It’s hard to pick a winner in last night’s debate. From what I watched (about 70% of it) Warren looked strong, attacked Mini Mike relentlessly, but mostly because they kept letting her rebut the others and go over her time.
Mike did get some shots in too. His response to Bernie’s ranting about him paying zero in taxes was priceless. Mike reminded Bernie that it was he and others in Congress who wrote the tax laws that let people like Mike get away with it. Bernie had no response to that. đ
But personality wise, Mike is about as inspiring as a chair leg.
But Mike thinks he’s The Million Dollar Man, and everyone has a price.
Michael Bloombergâs presidential campaign is hiring hundreds of workers in California to post regularly on their personal social-media accounts in support of the candidate and send text messages to their friends about him.https://t.co/TpZcB5JLms
Trump had a little shindig of his own…… but he wasn’t the star of the show. đ
This happened at the @realDonaldTrump rally in Phoenix. Lots of teamwork here. These men carrying a World War II veteran to his seat. Got to admit I got a lump in my throat pic.twitter.com/E8vV8gthQn
Trump on the WW2 vet, Ervin Julian: "I donât know if he knows it but he is the hottest celebrity in the world. ⌠He might even be hotter than Trump right now, I have to say. He is all over television. Even fake news CNN had him on." pic.twitter.com/35fJoHlvF1
“When residents of this cityâs impoverished West Side reflect on Pete Buttigiegâs two terms as mayor, a few things come to mind:
A spike in violent crime, development that largely ignored the African American community and how their only well-lit street is the one that leads to the University of Notre Dame.
So how, they wonder, can Buttigieg possibly be trusted to run the country?
âIf heâs the next president, I fear for our country. He couldnât run our city. How can he run the United States?â said Michelle Burger, 42, a stay-at-home mom who lives in South Bendâs impoverished and predominantly black West Side.
âLook at all the crime â he didnât do anything about it. Look at our quality of life. If he becomes president, the United States will become one big South Bend â a giant sinkhole. Weâll be in a new depression.â”
———
And he has a habit of taking credit for the work of others…..
“Taking credit for the work of others is part of politics but Buttigieg appears to have taken the concept a bit too far.
But Indiana Republican Party Chairman Kyle Hupfer countered that while Buttigieg âcertainly had a few economic development wins,â he actually had âlittle, if anything, to do with that.â
âI found it ironic that when he announced his presidential run, he did it in front of Studebaker Building 84, which had sat vacant since 1963,â Hupfer said.
âBut it was $3.5 million from then-Gov. Mike Penceâs Regional Cities Initiative that made that project go.â
Hupfer said increased employment in the area covering South Bend â where the unemployment rate dropped from 9.3 percent in 2012 to 3.6 percent in 2018 â was largely a function of âstatewide economic strength under Republican leadership.â
“MSNBCâs Chuck Todd blasted for âshoddy journalismâ ahead of Dem debate”
“MSNBC host Chuck Todd is under fire for âshoddy journalism” ahead of Wednesday night’s Democratic debate, which he will help moderate.
Todd is being criticized for failing to ask the president of liberal advocacy group Center for American Progress about a New York Times bombshell report that 2020 Democratic hopeful Mike Bloomberg avoided critical coverage from the group after giving them money.
âIt appears the left is following the Golden Rule — the one with the gold makes all the rules,” Media Research Center vice president Dan Gainor told Fox News. “It’s shoddy journalism to let them get away with this.â
The New York Times published a feature on Saturday detailing how Bloomberg has built a powerful army of allies through philanthropic spending. According to the report, Bloombergâs donations put institutions in a position where they are afraid to criticize the former New York City mayor over fears of jeopardizing future financial support.”
——-
“Todd hosted Center for American Progress president Neera Tanden on MSNBCâs âMeet the Press Dailyâ on Tuesday and it initially appeared that he was going to ask about the Times report.
âWill some Democrats feel hesitant to go after Bloomberg because he is such an important donor?â Todd asked Tanden directly, seemingly alluding to the report that her own group is guilty of that specific charge.
Todd reiterated, âYou donât think some interest groups⌠I mean, does he have an endorsement from anybody that he hasnât given money to?â
The Center for American Progress honcho responded by predicting that a âfair amountâ of criticism is coming Bloombergâs way.
