Why have elections?

Thomas Sowell

"In a country with more than 300 million people, it is remarkable how obsessed the media have become with just one -- Donald Trump. What is even more remarkable is that, after six years of repeated disasters, both domestically and internationally, under a glib egomaniac in the White House, so many potential voters are turning to another glib egomaniac to be his successor.

"No doubt much of the stampede of Republican voters toward Mr. Trump is based on their disgust with the Republican establishment. The fact that the next two biggest vote-getters in the polls are also complete outsiders -- Dr. Ben Carson and Ms. Carly Fiorina -- reinforces the idea that this is a protest.

"It is easy to understand why there would be pent-up resentments among Republican voters. But are elections held for the purpose of venting emotions?" . . .

This should tick some campus activists off:

. . . "Donald Trump is not the only obstacle to finding leaders of such character. The ultimate danger lies in the voting public themselves. All too many signs point to an electorate including many people who are grossly uninformed or, worse yet, misinformed.

"The very fact that the voting age was lowered to 18 shows the triumph of the vision of elections as participatory rituals, rather than times for fateful choices. If anything, the age might have been raised to 30, since today millions of people in their 20s have never even had the responsibility of being self-supporting, to give them some sense of reality." Ouch.

Michelle Malkin: What's happening to The View?

Why "The View" Is Bombing

. . . "Instead, ABC's "The View" -- originally created by veteran journalist Barbara Walters to represent women "of different backgrounds, different generations and different opinions" -- has devolved into an ear-splitting bickerfest of elite divas who scoff and sneer at those who do not enjoy their celebrity privilege or share their left-wing ideological values.

"This week, the bratty, catty co-hosts' targets included the young women who competed for the Miss America title. Michelle Collins, a "comedian" who recently joined the show after establishing herself as a Tinseltown "gossip queen," savaged Miss Colorado Kelley Johnson. As the other anchors giggled out loud at Johnson's video clip, Collins mocked the Rocky Mountain beauty not for her looks or her politics, but for a lovely, earnest monologue she performed during the pageant's talent competition.

"Wearing her hospital scrubs, sneakers and a stethoscope, the registered nurse recounted her conversations with a patient named Joe in the early stages of Alzheimer's disease. When he requested changes in medications and treatments, Johnson explained to him that she couldn't because she was "just a nurse.' " . . .

These pampered, out-of-touch women earn multimillion-dollar salaries to represent their gender. What is their talent? Sucking up to other celebrity women, coddling Democratic politicians, faking on-set chemistry and camaraderie while squabbling about who sits where or who introduces what segment, and bullying any guests who dare to express unorthodox views.

Just the kind of show that would have Barack Obama as a guest.

Is Capitalism moral?

Time for an economics lesson.  Prager University – Is Capitalism Moral?

"Is capitalism moral or greedy? If it's based on greed and selfishness, what's the best alternative economic system? Perhaps socialism? And if capitalism is moral, what makes it so? Walter Williams, a renowned economist at George Mason University, answers these questions and more."

Via Legal Insurrection

TEA-Partier Lloyd Marcus rejected by his own race

Our American Paradise is Not Lost
"At first I was a bit hurt. Later, I became angry. Working on a family history project documenting the extraordinary life of my 87-year-old black dad, I noticed that a few relatives were not returning my phone calls. My brother said those particular relatives were nonresponsive because they want nothing to do with me. They disagree with my politics and are embarrassed by me and my website. They dislike me saying blacks are not victims in America. They also hate me criticizing blacks in front of white people. So in my relative's minds, I am one big Uncle Tom traitor.

"Meanwhile, I caught the local TV news while in Baltimore visiting my dad. Ten blacks, including a nine-year-old girl, were shot by blacks over the weekend, three died. Baltimore, along with other cities controlled by Democrats, continue to break records; reaching new heights of blacks murdering blacks. And my idiot relatives are angry at me because whites hear me criticizing such behavior. " . . .
Read more

Obama's politically correct administration choices

Has Obama slighted illegals and Islamists by choosing a gay Army secretary instead?

. . . "That's why I completely support Mr. Fanning's appointment as Army secretary.  His military experience or lack thereof is irrelevant.  He's going to be in charge of the largest social experiment on the planet Earth: the U.S. Army.  I trust he will prioritize reorienting the army from fighting radical Islamists in the Middle East to dealing with feelings about same-sex attraction and having seminars with battalion and platoon leaders to discuss how to better handle these feelings among the men.  What if a non-com falls in love with his platoon sergeant?  How do they deal with public displays of affection while on duty?  These are the kinds of issues that I hope Mr. Fanning gets the Pentagon to focus on, because the purpose of the military is not only to protect the nation, but more primarily to deal with issues affecting the gay and lesbian community.
. . .
"Obama also could have picked an environmentalist to head the army.  Imagine if we converted all our tanks to wind power.  Think of how we could kill the enemy without increasing global warming!  And what if our bombs were all solar-powered?  We'd save a ton of money on explosives!"
Read more:

Not in "Yes-we-can-sis" anymore

"GOP presidential candidate Bobby Jindal unleashed a campaign video where he ripped Donald Trump, calling him a clueless narcissist and egomaniac. It’s easy to assert. Speaking to a group of rabbis last weekend, Donald Trump quoted the words God said to Moses, and added that God was right."   Comedian Argus Hamilton

HopeN'Change



. . . "To be sure, Trump has provided a hugely valuable service by throwing political correctness out the window to identify real problems, talking back to the press, and giving a voice to voters who feel betrayed by both political parties.

