A wave of what color?

Silvio Canto, Jr.  "It's the last week of 2017, and people are already making predictions about 2018.  So let me give my early take on all this.

Let's start with Newt Gingrich, who predicted a "surprise" in 2018:

The great political surprise of 2018 will be the size of the Republican victory.

After members of the elite media have spent two years savaging President Trump, lying about Republican legislation, and reassuring themselves that Republican defeat was inevitable, the size of the GOP victory in 2018 will be an enormous shock.

"Newt goes on to mention our friend Barry Casselman, who has a good eye for political waves:

H[i]storically ... the party out of power makes gains in the first mid-term election after [it] lose[s] the White House.

This precedent has fueled recent media and Democratic Party strategists' anticipations of a 2018 "blue wave."

This tide in blue might still happen, but the genuine signs for it are not yet present. " . . .

Wellll, not so fast. Let's not set up that fireworks display on the river quite yet: 

We Don't Need No Stinkin' Predictions  . . . "The trouble with predictions is that if you are right, and you remind others of that, you end up looking like a jerk.  And if you are wrong, you will be reminded of that fact too often.

"Another issue with predictions: The professional pontificators making them are rarely held to account when wrong.  Instead, they remain working at places like the N.Y. Times, CNN, and MSNBC.

"No, you will not hear any predictions from me.  Instead, it's more fun to look back at those foolish enough to make them to see who was right and who was wrong."

. . . As we look back on the year that was, and forward to the year that will be, one thing we can count on is that dire predictions rarely come to pass.  Proclamations of pending greatness follow a similar pattern – although, judging from the above, it appears that greatness is leading at the moment." . . .

Guess who Marie Harf credits with the virtual defeat of ISIS?

Twitchy  "U.S. military officials on Tuesday revealed that ISIS has lost 98 percent of the territory it once held, and since President Trump took office, half of its so-called “caliphate” has been captured.

"You can thank the Obama administration for that, says Marie Harf, now a political commentator for Fox News. Here she is on “The Five” to explain.

Marie Harf: "The strategy that has led to a virtual defeat of ISIS in the caliphate...is largely a strategy that was laid out during the #Obama administration by military commanders." #TheFive http://fxn.ws/2C7LC1j 

Comment to this: 

 Laurie Williams‏ @OCNaNa2013 Dec 27MoreMarie what are you smoking? Obama would not let military commanders do their job. Even they said that.

But there is this point of view:

ISIS Has Lost 98% Of Its Territory Since Trump Replaced Obama

. . . "Liberals mocked then-candidate Trump’s promise to “smash ISIS” during the presidential debates in 2016, but they are now being forced to eat crow.

"The massive gains against ISIS come after years of weak tactics and ineffectiveness under President Obama, when critics say the Obama administration “micromanaged” the war and shunned a more intensive air strategy that could have ended the conflict much sooner.

“ 'The rules of engagement under the Obama administration were onerous. I mean what are we doing having individual target determination being conducted in the White House, which in some cases adds weeks and weeks,” said retired Air Force Lt. Gen. David Deptula, the former head of U.S. Air Force intelligence. “The limitations that were put on actually resulted in greater civilian casualties.' ” . . .

ISIS convoys roamed undisturbed over the countryside under Obama

Security Theater Comes to Disney World Resort

UK Daily Mail

Katherine Timpf  "Just when you thought Disney World couldn’t be a bigger nightmare, new security measures at some of its hotels are basically allowing Mickey Mouse and his obnoxious friends to invade your room.

" According to a piece in the Miami Herald, Walt Disney World Resort Hotels has removed the “do not disturb” signs from the rooms in three of its hotels and replaced them with “room occupied” signs as part of a new security policy. What’s more, a Disney cast member will now be required to enter each hotel room at least once per day to “ensure gun safety,” according to Walt Disney World News today. 

"Disney has not explicitly stated its reasons for the new policy, but it seems to have been implemented in response to October’s Las Vegas shooting, when a man was able to enter a hotel room with a boatload of weapons and subsequently murder 58 people. 

