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August 2015

Posted by William A. Jacobson on August 07, 2015 74 Comments
In previewing the Republican debate, I said the Debate is All about The Donald:
I’m going to sit back and enjoy the show. Whatever will be will be.
I didn't watch the 5 p.m. debate, but 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. I did watch the 9 p.m. main event, and it was a weird experience. Here are my impressions:

Fox News Moderators: 

At times I felt the aggressive attacks on candidates were inappropriate, and much of the show was the moderators using oppo-research type facts to get a reaction. Trump was the focus of most of this. That's not the role of moderators. BUT, when viewed in its entirety over the two hours, I think the moderators achieved a good result. What could have been a snoozer was interesting, candidates got to address their weaknesses, there was some engagement with each other, and we came away with a sorting out of the field. So, while it was uncomfortable to watch at times, the end seems to have justified the means.

The Donald:

This is becoming the present-day Rorschach test. I thought he did horribly. Trump did not appear comfortable in the setting. Many of his one-liners that work so well when he is alone and has a camera close up didn't work. He was petulant, shallow and thin-skinned. BUT, if online voting is any indication, he didn't hurt himself with supporters.

Posted by Mike LaChance on August 07, 2015 26 Comments
In the first of the two Republican debates yesterday, the lower polling candidates squared off in a so-called "Happy Hour" debate. All of the candidates did well but Carly Fiorina truly stood out and her performance might be just the jolt her campaign needed. The consensus among many in media was that Carly Fiorina won the debate. CNN made note of the tweets declaring Fiorina the winner:

Posted by William A. Jacobson on August 06, 2015 16 Comments
The Huffington Post is reporting that Chuck Schumer will come out against the Iran Nuke Deal:
New York Sen. Chuck Schumer, the chamber's third-ranking Democrat, plans to announce his opposition to the nuclear deal negotiated by the U.S., Iran, and five world powers tomorrow, three people familiar with his thinking tell The Huffington Post. Schumer's move will come a day after New Hampshire Democratic Sen. Jeanne Shaheen and Schumer's fellow New York senator, Kirstin Gillibrand, announced their support for the deal. That momentum is blunted by Schumer's pending announcement. Backers of the deal had hoped that if Schumer decided to oppose the deal, he would hold off until the last minute.
(added) Schumer made the announcement Thursday night, as reported by CNN:
New York Sen. Chuck Schumer, an influential Jewish Democrat who's poised to assume leadership of his party in the Senate, will oppose President Barack Obama's nuclear deal with Iran, he announced on Thursday evening.

Posted by Amy Miller on August 06, 2015 50 Comments
Everyone still with us? That first debate wasn't just a debate--it was a firehose of information, talking points, and (most importantly) soundbites. The night is young, though, and we're ready to see how the top ten candidates vying for the Republican presidential nomination measure up. Here's who you should expect to see on the stage at 8:50 p.m. ET:
  • Donald Trump
  • Jeb Bush
  • Scott Walker
  • Mike Huckabee
  • Ben Carson
  • Ted Cruz
  • Marco Rubio
  • Rand Paul
  • John Kasich
  • Chris Christie
To watch the debate online, click here. (You'll need a cable authentication to stream live from Fox.) You can follow the discussion on Twitter here: Round 2 begins in 3...2...

Posted by New Neo on August 06, 2015 11 Comments
Senator Charles ("Chuck") Schumer of New York faces a particularly tough choice: back Obama's Iran deal and anger many of his New York Jewish constituents, or oppose the deal and anger Obama and much of the Democratic Party leadership. My prediction: Schumer will cave to Obama and cling to his own long-nourished hopes of one day succeeding Harry Reid. Or he will take the weaselly option mentioned here, voting to override Obama's veto of a Congressional bill to continue sanctions but being careful to not bring along enough people with him to make an override stick. Schumer, as the probable heir apparent to Reid's position, seems to have quite a bit of influence over his fellow Democratic senators who are likewise hesitating, and therefore his vote is considered a sort of bellweather or linchpin. As for the vote itself, here's a good discussion of the "is the Iran deal a treaty or not?" question, from back in March:
There is no currently no suit on the issue [of its being a treaty] being discussed on Capitol Hill, and it's far from clear that Republicans would be standing on firm legal ground with such a challenge. The debate, rumbling for decades, has yet to be definitively resolved in case law.