Todd then wrapped up the segment without offering a follow-up question or mentioning the Times report. Status Coup founder Jordan Chariton called it a âremarkable failureâ by Todd and shared a clip of the segment on Twitter.”
âIn a remarkable failure by @chucktodd …â Noooooooo! Chuckâs failure was not remarkable. His failures are frequent and totally to be expected. You could say that the most remarkable thing about Chuck is how he keeps his job, until you remember he works for MSNBC.
They’re biased, and it shows in everything they do. The study though largely ignores the obvious bias we read on a daily basis. Who you gonna believe? Them? Or your lyin’ eyes?
“Study: Most Journalists Are To The Left Of Bernie Sanders (But Donât Worry Theyâre Totally Fair)”
“An academic study by a trio of professors claims to have proven there is no such thing as media bias despite the fact that the same study found most journalists are much father left than the average Twitter user. In fact, a majority of journalists, based on their Twitter interactions, are somewhere to the left of Bernie Sanders. Hereâs the graph showing the results:”
“From the study:
Figure 2 shows the distribution of ideological positions of journalists based on their Twitter interactions. As can be seen, journalists are dominantly liberal and often fall far to the left of Americans. A full 78.1% of journalists are more liberal than the average Twitter user. Moreover, 66% are even more liberal than former President Obama, 62.3% are to the left of the median Senate Democrat (in the 114th Congress), and a full 14.5% are more liberal than Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (one of the most liberal members of the House).
In short, journalists are overwhelmingly liberal/Democrats and many journalists appear to be far to the left of the average American.
Those findings certainly comport with the experience of a lot of people on Twitter, a place where support for Sanders often seems overwhelming. But the study goes on to argue that despite this overwhelming personal bias, reporters donât show any evidence of bias in their work.”
“President Donald Trump is expected to name U.S. Ambassador to Germany Richard Grenell to be the acting director of national intelligence, sources have confirmed to The Daily Wire.
âHe would take over from Joseph Maguire, who has served as the acting director of national intelligence since the resignation last summer of Dan Coats, a former Republican senator from Indiana,â The New York Times reported. âMr. Grenell, who has pushed to advance gay rights in his current post, would apparently also be the first openly gay cabinet member.â
Trump later confirmed the news on Twitter, writing, âI am pleased to announce that our highly respected Ambassador to Germany, @RichardGrenell , will become the Acting Director of National Intelligence. Rick has represented our Country exceedingly well and I look forward to working with him. I would like to thank Joe Maguire for the wonderful job he has done, and we look forward to working with him closely, perhaps in another capacity within the Administration!â”
I am pleased to announce that our highly respected Ambassador to Germany, @RichardGrenell, will become the Acting Director of National Intelligence. Rick has represented our Country exceedingly well and I look forward to working with him. I would like to thank Joe Maguire….
Also in the tweet you posted, @RichardGrenell is showing his *opposition* to NordStream2, which is a RUSSIAN pipeline Putin considers one of his most important strategic projects. Good luck fitting that into your Collusion Hoax jigsaw crazy cat lady pic.twitter.com/SU5MojihRp
In a rare rule change the DNC has qualified @realDonaldTrump to participate in the next Democratic debate. DNC Chairman Perez was quoted saying, â..someone has to take out Bernie and it ainât Bloomberg.â
“Coronavirus ‘spike’ protein just mapped, leading way to vaccine”
“Researchers worldwide are racing to develop potential vaccines and drugs to fight the new coronavirus, called SARS-Cov-2. Now, a group of researchers has figured out the molecular structure of a key protein that the coronavirus uses to invade human cells, potentially opening the door to the development of a vaccine, according to new findings.
Previous research revealed that coronaviruses invade cells through so-called “spike” proteins, but those proteins take on different shapes in different coronaviruses. Figuring out the shape of the spike protein in SARS-Cov-2 is the key to figuring out how to target the virus, said Jason McLellan, senior author of the study and an associate professor of molecular biosciences at the University of Texas at Austin.
Though the coronavirus uses many different proteins to replicate and invade cells, the spike protein is the major surface protein that it uses to bind to a receptor â another protein that acts like a doorway into a human cell. After the spike protein binds to the human cell receptor, the viral membrane fuses with the human cell membrane, allowing the genome of the virus to enter human cells and begin infection. So “if you can prevent attachment and fusion, you will prevent entry,” McLellan told Live Science. But to target this protein, you need to know what it looks like.”