"But...

"It continues to be clear that Trump is running on personality rather than substance; exhibiting a contagiously appealing vagueness mirroring that used by Barack Obama back in 2008. A phenomenon which we call "Yes We Can-sis." But, Toto, America is not in "Yes We Can-sis" anymore...or at least, it shouldn't be.  Platitudes make for frighteningly flimsy platforms.

"Make no mistake: Hope n' Change would enthusiastically vote for any of the GOP candidates, including Trump, rather than any of the nightmare choices being offered up by the Left.  But we're frankly concerned by the idea that Americans increasingly seem to be unable to tell the difference between "reality TV" and reality itself."

Vote, people! Vote for any Republican if only to cancel out a Democrat's vote.

"Grievance-Mongering"? A Closer Look at Ahmed's Clock

Noisy Room  Via Thomas Talbot:
This video shows that the supposed clock invention by a 14 year old is in fact not an invention. The ‘clock’ is a commercial bedside alarm clock removed from its casing. There is nothing to indicate that the clock was even assembled by the child. I suspect this was brought into school to create an alarmed reaction.

Ahmed’s Clock in the Age of Grievance-Mongering via Jeff Hayden of Plano, TX

"you cannot very well go actively cultivating an atmosphere of paranoia and then pronounce yourself surprised by all the paranoia in the air."

. . . "President Barack Obama, never one to miss an opportunity for cheap moral preening, invited Mohamed to the White House. That’s an interesting gesture: Anybody want to hazard a guess as to what would happen if a young man showed up at the White House visitors’ center with a backpack in which was a homemade device full of circuit boards joined to a timing device? I do not frequent the White House, but I often am in the House and Senate office buildings in Washington, and my best guess is that if I’d tried to bring Mohamed’s clock into one of those places, there would have been guns drawn.

. . .

"Of course it is the very same self-satisfied lifestyle liberals who want to send your toddler to Gitmo for playing with a cap gun who are so theatrically appalled at what happened to Mohamed." . . .

Another of Obama's "the police acted stupidly" moments:


Late arrival from HopeN'Change
"We're sorry for Ahmed (although he's now a hero to everyone on the Left), but we don't appreciate Obama's none too subtle mockery of the authorities who were simply trying to protect innocent lives.

"After all, one doesn't have to think very far back to remember another seemingly harmless Muslim kid who didn't get arrested for carrying a backpack containing an innocent-looking pressure cooker to the finish line of the Boston Marathon. Until, of course, it was too late."

Krauthammer on Dangerous Putin versus silly Obama

How silly the US must look to Putin and Arabs. These major shifts and crises in the world and this shallow, silly juvenile president wants to play golf, then invite gays and transgendered representatives to greet the Pope.

Charles Krauthammer: Putin’s gambit, Obama’s puzzlement

"Once again, President Obama and his foreign policy team are stumped. Why is Vladimir Putin pouring troops and weaponry into Syria? After all, as Secretary of State John Kerry has thrice told his Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov, it is only making things worse.

"But worse for whom? For the additional thousands of civilians who will die or flee as a result of the inevitably intensified fighting. True, and I’m sure Lavrov is as moved by their plight as by the 8,000 killed in Russia’s splendid little Ukrainian adventure.

Kerry and Obama are serially surprised because they cannot fathom the hard men in the Kremlin. Yet Putin’s objectives in Syria are blindingly obvious:" . . .

Watch Obama blame his foreign policy failures on Hillary

Someone beside Bush? We'll see in due time.

Obama Throws Hillary Under the Bus

                     

"The central mission of Barack Obama’s White House in the waning days of his administration is to communicate to the public that none of this is his fault. Their search for figures toward which this administration can shift blame for the suboptimal state of affairs is growing increasingly frantic, self-sabotaging, and reflective of an undisciplined political operation in the midst of a spiraling crisis.

"Given the increasingly dire state of geopolitical affairs, securing exonerations for Obama’s conduct is a particularly urgent imperative on the foreign policy front. The resurrection of the Islamist militant threat in the Middle East is perhaps the most glaring failure of this administration. The largely pacified Iraq that Barack Obama inherited is a boiling cauldron and bloody sectarian warfare. Even the most stalwart member of the president’s thinning clique of apologists would today concede that the withdrawal of every last American solider from Iraq in 2011 was shortsighted. They contend, however, that the president had no choice. . ."

Stephanopoulos once again shown to be a Democrat hack.