"Now, while I do appreciate that Disney wants to keep people safe, this is, quite frankly, a stupid idea. Stupid . . . but not surprising. After all, responding to violent incidents with overzealous, privacy-invading security theater is exactly what the government has been doing for years." . . .   Read more.

Trump: The Unlikeliest Churchillian

*

Patricia McCarthy  . . . "To the horror of our 2016 establishment, Donald Trump was elected.  He has been as loathed as Churchill was when he took on the P.M. job as the catastrophe at Dunkirk was unfolding.  Like Churchill, Trump is a bit reckless with his opinions and his speech.  Churchill regularly offended people on both sides of the political spectrum, as does Trump.  Churchill was innovative, imaginative.  He devised the civilian boat rescue of all those soldiers at Dunkirk.  It worked.  Trump has, in a year, defeated ISIS, although the media are loath to report that.  Trump has revitalized the economy beyond anything Obama was able to do.  He has successfully rolled back the restrictive regulations Obama put in place that have strangled the economy and suppressed GDP growth to 2% for eight years."

. . . 

"Would it not be a hilarious turn of events if Trump became recognized as the greatest American president of all time?  Churchill was a highborn man of letters with a lifetime of public service under his belt.  Trump is none of those things, but he is a host of things Churchill was not.  The end results may just be similar.

"Trump may just be our Churchill.  They certainly share some personality traits.  Churchill's love of England saved England.  Trump's love of America may save us as well."

Pictured: ISIS (ISIL to Obama)under Trump

*Barack Obama sends bust of Winston Churchill on its way back to Britain

"A bust of the former prime minister once voted the greatest Briton in history, which was loaned to George W Bush from the Government's art collection after the September 11 attacks, has now been formally handed back." . . .

You Don't Have to Like this President to Acknowledge the Obvious

Bernard Goldberg

. . . "To say journalists have a liberal bias and detest this president isn't exactly breaking news. When it comes to Donald Trump, a lot of journalists figure if the sun rose in the east today, he must have done something wrong and they're going to prove it. So they let their journalistic instincts lapse; they let their guardrails down. Instead of being skeptics, they become gullible patsies, taking in all sorts of later discredited information peddled by anonymous sources -- as long as it makes the president look bad.

" They put out false information about collusion with the Russians, for example, because they want to believe that he conspired with his pal Vladimir Putin to rig the election. Collusion, after all, could lead to impeachment, the holy grail. 

"And if, heaven forbid, you criticize them for sloppiness or for going overboard, you're accused to being a Trump sycophant who wants to put a stake through the heart of the First Amendment and democracy itself. 

"But how would these same journalists respond if it were Barack Obama or President Hillary Clinton who was under investigation by a special prosecutor who loaded up his team with Republican donors? How would they react if a lead FBI investigator texted his mistress that candidate Clinton "is a (expletive) idiot" and that they needed an "insurance policy" in case she somehow won the election? 

"We know how they'd react: They'd say the deck was stacked against the Democrat. They'd be outraged. And for good reason." . . . 

American Silliness: Do we even know what racism is anymore?

Professors claim farmers’ markets cultivate racism: ‘Habits of white people are normalized’  "Two professors from San Diego State University claim in a new book that farmers’ markets in urban areas are weed-like “white spaces” responsible for oppression.". . . Define oppression:  "the exercise of authority or power in a burdensome, cruel, or unjustmanner. an act or instance of oppressing or subjecting to cruel or unjust impositions or restraints."

Washington DC restaurant accused of dress-code racism changes ‘no sneakers’ policy  . . . "Rashid said that the dress code policy was “no different than any DC, LA or New York lounge,” and that when guests saw other guests who weren’t dressed according to the code, it was usually because the underdressed guests were dining in the restaurant, which has no dress code, and stuck around for the nightclub portion of the night, when the dress code is instituted. . .

Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee invokes racism when not given her demands.

Woman Accused Of Racism By Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee Is Human-Rights Activist   There goes her race card.

Tucker Carlson Tweets 100 Racist Things — It’s Even More Ridiculous Than You Think It Is

Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee once called for hurricanes to be given African-American names so that "all racial groups would be represented."