Written before last night’s train-wreck of a debate (goodbye Bloomberg? we can only hope), but pertinent given the big races just ahead in the next few weeks.
OPINION COMMENTARY
Democrats Prepare for the Big Test
Answers are coming soon from Nevada, South Carolina and Super Tuesday states.
By Karl Rove
Feb. 19, 2020 7:00 pm ET
Presidential nomination candidates are continually tested. But not all tests are graded equally. The ones coming up in Nevada this Saturday, South Carolina the next, and 14 other states plus American Samoa on Super Tuesday, March 3, could be enough to determine the Democratic nominee and the next occupant of the Oval Office.
The most important test will be in South Carolina. Will black Democrats send Joe Biden roaring into Super Tuesday with a win, or doom his candidacy by defecting?
Mike Bloombergâs strategyâskipping the first four contests and burying the competition under a mountain of cash come Super Tuesdayâwill also be tested. The former New York mayorâs team has warned other moderate candidates that by staying in the race, theyâll âpropel Sanders to a seemingly insurmountable delegate lead.â Mr. Bloomberg has reason to worry: After spending more than $400 million on advertising, heâs at only 16.5% and second place in California in the RealClearPolitics polling average, 11.7% and fourth in Texas, and 17.3% and third in North Carolina. …
… So how many independents or disaffected Republicans will vote in Democratic contests? The more that do, the higher the turnout is likely to be, signaling a potential surge for Democrats this fall. Conversely, failing to turn out more voters than normal, given that thereâs no Republican contest, would signal a weakness.
The Democratic turnout in this monthâs mixed primary in New Hampshire beat that stateâs previous record, from 2008, by around 13,000 votes. But exit polls say independents made up 43% of this yearâs turnout, not too dissimilar from 40% in 2016 and 42% in 2008. This Democratic race didnât provoke many more independents to come vote. It will be interesting to watch the open and mixed primaries on Super Tuesday to see if a pattern emerges.
More independents doesnât necessarily mean more support for Democratic moderates. In New Hampshire the exit poll showed they voted within a percentage point of each major candidateâs overall total, except for Elizabeth Warren, who drew 5% among independents but 9% overall. Mr. Sanders led among independents, as he did among all voters.
Perhaps it will be different on Super Tuesday. And maybe Nevada and South Carolina will be good to Mr. Biden. Itâs possible all that advertising Mr. Bloomberg has run will draw more independents and consolidate support. Or maybe this contest, by tilting to the left, is turning off independents without uniting Democrats. Weâll know a lot more the first Wednesday morning in March.
___________________________
So it looks like Stone gets 40 months for his crimes. That seems about right, but I wonder if the judge tried to “pardon proof” her sentence? Either way it is reasonable.
” Trump loyalist and ally Roger Stone was sentenced Thursday to 40 months in federal prison, following an extraordinary move by Attorney General William Barr to back off his Justice Department’s original sentencing recommendation.
U.S. District Court Judge Amy Berman Jackson said Stone’s crimes demanded a significant time behind bars, but she said the seven to nine years originally recommended by the Justice Department were excessive.
Stone’s lawyers had asked for a sentence of probation, citing his age of 67 years, his health and his lack of criminal history.”
———-
However…….
He still deserves a new trial after the horrible bias that was exposed about his jury foreperson. She was clearly not fit for that particular jury. It will appealed, and he will get a new trial.
“”Roger Stone filed a motion with a D.C. federal court for a new trial for the second time after being convicted by a jury last November amid allegations this week that the foreperson on his jury was biased against him.
The controversy surrounding the Stone juror, Tomeka Hart, a former Democratic congressional candidate and a program officer with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, kicked into high gear when it was revealed she shared anti-Trump posts on social media.
U.S. District Court Judge Amy Berman Jackson, who has presided over the nearly yearlong criminal proceedings against Stone, including the two-week jury trial late last year, granted Stoneâs request to file his request for a new trial under seal on Friday and ordered the prosecutors and defense team to fully explain their positions by Tuesday. Stone was scheduled to be sentenced next week.
