A Stunning Donald Trump Super Tuesday Looms

At some point folks are just going to either get on board or get out of the way.

At Politico, "Trump closes in on Super Tuesday romp: As a stunning victory looms, top Republicans are split between those ready to accommodate and others starting to panic":

Donald Trump is poised for sweeping nationwide wins on Super Tuesday, solidifying his position as the Republican front-runner and intensifying the pressure on his struggling primary rivals to find a way forward.

Top Republicans — including governors who convened an emergency conference call on Monday on which Trump was Topic A — expect the real estate mogul to carry as many as 10 states on Tuesday night, an outcome that would deal a body blow to Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, who has staked his campaign heavily on the Southern states holding nominating contests, and to Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, who has yet to win a primary and isn’t expected to do so on Tuesday.

“If Trump wins 8 or more states on Tuesday, it would take a massive collapse on his and/or his campaign’s part for him not to be the nominee,” said Tony Fabrizio, a longtime GOP pollster and strategist who advised Rand Paul.

Trump’s march to the nomination has set off a wave of anxiety across the Republican Party establishment as top officials weigh whether to endorse him — or denounce him as anathema to the party's values. Reflecting that angst, on Monday morning, New Mexico Gov. Susana Martinez and Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, the heads of the Republican Governors Association, convened fellow governors for an unusual conference call to discuss how the primary was unfolding — and Trump was a central topic of conversation...

Scott Walker? Boy, he didn't last too long on the campaign trail, now did he?

And Susana Martinez? She'll be lucky to make onto Trump's veep shortlist.

But keep reading.

Jackie Johnson's Increasing Cloudiness Forecast

She's so lovely.

Great to see her back for the week.

Via CBS News 2 Los Angeles:

The GOP Implosion

Everyone's lost their minds.

It's all going to work out. I guarantee you.

At the Washington Post, "The Republican Party’s implosion over Donald Trump’s candidacy has arrived":

MADISON, Ala. — The implosion over Donald Trump’s candidacy that Republicans had hoped to avoid arrived so virulently this weekend that many party leaders vowed never to back the billionaire and openly questioned whether the GOP could come together this election year.

At a moment when Republicans had hoped to begin taking on Hillary Clinton — who is seemingly on her way to wrapping up the Democratic nomination — the GOP has instead become consumed by a crisis over its identity and core values that is almost certain to last through the July party convention, if not the rest of the year.

A campaign full of racial overtones and petty, R-rated put-downs grew even uglier Sunday after Trump declined repeatedly in a CNN interview to repudiate the endorsement of him by David Duke, a former grand wizard of the Ku Klux Klan. Trump had disavowed Duke at a news conference on Friday, but he stammered when asked about Duke on Sunday.

Marco Rubio, who has been savaging Trump as a “con man” for three days, responded by saying that Trump’s defiance made him “unelectable.” The senator from Florida said at a rally in Northern Virginia, “We cannot be the party that nominates someone who refuses to condemn white supremacists.”

The fracas comes as the presidential race enters a potentially determinative month of balloting, beginning with primaries and caucuses in 11 states on Tuesday. As the campaign-trail rhetoric grew noxious over the weekend, a sense of fatalism fell over the Republican firmament, from elected officials and figureheads to major donors and strategists.

“This is an existential choice,” said former senator Norm Coleman of Minnesota, who is backing Rubio. Asked how the party could unite, Coleman said: “It gets harder every day when you hear things like not disavowing the KKK and David Duke. It’s not getting easier; it’s getting more difficult. . . . I’m hopeful the party won’t destroy itself.”

The choice for voters is not simply one of preference but rather a fundamental one about the direction they want to take the country, with the insurgent Trump promising utter transformation...

You know, maybe all of these GOPe talking heads should defer to the people?

If voters pick Trump, that's democracy in action. The U.S. isn't all of a sudden going to turn into Nazi Germany from the 1930s. People need to have some faith that the constitutional system will work, even with a bombastic fellow like Trump in office. Obama certainly hasn't gotten his way on everything. I seriously doubt Trump's going to be worse, heh.

Keep reading.

I personally love all the hand-wringing and doomsday scenarios. It serves the GOPe right.

Deal of the Day: NordicTrack Treadmill

At Amazon, NordicTrack T 6.5 S Treadmill.

And from Jennifer Lawless and Richard Fox, Running from Office: Why Young Americans are Turned Off to Politics.

Also, from Kristen Soltis Anderson, The Selfie Vote: Where Millennials Are Leading America (And How Republicans Can Keep Up).