This is "VOX"...with a V

Two lessons for George Stephanopoulos: 1. Never rely on Vox, and …
"Fresh off her excellent debate appearance Wednesday night, Carly Fiorina made an appearance on Good Morning America with George Stephanopoulos who tried to back her into a corner over comments she made about the horrific Planned Parenthood videos.

"Just as he did last spring with Clinton Cash author Peter Schweizer, Stephanopoulos came off looking like a hack.

"Scott Whitlock of NewsBusters has the story:

Carly Fiorina Nails Stephanopoulos on Planned Parenthood: Watch the Tapes
Former Democratic activist turned journalist George Stephanopoulos on Thursday went after Carly Fiorina for attacking Planned Parenthood during Wednesday’s presidential debate. The Good Morning America co-host grilled, “Another powerful moment last night was when you talked about those Planned Parenthood tapes. But analysts who’ve watched all 12-plus hours say the scene you’ve described, that harrowing scene you described, actually isn’t in those tapes.”

He wondered, “did you misspeak?” Fiorina shot back at the man who secretly donated $75,000 to the Clintons: “I don’t know whether you’ve watched the tapes, George….Certainly none of the Democrats who are still defending Planned Parenthood have watched those tapes.”

Obama and the Pope: siding with oppressive governments against their victims

Just as Obama sided with the Ayatollahs who killed Iranian young people.

Pope plans to duck dissidents in Cuba, spawning criticism
"Pope Francis plans to meet with Cuba's president and its priests, its young and its sick, its churchgoers and its seminarians as he travels around the island starting Saturday. But not its dissidents.

"The absence on Francis' agenda of any meeting with the political opposition has sparked bitter critiques from dissidents who say they feel let down by an institution they believe should help push for greater freedom in Cuba.
. . .
"Papal observers say it's likely Francis will speak strongly to Cubans about the need for greater freedom in their country and may speak to President Raul Castro in private about the same topic. But in shying from meetings with dissidents, the pope is hewing largely to the Cuban Catholic Church's strategy of advocating for change within bounds laid out by the communist state rather than pushing the system to change as John Paul II did in Eastern Europe. There is no one Cuban officials consider more out of bounds than the country's dissidents, whom they call mercenaries paid by the U.S. government and Cuban-American interest groups in Miami."

Some afterthoughts on the Republican debate

Report from the Reagan Library at the debate

. . . "As I drove up to the debate I first encountered about 100 demonstrators. When asked why they were there they did not respond.  Then I asked what was their purpose of demonstrating; they said, “We are just here.” The United Service Workers West had signs supporting anchor babies, and “There is no hope without the Latino vote.”  Later I found out that they did not answer any questions because they were asked to be there by their supervisor and should have instead been at work." . . .

. . . "After this encounter I went to the pressroom, waiting for the debate to begin, and saw only half of them standing for the National Anthem. " . . .Read more of this fascinating account from someone who was there.

Each candidate's performance discussed and rated:
Second Debate Grades: Carly Fiorina Soars, Jeb Bush Tanks
. . . "The debate may not have clarified the potential nominee – but it certainly clarified who won’t be a factor in the coming weeks.
" . . .Tapper, in the interest of ratings, felt the need to begin the debate with half an hour of Vince McMahon-style “bumfight” provocations, thus focusing the American public on sophomoric attack after sophomoric attack. Only after 45 minutes of such nonsense did the debate settle into some semblance of policy discussion." . . .

. . . ""Carson backed off his position that we can’t deport 11 million illegal immigrants; he vacillated on minimum wage. Where does Ben Carson stand? Nobody knows. Carson appeared uncomfortable, bewildered, unprepared. And the vacuum he presents is no longer a viable, lasting option for dissatisfied Trump supporters."

GOP's Deep Bench Shines In Second Debate As Trump Stumbles
. . . "From Marco Rubio's firm grasp of foreign affairs to the re-energized repartees of Jeb Bush on matters personal and professional, from Chris Christie's full-throated demonstration of why he's succeeded in a dark-blue New Jersey to Carly Fiorina's razor-sharp responses on, well, you name it — we saw an outstanding display of principled and well-articulated views."
. . .
"The strength of the GOP field served to highlight a serious weakness of Donald Trump. While Rubio, Bush, Fiorina and the others explained the current dangers in the world in impressive detail, Trump fumbled."

Donald Trump should be scared of Marco Rubio
. . . "Sen. Marco Rubio, whose campaign trail attack on Trump prompted Tapper's questions, pounced.
"You should ask him questions in detail about the foreign policy issues our president will confront, because you had better be able to lead our country on the first day," Rubio said to Tapper. "Not six months from now, not a year from now, on the first day in office, our president could very well confront a national security crisis. You can't predict it. Sometimes you cannot control it."
Trump's response — "I am not sitting in the United States Senate. I'm a businessman" — was basically no response at all. It was a devastating indictment of the Donald's qualifications to be president, one well-pitched to a party that's become increasingly anxious about world affairs since the rise of ISIS." . . .   Well, this is Vox after all.