âI can’t keep quiet any longer,â Hart said in a Facebook post first reported by CNN on Wednesday. âI want to stand up for Aaron Zelinsky, Adam Jed, Michael Marando, and Jonathan Kravis â the prosecutors on the Roger Stone trial who have all resigned from the case in response to the DOJ’s interference with their sentencing recommendation.â
The DOJâs D.C. office told the court Monday it recommended Stone receive up to nine years behind bars, but President Trump tweeted late that night that he âcannot allow this miscarriage of justice!â The DOJ reversed itself Tuesday, and the four line prosecutors on the case withdrew. The Justice Department said its decision was made before Attorney General William Barr was aware of Trumpâs position, and Trump denied placing pressure on the agency.
Timothy Shea, the interim U.S. attorney for D.C., walked back the âunduly highâ sentence recommendation for Stone, suggesting instead three to four years.””
“âPeople can argue about what I should have said and what I should have done,â Bolton said at an event with Susan Rice, another former national security adviser, at Vanderbilt University on Wednesday, according to the Associated Press. âI would bet you a dollar right here and now, my testimony would have made no difference to the ultimate outcome.â
In addition, he argued that the House “committed impeachment malpractice” and that âthe process drove Republicans who might have voted for impeachment away because it was so partisan.â”
———–
The left will of course spin this and say that it’s him acknowledging R’s voting against was always a foregone conclusion. đ
A fair enough point, but one the judge has yet to answer as she whines on Twitter about Trump interference.
1. As Iâve been saying, this Obama judge, Amy Berman Jackson, has demonstrated time and again she should not be handling cases involving the presidentâs past associates. Sheâs not capable of impartial justice.
3. But Jackson plows ahead, indicating her desire to throw the book at Stone. This is the same judge who put Paul Manafort in solitary confinement.https://t.co/LB4tG3cT52
The problem the Democrats have is that Trump won over people such as me.
I didn’t know, didn’t care.
He wasn’t Clinton.
This time, I’ll vote FOR trump.
As Bernie Sanders solidifies his lead over his 2020 Democratic presidential competitors, members of the media are starting to worry that a race that once appeared impossibly easy for Democrats to win is suddenly slipping from their grasp.
These TV talking heads are now forecasting not just a possible Trump re-election, but a 49-state, Walter Mondale-style blowout.
Assessing last nightâs Democratic debate, MSNBCâs Donny Deutsch confessed to entering a state of sheer panic.
âIs anybody panicked?â Deutsch said Thursday. âIt does look like Sanders is rolling and that 2/3 of the country thinks weâre going in the right direction, and you have a guy who wants to burn it down. To me, he â I just donât see him having any shot in a general election, and Iâm panicked. I am absolutely panicked.â
Deutschâs peacock colleague, Chris Matthews, urged Democrats to wake up before walking into a landslide.
âNobody just says the obvious, âBernie, youâre full of it,ââ Matthews complained of the Democratic Party on Tuesday. âTheyâre just pandering to the Bernie people. And you know what pandering gets you? Nothing. It certainly doesnât get you respect. Theyâve got to get out there and say, âI disagree with socialism. I believe in the markets. I think heâs wrong. I think heâll never get it done and this country will never go that direction, and by the way, weâll lose 49 states.ââ
âI was there in 1972 at the Democratic convention when the people on the left were dancing in glee,â Matthews continued. âI saw them literally â they were dancing in a circle. They were so happy that they defeated the moderates like Tip OâNeill and Dick Daley and they went on to lose 49 states in their glee. So that could happen again.â
On Fox News, Democratic strategist Doug Shoen warned that a Sanders nomination would mean a âblowoutâ for Trump in 2020.”
It’s hard to pick a winner in last night’s debate. From what I watched (about 70% of it) Warren looked strong, attacked Mini Mike relentlessly, but mostly because they kept letting her rebut the others and go over her time.
The loser was much more clear. đ
———
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Mike did get some shots in too. His response to Bernie’s ranting about him paying zero in taxes was priceless. Mike reminded Bernie that it was he and others in Congress who wrote the tax laws that let people like Mike get away with it. Bernie had no response to that. đ
But personality wise, Mike is about as inspiring as a chair leg.
But Mike thinks he’s The Million Dollar Man, and everyone has a price.