Influential Republican Senator Jeff Sessions Endorses Donald Trump (VIDEO)

Sessions is the man on immigration border control.

This is an excellent development for Donald Trump.

At the Washington Post, via Memeorandum, "In major blow to Ted Cruz, Sen. Jeff Sessions of Alabama endorses Donald Trump for GOP nomination."

And watch, at CNN:

California Democrats Lose the Fight for Millennial Voters

Oh, well, screw them.

At least youth voters have an independent streak.

At LAT, "A threat ahead: California Democrats losing the fight for younger voters":

The state Democratic Party convention held here over the weekend presented an occasionally jarring contrast: Democrats gathered at what seemed like a 50th college reunion for veteran politicians, and at the same time one of the biggest rounds of applause came at the mention of Bernie Sanders, the presidential candidate few of those politicians support.

The split, largely generational given the youthful tilt of the Vermont senator’s supporters, underscored a hard truth for California Democrats that was barely discussed during the celebratory convention:

Numbers-wise, the party's heading for trouble...

Keep reading.

Interstate 5 Closed Down All Day Saturday After Street-Racing Crash Kills 3 (VIDEO)

This was horrendous.

At the Los Angeles Times, "Suspected street racer arrested in crash that killed three and shut down 5 Freeway."

Also, "Suspected street racer still at large after fiery crash that killed three."

Violent Ku Klux Klan Protest in Anaheim (VIDEO)

So stupid.

Leftists are so out of control it's like they're out to create sympathy for the Klan.

Let them march. As hateful as they are, the Klan has the right to hold a rally. Let 'em be.

At the Los Angeles Times, "Anaheim is land of Disney, not Ku Klux Klan, dismayed residents say."

Chris Rock Skewers Hollywood Racists

I thought he did pretty good (considering how over-the-top was the show's politics).

Here's Kyle Smith, at the New York Post, "Chris Rock crushed it":

Heh, #ChrisRock is nailing it. #Oscars

— Donald Douglas (@AmPowerBlog) February 29, 2016

Chris Rock is the guy who once did a skit called “How Not to Get Your Ass Kicked by the Police,” which instructed black men they were unlikely to suffer police brutality if they minded their manners. Rock’s contrarian credentials are strong. Even so, his pointed, witty and thoughtful opening monologue at the Oscars was surprisingly rangy: Instead of picking one side or the other, he nailed both.

Rock did exactly what comics are supposed to do: wrap the truth in an irresistible joke. He made both smug white Hollywood liberals and angry black protesters look bad.

Advising the #Oscars­SoWhite crowd, and prominent boycotters such as Jada Pinkett Smith and Spike Lee, that they needed a sense of perspective, Rock said, “Why this Oscars? It’s the 88th Academy Awards. Which means this whole ­no-black-nominees thing has happened at least ­71 other times.”

All those other years, “Black people did not protest. And why? Because we had real things to protest at that time. We were too busy being raped and lynched to care about who’s winning Best Cinematographer. When your grandmother’s swinging from a tree, it’s really hard to care about Best Documentary Foreign Short.”

In other words: This year’s Oscar hubbub is a fake controversy.

And in the grand scale of things, which is harder to believe — that Will Smith failed to get an Oscar nomination for “Concussion,” a so-so movie that flopped? Or that, as Rock pointed out, “Will Smith was paid 20 million for ‘Wild Wild West’?” The Smiths may not be the last people on Earth with genuine cause to complain about anything, but they’re pretty close.

Rock even worked in a hilarious, because completely accurate, dig at Jada’s acting skills: “Jada boycotting the Oscars is like me boycotting Rihanna’s panties. I wasn’t invited!”

How Not to Get Your Ass Kicked by the Oscars? Be so good, they have to nominate you. “Concussion” was not that good, and “Straight Outta Compton” and “Creed” were just solid genre movies, not true Oscar-caliber features.

It would have been easy for Rock to point out that the academy’s voters are old and white and out of touch, but that would have been letting them off too easy...

Still more.

PREVIOUSLY: "The Most Political Oscars Ever."

Nina Agdal Sports Illustrated Swimsuit 2016 (VIDEO)

Wake up with the lovely Danish supermodel.

Via Sports Illustrated:



FLASHBACK: "Nina Agdal: American Power's Woman of the Year for 2015."

The Most Political Oscars Ever

I mentioned that my faithful tradition of watching the Oscars might be coming to an end. I think this year's over-the-top political grandstanding is the last straw.

