they’ve performed. Then we vote to single out one particular Weasel for special mention, to whom we award the statuette of shame, our special, 100% plastic Golden Weasel. This week’s nominees were all particularly slimy and despicable, but the votes are in and we have our winner…the envelope please…
                                                             
                                                           
"City Councilman and illegal migrant enabler Jhonny Pineda!
. . .

"Pineda just announced the appointment of two illegal immigrants to serve as commissioners on the city’s advisory boards.
Francisco Medina was appointed as Commissioner of the health and education commission and Julian Zatarain will laud over the parks and recreation commission.
"This action reeks of pay to play. Medina interned for fellow council member, Gil Cedillo and Zatarain has only been in the country eight years and yes, both are in the country illegally.
What part of ILLEGAL does this newly elected obviously corrupt council member not get and who cares if the City’s legal counsel said that the appointments are legal, illegal is just that. ILLEGAL!"