———
Let the negotiations for buying supporters begin!
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Trump had a little shindig of his own…… but he wasn’t the star of the show. đ
————-
—————
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The more we know about Pete, the less there is to like.
https://nypost.com/2020/02/18/why-south-bend-residents-are-warning-america-about-pete-buttigieg/
“When residents of this cityâs impoverished West Side reflect on Pete Buttigiegâs two terms as mayor, a few things come to mind:
A spike in violent crime, development that largely ignored the African American community and how their only well-lit street is the one that leads to the University of Notre Dame.
So how, they wonder, can Buttigieg possibly be trusted to run the country?
âIf heâs the next president, I fear for our country. He couldnât run our city. How can he run the United States?â said Michelle Burger, 42, a stay-at-home mom who lives in South Bendâs impoverished and predominantly black West Side.
âLook at all the crime â he didnât do anything about it. Look at our quality of life. If he becomes president, the United States will become one big South Bend â a giant sinkhole. Weâll be in a new depression.â”
———
And he has a habit of taking credit for the work of others…..
https://pjmedia.com/election/south-bend-residents-have-a-message-for-america-dont-election-pete-buttigieg/
“Taking credit for the work of others is part of politics but Buttigieg appears to have taken the concept a bit too far.
But Indiana Republican Party Chairman Kyle Hupfer countered that while Buttigieg âcertainly had a few economic development wins,â he actually had âlittle, if anything, to do with that.â
âI found it ironic that when he announced his presidential run, he did it in front of Studebaker Building 84, which had sat vacant since 1963,â Hupfer said.
âBut it was $3.5 million from then-Gov. Mike Penceâs Regional Cities Initiative that made that project go.â
Hupfer said increased employment in the area covering South Bend â where the unemployment rate dropped from 9.3 percent in 2012 to 3.6 percent in 2018 â was largely a function of âstatewide economic strength under Republican leadership.â
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Hacktastic!
That’s Chuck Todd.
https://www.foxnews.com/media/chuck-todd-shoddy-journalism-democratic-debate
“MSNBCâs Chuck Todd blasted for âshoddy journalismâ ahead of Dem debate”
“MSNBC host Chuck Todd is under fire for âshoddy journalism” ahead of Wednesday night’s Democratic debate, which he will help moderate.
Todd is being criticized for failing to ask the president of liberal advocacy group Center for American Progress about a New York Times bombshell report that 2020 Democratic hopeful Mike Bloomberg avoided critical coverage from the group after giving them money.
âIt appears the left is following the Golden Rule — the one with the gold makes all the rules,” Media Research Center vice president Dan Gainor told Fox News. “It’s shoddy journalism to let them get away with this.â
The New York Times published a feature on Saturday detailing how Bloomberg has built a powerful army of allies through philanthropic spending. According to the report, Bloombergâs donations put institutions in a position where they are afraid to criticize the former New York City mayor over fears of jeopardizing future financial support.”
——-
“Todd hosted Center for American Progress president Neera Tanden on MSNBCâs âMeet the Press Dailyâ on Tuesday and it initially appeared that he was going to ask about the Times report.
âWill some Democrats feel hesitant to go after Bloomberg because he is such an important donor?â Todd asked Tanden directly, seemingly alluding to the report that her own group is guilty of that specific charge.
âNo,â Tanden quickly answered. âI donât think so.â
Todd reiterated, âYou donât think some interest groups⌠I mean, does he have an endorsement from anybody that he hasnât given money to?â
The Center for American Progress honcho responded by predicting that a âfair amountâ of criticism is coming Bloombergâs way.
Todd then wrapped up the segment without offering a follow-up question or mentioning the Times report. Status Coup founder Jordan Chariton called it a âremarkable failureâ by Todd and shared a clip of the segment on Twitter.”
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This is the media’s biggest problem.