At the Irish Independent, "From racism to rape to climate change - was this the most political Oscars ever?":

Probably the most political #Oscars ever.

— Warner Todd Huston (@warnerthuston) February 29, 2016

Chris Rock set the tone with his opening monologue which tore the Academy apart over the #OscarsSoWhite controversy.

"Welcome to the Academy Awards, otherwise known as the white people's choice awards!" he began, before tackling racism, "Is Hollywood racist? You're damn right it's racist! Hollywood is sorority racist - We like you Rhonda, but you're not a Kappa!"
However, he spoke out against the boycott.

"Why are we protesting this Oscars? It's the 88th Academy Awards, which means this whole 'no black nominees' thing has happened at least 71 other times."

He said black people didn't protest before because they had "real things to protest at the time. They were too busy being raped and lynched to care about who wins best cinematographer."

And so it continued as Rock, who admitted he had completely re-written his monologue in the wake of the diversity controversy, performed a autopsy on the elephant in the room.

Elsewhere, Vice President Joe Biden and Lady Gaga united to promote White House campaign It's On Us, which aims to eradicate sexual assaults on US university campuses.

Biden introduced Lady Gaga for her haunting performance of Till It Happens to You, which was nominated for Best Original Song.

"Despite significant progress over the last couple years, too many women and men are still victims of sexual abuse," he said.

"Let's change the culture so that no abused woman or man ever feels they have to ask themselves, 'What did I do?'.  They did nothing wrong."

Gaga's song features on the soundtrack for the 2015 documentary The Hunting Ground which documents alleged incidents of abuse on American college campuses.

For her performance Gaga was joined on stage by survivors of sexual assault.

The winners' speeches provided the perfect opportunity for stars to have their say and Leonardo DiCaprio harnessed his 60 seconds following his first ever Oscar win to highlight the issue of climate change.

"Making The Revenant was about man's relationship to the natural world. Climate change is real, it is happening right now," he said...

Keep reading.

Deal of the Day: Honeywell Humidifier

At Amazon, Honeywell Cool Moisture Console Humidifier, 46 Percent Off.

Also, Up to 50% Off Select Baseball and Softball Training Equipment.

And ICYMI, from Robert Gildea, Fighters in the Shadows: A New History of the French Resistance.

Also, from Robert Paxton, The Anatomy of Fascism, and Vichy France: Old Guard and New Order, 1940-1944.

Still more, from A. James Gregor, Mussolini's Intellectuals: Fascist Social and Political Thought.

BONUS: Roy MacGregor-Hastie, The Day of the Lion the Life and Death of Fascist Italy 1922-1945.

Gawker's Alex 'Ping Pong Balls' Pareene Behind Donald Trump 'Mussolini Quote' Retweet

Folks might recall Alex Pareene as the former wanker Wonkette blogger who attacked Michelle Malkin with racist Asian "ping pong balls" jokes back in 2006.

So, I personally don't take all of this Trump Mussolini retweet stuff too seriously. These assholes at Gawker are professional smear merchants, and the quote in question isn't even original to Mussolini.

Here's Pareene at Gawker, at Memeorandum, "How We Fooled Donald Trump Into Retweeting Benito Mussolini."

Everyone's picked up on this story, at the New York Times, for example, "Donald Trump Retweets Post With Quote From Mussolini."

More at Memeorandum.

And scroll through 20 Committee's feed for a while. That "Mussolini quote" apparently preceded the dictator's time in power:

This is the source of the "Mussolini quote": the original, scrawled on a house in June 1918, during the Piave battle pic.twitter.com/yY3zWKdanC

— John Schindler (@20committee) February 28, 2016

Tulsi Gabbard Resigns as Vice Chairwoman of the Democratic National Committee (VIDEO)

Weird, though, is that she's backing Bernie Sanders.

She's a good lady who needs to get the hell out of the Democrat Party.

At Twitchy, "Democratic Representative Tulsi Gabbard of Hawaii has resigned as the vice chair of the Democratic National Committee."

I gotta say, it looks like she drank some Kool-Aid here, lol.

South Carolina Sets Up Super Tuesday Endgame for Bernie Sanders

I was saying so much last night, "Hillary Clinton Wins South Carolina Primary (VIDEO)."

At Politico, "Hillary Clinton's romp dramatically narrows Bernie Sanders' path forward":

COLUMBIA, S.C. – A bruising, 48-point loss to Hillary Clinton in South Carolina Saturday night dramatically narrowed the path forward for Bernie Sanders, raising serious doubts about his ability to win the delegates needed to secure the Democratic nomination.