The Top 10 False Claims of Racism on Campus From 2015:  "As the University of Missouri is engulfed by a number of bratty students offended over racial incidents that might not have even happened, it's important to note that race hoaxes tend to pop up on campuses throughout the country. Here are the top ten race hoaxes that have occurred on campus." . . .

NAACP official: Trump judicial nominee 'a product of the modern white supremacist machine'   I hate to say this, but the NAACP may have a claim here that can't do any good for President Trump's image. How sad that the antics of those such as Jackson-Lee, Sharpton, and Maxine Waters can cause us to disrespect serious racism claims out of hand. TD

Adam Schiff Saying Something About Russia Doesn’t Make It True

The Federalist

Adam Schiff’s Wall Street Journal opinion article shows yet again that Democrats have no evidence of Trump collusion with Russia. Schiff’s wild claims harm himself, and America.

 Rep. Adam Schiff, the top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, writes in the Wall Street Journal that evidence abounds of the Trump campaign colluding with Russia to steal the 2016 election from Hillary Clinton.

But rather than providing evidence, he proves the opposite: Democrats have absolutely no proof of President Trump colluding with Russia. And Schiff harms himself and the country by making such wild claims. To see why, take Schiff’s points in turn."

. . . 

"First, Schiff claims that because the probe by Special Counsel Robert Mueller has led to charges, this must mean Mueller is on to something. Really? Paul Manafort was charged with crimes unrelated to his time as Trump’s campaign chair, and Manafort’s brief time as the campaign chair was only due to a lack of GOP operatives willing to work with Trump who understood the Byzantine process of a floor-fight at the Republican National Convention. As soon as Trump realized Manafort was problematic, he dropped him like a hot potato.

"The charges against Manafort are related to him failing to disclose work for, and payments received by, foreign governments. Yes, this is a problem, but many in DC who violate this statute go unprosecuted. During the time in question—before Manafort was Trump campaign chair—Manafort was working with Tony Podesta, the brother of Hillary Clinton’s campaign chair John Podesta. We are all patiently waiting for Democrat Tony Podesta, and many others who ran afoul of this law, to be charged." . . .

UPDATED: "Sheila Jackson Lee has been a congresswoman for over 20 years. However, she acts far more like an arrogant monarch than a humble servant of the people."

Update to the main post: Of Course: Sheila Jackson Lee Cries Racism After Kicking a Teacher Out of First Class
. . . "When the teacher, who works with kids in Guatemala, issued a complaint to the airline and wrote about the incident on her Facebook page, Sheila Jackson Lee predictably accused Simon of racism. United accused her of cancelling her own flight, which she did not do." . . .

Sheila Jackson Lee’s Long History Of Being An Entitled ‘Queen’

According to accounts from former staffers, Jackson-Lee would berate staffers, calling them names like “You Stupid Motherf***er.”

. . . "The Texas Democrat has regularly abused her power and position to demand and receive special treatment from private companies, demean and harass subordinates, and reap untold benefits of being “The Queen.”

"When her abusive behavior comes to light, Jackson Lee often claims her opponents are racist.

"Jackson Lee’s most recent abuse of power comes at the expense of teacher Jean-Marie Simon  who was allegedly bumped from her first class seat when Jackson-Lee demanded it. Simon was given a voucher for her flight by United and moved to the economy section. On her way to the back of the plane, Simon saw Jackson Lee occupying her seat." . . .

. . . "In response to the accusation, Jackson-Lee called Simon racist, saying the teacher caused a stir “because I was an African American woman.”

"Along with being a teacher, Simon is a celebrated photojournalist who helped document human-rights abuses in the third world." . . .

“You don’t understand. I am a queen, and I demand to be treated like a queen,” she allegedly once told a member of her staff.

How the homeless in Los Angeles spent Christmas

My years and years of experience tell me these views go unnoticed because there is Democrat control of government from Los Angeles up to state level. These people should all vote Republican so that they can get media coverage.
I thought that four years ago on the way to the flower district near city hall, driving past blocks of homeless people just like those pictured here. TD

Rick Moran  "A dashcam video of downtown Los Angeles on Christmas day reveals a stunning sight: hundreds of tents and lean-tos on the sidewalks that serve as shelter for the homeless.