They’re biased, and it shows in everything they do. The study though largely ignores the obvious bias we read on a daily basis. Who you gonna believe? Them? Or your lyin’ eyes?
https://hotair.com/archives/john-s-2/2020/02/19/study-journalists-left-bernie-sanders-dont-worry-theyre-totally-fair/
“Study: Most Journalists Are To The Left Of Bernie Sanders (But Donât Worry Theyâre Totally Fair)”
“An academic study by a trio of professors claims to have proven there is no such thing as media bias despite the fact that the same study found most journalists are much father left than the average Twitter user. In fact, a majority of journalists, based on their Twitter interactions, are somewhere to the left of Bernie Sanders. Hereâs the graph showing the results:”
“From the study:
Figure 2 shows the distribution of ideological positions of journalists based on their Twitter interactions. As can be seen, journalists are dominantly liberal and often fall far to the left of Americans. A full 78.1% of journalists are more liberal than the average Twitter user. Moreover, 66% are even more liberal than former President Obama, 62.3% are to the left of the median Senate Democrat (in the 114th Congress), and a full 14.5% are more liberal than Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (one of the most liberal members of the House).
In short, journalists are overwhelmingly liberal/Democrats and many journalists appear to be far to the left of the average American.
Those findings certainly comport with the experience of a lot of people on Twitter, a place where support for Sanders often seems overwhelming. But the study goes on to argue that despite this overwhelming personal bias, reporters donât show any evidence of bias in their work.”
————-
And I have a bridge to sell you…..
The whole study is here.
https://www.dropbox.com/s/ifmpw7fr7w9p8q6/HHM_Media_Bias_Science_Submission.pdf?dl=0
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Trump Expected To Name Top Ambassador To Head Of National Intelligence
https://www.dailywire.com/news/breaking-trump-expected-to-name-top-ambassador-to-head-of-intelligence
“President Donald Trump is expected to name U.S. Ambassador to Germany Richard Grenell to be the acting director of national intelligence, sources have confirmed to The Daily Wire.
âHe would take over from Joseph Maguire, who has served as the acting director of national intelligence since the resignation last summer of Dan Coats, a former Republican senator from Indiana,â The New York Times reported. âMr. Grenell, who has pushed to advance gay rights in his current post, would apparently also be the first openly gay cabinet member.â
Trump later confirmed the news on Twitter, writing, âI am pleased to announce that our highly respected Ambassador to Germany, @RichardGrenell , will become the Acting Director of National Intelligence. Rick has represented our Country exceedingly well and I look forward to working with him. I would like to thank Joe Maguire for the wonderful job he has done, and we look forward to working with him closely, perhaps in another capacity within the Administration!â”
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Which of course brought out the worst in MSNBC’s favorite conspiracy nut…..
————-
But…..
Doh!
————-
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Hehe. đ
————–
LikeLike
Some good news….
https://www.livescience.com/coronavirus-spike-protein-structure.html
“Coronavirus ‘spike’ protein just mapped, leading way to vaccine”
“Researchers worldwide are racing to develop potential vaccines and drugs to fight the new coronavirus, called SARS-Cov-2. Now, a group of researchers has figured out the molecular structure of a key protein that the coronavirus uses to invade human cells, potentially opening the door to the development of a vaccine, according to new findings.
Previous research revealed that coronaviruses invade cells through so-called “spike” proteins, but those proteins take on different shapes in different coronaviruses. Figuring out the shape of the spike protein in SARS-Cov-2 is the key to figuring out how to target the virus, said Jason McLellan, senior author of the study and an associate professor of molecular biosciences at the University of Texas at Austin.
Though the coronavirus uses many different proteins to replicate and invade cells, the spike protein is the major surface protein that it uses to bind to a receptor â another protein that acts like a doorway into a human cell. After the spike protein binds to the human cell receptor, the viral membrane fuses with the human cell membrane, allowing the genome of the virus to enter human cells and begin infection. So “if you can prevent attachment and fusion, you will prevent entry,” McLellan told Live Science. But to target this protein, you need to know what it looks like.”
——–
And now we do. đ
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Written before last night’s train-wreck of a debate (goodbye Bloomberg? we can only hope), but pertinent given the big races just ahead in the next few weeks.
https://www.wsj.com/articles/democrats-prepare-for-the-big-test-11582156806?mod=hp_opin_pos_2
______________________
OPINION COMMENTARY
Democrats Prepare for the Big Test
Answers are coming soon from Nevada, South Carolina and Super Tuesday states.
By Karl Rove
Feb. 19, 2020 7:00 pm ET
Presidential nomination candidates are continually tested. But not all tests are graded equally. The ones coming up in Nevada this Saturday, South Carolina the next, and 14 other states plus American Samoa on Super Tuesday, March 3, could be enough to determine the Democratic nominee and the next occupant of the Oval Office.
