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Posted by William A. Jacobson on March 20, 2016 56 Comments
Of course, it's mathematically possible that Donald Trump will obtain a majority of delegates through the primary and caucus process, in which case all the talk about an open or contested convention is moot. But the math is at least as likely to have Trump fall short, with only a plurality. And a plurality doesn't entitle Trump to anything other than a floor fight -- or cutting a deal with someone who has enough delegates to put him over the top. The RNC appears to be getting ready for an open convention (what I call a contested convention). Reince Preibus dispelled the notion that there would be something improper with new rules being adopted: https://www.youtube.com/embed/X0VXMYZ-G6k

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Posted by William A. Jacobson on March 20, 2016 32 Comments
Say what you want about Donald Trump, but he has an instinctive knack for zeroing in on an opponent's inherent weakness. With Jeb, it was "low energy." That term exploited a key perception problem of Jeb, and one he couldn't shake. So too did "Little Marco," which may have ended not only Marco Rubio's presidential campaign, but his political career -- it's a term I just can't shake from my current perception of Rubio, and I suspect that a decade from now his political opponents will be referring to him as Little Marco. As to Hillary, Trump went straight for her supposed strength -- supporting women and women's rights -- by zeroing in on Bill Clinton's serial abuse of women and Hillary's silence or connivance. Now comes Elizabeth Warren, who harshly criticized Trump this week. Trump's response zeroes in on Warren's key perception problem, that she dishonestly claimed Native American, and specifically Cherokee, heritage for professional purposes. The research on Warren's Cherokee problem is at Elizabeth Warren Wiki. Trump is quoted by Maureen Dowd in a column at the NY Times, Will Trump Be Dumped?, responding to Warren's criticism, as follows:

Posted by Fuzzy Slippers on March 20, 2016 44 Comments
A 25-year-old black woman who appeared to be brandishing a handgun was shot and killed by police in Virginia; it was later discovered that, like Tamir Rice, she held a non-firing replica (see below). CBS reports:
A 25-year-old black woman was shot and killed by police officers in Virginia on Saturday after threatening them with what turned out to be a fake handgun, police said. Investigators with the Norfolk Police Department's Vice and Narcotics Division were conducting a surveillance operation when they came across a fight in a parking lot, police said.

Posted by Leslie Eastman on March 20, 2016 9 Comments
Donald Trump's quest for the Oval Office certainly has been fascinating. This weekend, protesters in Arizona and their anti-Trump road blockage made for breathless press coverage. I suspect the organizers of that inanity are going to be shocked when they learn that it helped Trump win more votes and gave the business mogul free media attention. Now, Trump is being blamed by the elite media for the impending death of the Tea Party. For example, the Los Angeles Times engages in fantasy reporting with this analysis:
...Trump’s candidacy has not only fractured the Republican Party, it’s threatening to break apart the tea party movement and erode a once-powerful voting block that has driven conservative politics and elections for the past seven years. In addition to grass-root defections by activists like Dooley, tea party leadership has split over Trump’s presidential bid. Some conservative activists met this week to try to stop him, while others have joined his campaign. Meanwhile, major financial backers, including groups funded by the billionaire Koch brothers, have been sidelined from publicly backing GOP primary candidates, partly out of fear they might alienate their divided base.

Posted by Mike LaChance on March 20, 2016 11 Comments
If you've ever wondered what could make an American join the terror group ISIS, we can now confirm one reason is plain old-fashioned stupidity. Mohamad Khweis of Virginia doesn't seem to know what he was getting himself into. Mark Zapotosky reports at the Washington Post:
American ISIS fighter captured by Kurds: ‘I found it hard’ The 26-year-old Virginia man who was taken into custody in Iraq after he purportedly deserted the Islamic State told a Kurdish TV station Thursday that he decided to escape after he grew dissatisfied during intensive religious training in Mosul.

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Posted by Leslie Eastman on March 20, 2016 12 Comments
In December 2012, Professor Jacobson posted "Barack Morsi". It turns out the title was truer than he realized. President Obama took the advice of "back-benchers" over experienced security experts to promote the ouster of Hosni Mubarak, creating condition for the usurpation of power by Muslim Brotherhood's Mohamed Morsi:
Former Secretary of Defense Robert Gates told Fox News that President Barack Obama ignored the advice of his “entire national security team” during the Egyptian coup in 2011 that ousted Hosni Mubarak, the country’s former president.

Posted by Fuzzy Slippers on March 20, 2016 10 Comments
It seems that Iran is having trouble getting the Obama administration to understand just how little it respects or fears Obama's America. They do keep trying, though.  They bully and cajole the Obama admin while dangling empty promises and outright lies before them, and they repeatedly declare that their goal is, first, the destruction of Israel (wipe Israel off the map), and second, the destruction of the United States (we're the "big" Satan after Israel's "little" Satan.). That's okay, the Obama admin assures us, Iran doesn't mean what its leaders say (there may be a certain amount of projection here).  Iran does love and respect—if not America then—its fearful leader. Iran's theocratic leadership shakes its head in disbelief  . . . and pure joy.  How weak! How malleable! How ineffectual!  Iran loves a weak American president as Jimmy Carter found out to the detriment of his second term dreams.