Posted by William A. Jacobson on August 06, 2015 21 Comments
After the Office of Personnel Management Chinese hacking, it seems that almost no government system is secure. Now another example. From NBC News:
U.S. officials tell NBC News that Russia launched a "sophisticated cyberattack" against the Pentagon's Joint Staff unclassified email system, which has been shut down and taken offline for nearly two weeks. According to the officials, the "sophisticated cyber intrusion" occurred sometime around July 25 and affected some 4,000 military and civilian personnel who work for the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Sources tell NBC News that it appears the cyberattack relied on some kind of automated system that rapidly gathered massive amounts of data and within a minute distributed all the information to thousands of accounts on the Internet. The officials also report the suspected Russian hackers coordinated the sophisticated cyberassault via encrypted accounts on social media. The officials say its not clear whether the attack was sanctioned by the Russian government or conducted by individuals. But, given the scope of the attack, "It was clearly the work of a state actor," the officials say.

Posted by Amy Miller on August 06, 2015 20 Comments
It's time, people. Debate season is upon us, and tonight, we get double the pleasure of watching seventeen Republican candidates face off in two debates. This post will cover the first debate; these participants didn't poll in the top ten of all GOP candidates, but many are saying that this slate could provide a more substantive discussion than the prime time group. Here's who you should expect to see onstage for the first debate:
  • Rick Perry
  • Lindsey Graham
  • Rick Santorum
  • Bobby Jindal
  • Carly Fiorina
  • George Pataki
  • Jim Gilmore
To watch the debate online, click here. (You'll need a cable authentication to stream live from Fox.) You can follow the discussion on Twitter here: Alright...let's do this! Let the live blog begin in 3...2... ***

Posted by Amy Miller on August 06, 2015 8 Comments
It's hard to believe that we started talking about Ferguson almost a year ago. For better, worse, or neutral, what happened in that town between teenager Michael Brown and police officer Darren Wilson has changed the way this country regards the ever-evolving relationship between citizens and the police. August 11th marks the 1 year anniversary of the day this quiet corner of the greater Saint Louis area exploded into chaos and violence, and city officials, local residents, and even those of us who watched from afar are concerned that renewed protests will once again overtake the streets.

Posted by William A. Jacobson on August 06, 2015 4 Comments
The Court in the Steven Salaita lawsuit, arising out of the University of Illinois Board of Trustees' decision not to hire him, has just issued a Memorandum and Opinion [Full Embed at bottom of post] which allows his key claims to move forward. For background on the case, see our prior posts: The Court in its ruling dismissed Counts VI and VII (Tortious Interference with Contract), VII (Emotional Distress) and IX (Spoiliation of Evidence). The dismissal of the Tortious Interference counts is significant in that those were alleged against various pro-Israel "John Doe" donors who communicated with the UI-UC Chancellor Phyllis Wise. But the court permitted the heart of the lawsuit to move forward, Count I (First Amendment), II (Procedural Due Process), (III) Conspiracy, (iv) Promissory Estoppel, and V (Breach of Contract).

Posted by Vijeta Uniyal on August 06, 2015 17 Comments
Common sense is a rare commodity in Brussels (the seat of European Union's bureaucracy) when it comes to tackling the issue of mass immigration. The number of immigrants entering the European Union by land and sea has risen drastically in 2015. According to the UN, 153,000 migrants have crossed into Europe so far this year, marking a 150 percent spike compared to 2014. Considering the fact that many illegal immigrants prefer to stay undetected, the actual figures could be much higher. The European Union's response to the rising tide of immigrants is conspicuous inaction coupled with threats against individual EU member states who dare to undertake even the slightest of countermeasures. The EU bureaucracy is particularly irked by Hungary’s move to erect a 110 mile fence along its southern border. Wall Street Journal reports:

Posted by Miriam Elman on August 06, 2015 6 Comments
After a murder and multiple stabbing at the Jerusalem Gay Pride Parade last Thursday, by an individual who perpetrated an attack a decade ago, the anti-Israel movement has kicked into high gear. There is a concerted effort to undermine an indisputable truth -- Israel is the safest, most-welcoming, most open society for LGBT individuals in the Middle East. The term "Pinkwashing" is a growing part of the anti-Israel movement's attack on Israel, by claiming that Israel promotes its positive gay rights record in order to (pink) wash its alleged crimes against Palestinians. (There also are Greenwashing and Redwashing claims made against Israel.) The pinkwashing movement, which has a particular hold among anti-Israel students and faculty on campuses, seeks to turn Israel's positive gay rights record into something bad. The pinkwashing movement is nearly silent, at the same time, on the plight of Palestinian gays, who are relentlessly persecuted and often flee for their lives. This latest effort to exploit the Jerusalem Gay Pride Parade attack, however, is even worse. Call it "Reverse Pinkwashing," seeking to use an isolated incident to deny the truth about Israel's gay rights record in order to wash away the violent and pervasive persecution of LGBT individuals in Palestinian society. Below I examine the crime, the Israeli gay rights record, the dismal status of gays in Palestinian society, and the Reverse Pinkwashing exploitation in the wake of the attack.