The most important test will be in South Carolina. Will black Democrats send Joe Biden roaring into Super Tuesday with a win, or doom his candidacy by defecting?
Mike Bloombergâs strategyâskipping the first four contests and burying the competition under a mountain of cash come Super Tuesdayâwill also be tested. The former New York mayorâs team has warned other moderate candidates that by staying in the race, theyâll âpropel Sanders to a seemingly insurmountable delegate lead.â Mr. Bloomberg has reason to worry: After spending more than $400 million on advertising, heâs at only 16.5% and second place in California in the RealClearPolitics polling average, 11.7% and fourth in Texas, and 17.3% and third in North Carolina. …
… So how many independents or disaffected Republicans will vote in Democratic contests? The more that do, the higher the turnout is likely to be, signaling a potential surge for Democrats this fall. Conversely, failing to turn out more voters than normal, given that thereâs no Republican contest, would signal a weakness.
The Democratic turnout in this monthâs mixed primary in New Hampshire beat that stateâs previous record, from 2008, by around 13,000 votes. But exit polls say independents made up 43% of this yearâs turnout, not too dissimilar from 40% in 2016 and 42% in 2008. This Democratic race didnât provoke many more independents to come vote. It will be interesting to watch the open and mixed primaries on Super Tuesday to see if a pattern emerges.
More independents doesnât necessarily mean more support for Democratic moderates. In New Hampshire the exit poll showed they voted within a percentage point of each major candidateâs overall total, except for Elizabeth Warren, who drew 5% among independents but 9% overall. Mr. Sanders led among independents, as he did among all voters.
Perhaps it will be different on Super Tuesday. And maybe Nevada and South Carolina will be good to Mr. Biden. Itâs possible all that advertising Mr. Bloomberg has run will draw more independents and consolidate support. Or maybe this contest, by tilting to the left, is turning off independents without uniting Democrats. Weâll know a lot more the first Wednesday morning in March.
___________________________
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So it looks like Stone gets 40 months for his crimes. That seems about right, but I wonder if the judge tried to “pardon proof” her sentence? Either way it is reasonable.
https://www.fox32chicago.com/news/roger-stone-gets-40-months-in-prison-after-justice-department-backs-off-sentencing-recommendation
” Trump loyalist and ally Roger Stone was sentenced Thursday to 40 months in federal prison, following an extraordinary move by Attorney General William Barr to back off his Justice Department’s original sentencing recommendation.
U.S. District Court Judge Amy Berman Jackson said Stone’s crimes demanded a significant time behind bars, but she said the seven to nine years originally recommended by the Justice Department were excessive.
Stone’s lawyers had asked for a sentence of probation, citing his age of 67 years, his health and his lack of criminal history.”
———-
However…….
He still deserves a new trial after the horrible bias that was exposed about his jury foreperson. She was clearly not fit for that particular jury. It will appealed, and he will get a new trial.
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/roger-stone-asks-for-new-trial-again-following-allegations-of-juror-bias
“”Roger Stone filed a motion with a D.C. federal court for a new trial for the second time after being convicted by a jury last November amid allegations this week that the foreperson on his jury was biased against him.
The controversy surrounding the Stone juror, Tomeka Hart, a former Democratic congressional candidate and a program officer with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, kicked into high gear when it was revealed she shared anti-Trump posts on social media.
U.S. District Court Judge Amy Berman Jackson, who has presided over the nearly yearlong criminal proceedings against Stone, including the two-week jury trial late last year, granted Stoneâs request to file his request for a new trial under seal on Friday and ordered the prosecutors and defense team to fully explain their positions by Tuesday. Stone was scheduled to be sentenced next week.
âI can’t keep quiet any longer,â Hart said in a Facebook post first reported by CNN on Wednesday. âI want to stand up for Aaron Zelinsky, Adam Jed, Michael Marando, and Jonathan Kravis â the prosecutors on the Roger Stone trial who have all resigned from the case in response to the DOJ’s interference with their sentencing recommendation.â
The DOJâs D.C. office told the court Monday it recommended Stone receive up to nine years behind bars, but President Trump tweeted late that night that he âcannot allow this miscarriage of justice!â The DOJ reversed itself Tuesday, and the four line prosecutors on the case withdrew. The Justice Department said its decision was made before Attorney General William Barr was aware of Trumpâs position, and Trump denied placing pressure on the agency.