Posted by Kemberlee Kaye on March 19, 2016 9 Comments
Happy Human Achievement Hour! The good folks at the Competitive Enterprise Institute organize the hour-long event each year.
What is Human Achievement Hour? Human Achievement Hour is CEI's annual celebration of human progress! During this hour, people around the world pay tribute to human innovations that allows us to live better, fuller lives, and defend our basic human right to use energy to improve the quality of life of all people.
  • Human Achievement Hour is the counter argument to the World Wide Fund for Nature's Earth Hour, where participants symbolically renounce the environmental impacts of modern technology by turning off their lights for an hour.
  • Symbolically or not, Earth Hour does little to protect the environment and is a misguided effort that completely ignores how modern technology allows societies to develop new and more sustainable practices, helping people around the world be more eco-friendly and better conserve our natural resources.
  • Instead of looking to the “dark ages,” like Earth Hour, Human Achievement Hour promotes the idea that we should be looking to technology and innovation to help solve environmental challenges and problems.

Posted by Fuzzy Slippers on March 19, 2016 15 Comments
You may recall the Silver Spring, Maryland case of parents being charged with “unsubstantiated neglect” for allowing their children, ages 10 and 6, to walk home from a local park.  This, along with similar incidents, sparked a debate about "free-range kids," the role government should take in parenting, and the relative dangers of and safety concerns about children walking outside without a parent or guardian present. The Washington Post reported about it at the time:

Long before the Meitivs of Silver Spring clashed with Montgomery County over their young children’s walk home alone from a park, other parents across the country were at odds with authorities over similar questions: How much supervision do children need, and when are they truly at risk?

In Austin, Kari Anne Roy, 38, a children’s author, was investigated for neglect after her children walked the dog one day in August and her 6-year-old lagged behind, playing on an outdoor bench a few houses down the street.

In Port St. Lucie, Fla., Nicole Gainey, 35, a mother of two, was arrested for letting her 7-year-old son walk alone to a park and play there, about half a mile away from their home in the town where she grew up.

One of most the most publicized recent cases involved Debra Harrell in North Augusta, S.C., who allegedly allowed her 9-year-old daughter to play at a park while she worked at a McDonald’s as a shift manager.

Posted by William A. Jacobson on March 19, 2016 65 Comments
Shutting down major highways as a protest tactic is extremely dangerous. Not only does it create the possibility of car accidents, it also traps motorists behind the road blockage, making it impossible for emergency vehicles or vehicles with people in distress to pass. This tactic was used by anti-Israel protesters who hijacked a Martin Luther King Day protest on the San Mateo Bridge and blocked the span at its highest point, trapping hundreds of motorists. [caption id="attachment_113857" align="alignnone" width="600"]https://twitter.com/farah_salazar/status/558214869648814080 (via Farah Salazar Twitter)[/caption] In that instance, there were in fact motor vehicle accidents and at least one report of a vehicle with a child in medical distress who could not pass.

Posted by New Neo on March 19, 2016 10 Comments
Candidates of the so-called "right" or even so-called "far right" are gaining support all over Europe. Because Europe's political parties tend to be skewed somewhat to the left of ours, these terms don't mean exactly what they would in this country, but the trend is clear. Here's how an article from Vox describes the gathering strength of these parties (although it insists on labeling them "xenophobic," as though their attitude towards immigration is some sort of unjustified phobia):
Far-right parties like AfD are growing throughout Europe. Der Spiegel has a nice map on this, showing the countries where far-right parties have a presence in parliament (yellow dots) or are actually part of the government (red dots). It turns out the xenophobic far right has surged in countries as diverse as Sweden, the UK, the Netherlands, and Hungary:

Posted by Mike LaChance on March 19, 2016 14 Comments
While speaking to Hillary supporters in Salt Lake City this week, Chelsea Clinton was asked by an attendee if her mother would extend Obamacare benefits to people in the country illegally. Naturally, she said yes. Thomas Lifson of the American Thinker:
Chelsea Clinton reveals her mom thinks it is ‘important’ to extend Obamacare to illegal aliens So any family that can ante-up plane fare for the kids and one or more parent to JFK, Miami, Los Angeles or any other international terminal, or that can sneak across the border, is here to stay, once Hillary becomes president. And in addition to all the other goodies this country bestows upon people with low incomes, now the $600k a year former NBC correspondent Chelsea Clinton has declared that Obamacare will be extended to illegals.

Posted by Mike LaChance on March 19, 2016 9 Comments
Massachusetts senator Elizabeth Warren blatantly dodged simple questions from CBS News reporters this week who wanted to know why she hasn't endorsed a Democratic candidate and if she believed Hillary Clinton should release the transcripts of her speeches to Goldman Sachs. Could she be angling for the position of Hillary's VP? Inquiring minds want to know. Nick Gass of Politico has the details:
Warren won't say whether Clinton should release Goldman Sachs transcripts Sen. Elizabeth Warren declined multiple opportunities on Thursday to say whether Hillary Clinton should release the transcripts of her paid speeches to Goldman Sachs and other financial institutions.
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