The scene is reminiscent of a third-world country. 

"The Daily Mail reported on the video:

The three-minute clip was originally published on Instagram by [L.A.] street artist Plastic Jesus[,] then on LiveLeak by Nick Stern in the 'Citizen Journalism' video category.

It had ... been live for [only] 10 hours when it was viewed nearly 40,000 times.

In one frame of the viral footage, a man can be seen pushing a wheelchair in the middle of the road.

Another wheelchair-bound man reclines listlessly on a street corner while women file their thin-looking children through the crowds.

Video at the link.  

It is too bad journalists idolized Obama instead of being embarrassed by what he did

By Jack Hellner  "Ruth Marcus of the Washington Post implies that all of us are embarrassed by President Trump.  We essentially get different versions of the same things trashing Trump every day.  I am absolutely not ashamed of Trump, but I am ashamed of Ruth Marcus and most other journalists, who somehow were never embarrassed by, but actually proud of our previous president, who didn't understand that leading from behind is not leading.

. . . 

Journalists and other Democrats should have been embarrassed but weren't when: 

• -Obama reneged on our commitment to put up missile shields in Poland and the Czech Republic. 
• -Obama whispered to Medvedev that he should tell Putin that he would have more flexibility after he was elected.
• -Obama sneered at Mitt Romney in a presidential debate when Romney said Putin and Russia are dangerous. 
• -Obama and Hillary left people to die in Benghazi while concocting a lie to protect his political power, because a terrorist attack would be inconvenient right before an election when he had been lying that terrorists were on the run.
• -Obama showed his lack of intelligence when he called ISIS the J.V. team, allowing the terrorists to build up.
• -Obama drew the fictional red line in Syria, which contributed greatly to the refugee crisis.
• -Obama failed to live up to our commitment to help Ukraine when it was invaded by Russia (international agreements meant nothing to Obama).
• -Obama was so arrogant and ignorant that he signed the Paris Accord, where he pretended that if people just give the government trillions of dollars, politicians can control temperatures, sea levels, and storm activity forever.
• -The way he was going to control the climate was by slowing the U.S economy and bankrupting coal companies and through stifling regulations.  (I don't know why journalists and other Democrats aren't embarrassed by politicians who want to slow down the economy and make more people dependent on government.)
• -Obama failed to live up to his promise to move the U.S. embassy to Jerusalem. 
• -Obama used taxpayer money to defeat a candidate in Israel.  (Aren't journalists and Democrats embarrassed to complain about Russia interfering in our elections when Obama interfered in someone else's election with taxpayer dollars?) 
• -Obama continually said that as president he could not rewrite or ignore existing immigration law and did it anyway.
• -Obama and his staff lied to willing accomplices in the media about lifting up the major sponsor of terrorism. 

"Now it appears that Obama cared more about his legacy on Iran and little about the terrorist group Hezb'allah and its drug-running.  It is sad that Obama cared so little about the people who got and used the drugs and the terrorists attacks and so very much about his legacy. 

"I remember that George Clooney, Democrats, and journalists cared greatly about Darfur and Congo when Bush was President, and that issue essentially disappeared when Obama was elected.  Did Obama take care of that issue?"

. . . 

"It is truly sad that Marcus and most journalists were never embarrassed about what Obama did."

Sputnik News

Toons for today

Myth Buster – A.F. Branco Cartoon

Burnt Bagel Blamed For Shutting Down An Entire Airport…

Weasel Zippers

"Via Yahoo:

A burnt bagel is being blamed for the evacuation of a terminal at Lambert Airport in St. Louis.

Airport officials say a bagel burned in a restaurant in Terminal 2 around 6 p.m. Tuesday, setting off smoke detectors and prompting a full evacuation. An estimated 300 to 400 people were required to go outside, where the temperature was 11 degrees.

The airport says the evacuation lasted only about five minutes, but passengers had to go back through security checks once they re-entered the building. No flight delays were reported.

Keep reading…

Boing Boing