Timothy Shea, the interim U.S. attorney for D.C., walked back the âunduly highâ sentence recommendation for Stone, suggesting instead three to four years.””
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Further vindication for Trump and Republicans concerning the impeachment farce…..
This shows they were right to ignore the last minute attempts to halt the vote and hear from Bolton.
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/bolton-my-testimony-would-have-made-no-difference-in-partisan-impeachment-process
“âPeople can argue about what I should have said and what I should have done,â Bolton said at an event with Susan Rice, another former national security adviser, at Vanderbilt University on Wednesday, according to the Associated Press. âI would bet you a dollar right here and now, my testimony would have made no difference to the ultimate outcome.â
In addition, he argued that the House “committed impeachment malpractice” and that âthe process drove Republicans who might have voted for impeachment away because it was so partisan.â”
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The left will of course spin this and say that it’s him acknowledging R’s voting against was always a foregone conclusion. đ
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A fair enough point, but one the judge has yet to answer as she whines on Twitter about Trump interference.
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The Dems are devouring each other for the right to be destroyed by Pres. Trump.
LANDSLIDE on the way…
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I wonder how many more Independents there are in the country verses the number in 2016?
That would be an interesting stat.
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The problem the Democrats have is that Trump won over people such as me.
I didn’t know, didn’t care.
He wasn’t Clinton.
This time, I’ll vote FOR trump.
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It’s alive!!!!!
And now they don’t know what to do with the monster they helped create. đ
Supercut: Media Panic as Sanders Cruising Toward 2020 Nomination
https://news.grabien.com/story-supercut-dems-media-panicking-sanders-cruising-toward-2020-n
“The media are sounding the alarm.
As Bernie Sanders solidifies his lead over his 2020 Democratic presidential competitors, members of the media are starting to worry that a race that once appeared impossibly easy for Democrats to win is suddenly slipping from their grasp.
These TV talking heads are now forecasting not just a possible Trump re-election, but a 49-state, Walter Mondale-style blowout.
Assessing last nightâs Democratic debate, MSNBCâs Donny Deutsch confessed to entering a state of sheer panic.
âIs anybody panicked?â Deutsch said Thursday. âIt does look like Sanders is rolling and that 2/3 of the country thinks weâre going in the right direction, and you have a guy who wants to burn it down. To me, he â I just donât see him having any shot in a general election, and Iâm panicked. I am absolutely panicked.â
Deutschâs peacock colleague, Chris Matthews, urged Democrats to wake up before walking into a landslide.
âNobody just says the obvious, âBernie, youâre full of it,ââ Matthews complained of the Democratic Party on Tuesday. âTheyâre just pandering to the Bernie people. And you know what pandering gets you? Nothing. It certainly doesnât get you respect. Theyâve got to get out there and say, âI disagree with socialism. I believe in the markets. I think heâs wrong. I think heâll never get it done and this country will never go that direction, and by the way, weâll lose 49 states.ââ
âI was there in 1972 at the Democratic convention when the people on the left were dancing in glee,â Matthews continued. âI saw them literally â they were dancing in a circle. They were so happy that they defeated the moderates like Tip OâNeill and Dick Daley and they went on to lose 49 states in their glee. So that could happen again.â
On Fox News, Democratic strategist Doug Shoen warned that a Sanders nomination would mean a âblowoutâ for Trump in 2020.”
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Chas,
And you aren’t the only one he’s won over. đ
https://nypost.com/2020/02/19/trump-approval-rating-hits-a-high-post-impeachment/
“President Trumpâs polling numbers have reached their all-time high.
The RealClearPolitics average shows Trumpâs approval hitting 46 percent.
The last time the public opinion of Trumpâs performance as commander in chief was at that level was in February 2017.
The new mark is derived from a RealClearPolitics average of nine recent Trump job-approval polls.
A Rasmussen Reports poll, conducted from Sunday to Tuesday, earned the president the highest job-approval rating of all â 50 percent.”
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Trump is in a pretty good place politically, for now at least.
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