Posted by Amy Miller on August 06, 2015 1 Comment
Remember Bobby Jindal? He may have not made it into tonight's Fox News debate as a top-tier candidate, but he hasn't gone anywhere. In fact, he's become the next in a line of Republican candidates who have taken to more liberal outlets for a shot at becoming the next political viral sensation. This time, we find our candidate wading into the progressive playground that is Buzzfeed for a political push-up challenge. In a heated contest, he takes on his top political foes: taxes, Obamacare, hyphenated-Americans, and his notorious State of the Union response speech. It's a little hard to explain without a dry fit tee and yoga mat. Just watch: Everybody sweaty and amped for President Jindal? I have to say, this may be the goofiest of all the "viral" spots to hit thusfar, but I admire his guts. It takes a brave man to run satire on his own presidential campaign.

Posted by Mike LaChance on August 06, 2015 13 Comments
It's ironic and perhaps not accidental that tonight marks both the first Republican Primary debate on FOX News, and the final episode of the Daily Show with Jon Stewart. I look forward to a ratings comparison next week. Stewart's political shell game occupies two sides of the same coin. On the first side rests Stewart's claim that he speaks truth to power---as long as Republicans are in charge, anyway. Once Obama became president and Democrats controlled everything else, Stewart became a protector of the powerful. On the second side we find what the Daily Caller's Jim Treacher calls the "clown nose on, clown nose off" routine. When Stewart says something that helps Democrats, he's hailed as a serious news analyst. When he says something outrageous about Republicans, hey---he's just a comedian. In honor of his last show, Justin Monticello and Alexis Garcia of Reason TV have put together a reel you won't see on Comedy Central any time soon:

Posted by William A. Jacobson on August 05, 2015 24 Comments
There really isn't much to smile about these days. Looking for something to write about tonight was an exercise in been there, done that:

(1) Obama-Kerry anointing Iran regional nuclear hegemon at Israel's expense, and belittling people who disagree - √

(2) Anti-Israel propaganda machine firing on all cylinders - √

(3) Planned Parenthood sells baby parts for money AND fun, and Democrats call it health care - √

(4) Vile race-baiting by progressives - √

(5) Hillary Clintonism - √

(6) Trump ushering in end-world scenario for Republicans - √

And then I saw these photos of George W. Bush reporting for jury duty, via Dallas Morning News:

Posted by Amy Miller on August 05, 2015 27 Comments
Tomorrow, ten Republican candidates will stand on a stage in Cleveland, Ohio for the inaugural debate of the 2016 cycle. Personally, I'm preparing myself for a lot of nonsense in the hours leading up to the main event. So far, our slate of candidates has not held back on lobbing personal and political attacks; the national limelight isn't likely to temper either the candidates' desire to throw punches, or voters' expectations that those punches will be thrown. I've written quite a bit about how candidates are changing tactics both online and in the field in an effort to make themselves more approachable and "human" to voters; some candidates naturally come across as approachable, while others have needed a little help getting started. Scott Walker is (I believe, you may disagree) one of those lucky few gifted with the ability to connect with a broad sample of American voters. His latest social media blip takes that approachability to the next level with a simple request that almost completely divorces itself from politics, and forces his competitors into the yet undiscovered world of---brace yourselves---personal relationships. Scott Walker wants to know which candidate each of them admire the most---and why. Take a look at his own response:

Posted by William A. Jacobson on August 05, 2015 16 Comments
The British-American historian Robert Conquest died on August 3, 2015, at age 98. That name may not ring a bell to you, but it does to students of Soviet history, of which I was one in college. In the 1960s Conquest documented the extent of Stalin's terror, which outlets such as The NY Times had covered up as they were happening in the 1930s. For that, Conquest was hated. But eventually recognized, including the 2005 Medal of Freedom. The Wall Street Journal writes in its obituary:
Robert Conquest, an Anglo-American historian whose works on the terror and privation under Joseph Stalin made him the pre-eminent Western chronicler of the horrors of Soviet rule, died Monday in Palo Alto, Calif. He was 98 years old. Mr. Conquest’s master work, “The Great Terror,” was the first detailed account of the Stalinist purges from 1937 to 1939. He estimated that under Stalin, 20 million people perished from famines, Soviet labor camps and executions—a toll that eclipsed that of the Holocaust. Writing at the height of the Cold War in 1968, when sources about the Soviet Union were scarce, Mr. Conquest was vilified by leftists who said he exaggerated the number of victims. When the Cold War ended and archives in Moscow were thrown open, his estimates proved high but more accurate than those of his critics....
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