South Carolina will widen Clinton’s delegate lead, currently at one after her Nevada win. But more significant, the contest here demonstrated that the Vermont senator has failed to make any headway at all with African-American voters in the South – even with 200 paid Sanders staffers on the ground and nearly $2 million in television spending, Clinton swept the black vote by a five-to-one ratio, according to exit polls. Among black voters 65 and over, Clinton won by a stunning 96 to 3 percent.

“When we stand together there is no barrier too big to break,” Clinton said at her victory rally in Columbia, where she took the stage alone for the first time without Bill or Chelsea Clinton by her side. “Tomorrow, we take this campaign national.”

Now, heading into Super Tuesday when 11 states will cast ballots on March 1, Sanders will face possibly insurmountable contests in Georgia, Tennessee, Alabama, Arkansas and Virginia, all states with sizable black populations and where he has not invested as much time or money.

“Delegates determine the presidential nomination and I don’t see a path for Sanders to get there,” said Jeff Berman, a consultant to the Clinton campaign who ran Barack Obama’s 2008 delegate strategy.

Running through a best-case scenario for Sanders, Clinton operatives said they expect Sanders could win Colorado, Minnesota, Massachusetts, Oklahoma and Vermont – states tailor-made for Sanders because they are caucus states, predominantly white states, New England states, or states with a history of electing progressives.

But even if Sanders manages to pull out significant wins in all five, the delegate math will make it difficult for Sanders to catch up – they represent only one-third of the delegates up for grabs on March 1. And the Clinton campaign has invested heavily in states like Colorado and Minnesota in order to limit Sanders’ margins.

Sanders’ operatives said they are looking beyond Super Tuesday, to the more friendly terrain of Kansas, Nebraska, and Maine to deliver them wins. But by then, Clinton operatives predicted, it could be too little too late to close the delegate gap.

“Our delegate lead will only grow in the period after Super Tuesday,” Berman said.

More.

Hillary Clinton Wins South Carolina Primary (VIDEO)

I think this is the turning of the tide.

South Carolina's results were never in doubt, although the margin for Clinton is pretty spectacular. And with just a few days until Super Tuesday, the importance of the Palmetto State for Clinton can't be understated. She can start to put Bernie away.

At the Last Tradition, "Hillary burns the Hell out of Bernie Sanders in huge SC primary victory thanks to the always reliable robotic Black vote."

And at the New York Times, "Hillary Clinton Wins South Carolina Primary."

Plus, at ABC News, "Black Voters Boost Clinton in South Carolina" (via Memeorandum):

Overwhelming support and record turnout among black voters and her best showing to date among whites gave Hillary Clinton a powerful victory in Saturday’s Democratic presidential primary in South Carolina.

Blacks accounted for 61 percent of South Carolina Democratic primary voters in ABC News exit poll results, breaking the state’s record, 55 percent in 2008. And Clinton won 86b percent of their votes, a crushing score. Indeed she did significantly better with blacks in South Carolina than Barack Obama in 2008...

Keep reading.

Amber Lee's Sunday Forecast

Via CBS News 2 Los Angeles:

Harvard Professor Danielle Allen Warns America: We Must Stop Donald Trump

People are asking why I like Donald Trump.

Well, to see him send otherwise thoughtful, rational people into puddles of incoherent rage about the impending neo-Nazi doom is just hilarious. If he's frightening left-wing elites that much, they must not be giving Hillary much of a chance next November. We've gotta stop Donald Trump before it's too late!

Here's Professor Allen, interviewed by Michael Smerconish at CNN,  "'We Must Stop Trump' says Washington Post op-ed writer."

And here's the op-ed in question, "The moment of truth: We must stop Trump."

Neolite Double Camping Hammock

A bestselling item at Amazon, Neolite Double Camping Hammock - Lightweight Portable Nylon Parachute Hammock for Backpacking, Travel, Beach, Yard. Hammock Straps & Steel Carabiners Included.

Plus, from Randy Barnett, Our Republican Constitution: Securing the Liberty and Sovereignty of We the People.

And from David Bernstein, Lawless: The Obama Administration's Unprecedented Assault on the Constitution and the Rule of Law.

Still more, from Dean Reuter, Liberty's Nemesis: The Unchecked Expansion of the State.

BONUS: From Milton Friedman, Capitalism and Freedom: Fortieth Anniversary Edition.

Why We Don't Hear About the 15-Year Global Warming Hiatus

From David Whitehouse, at the Spectator UK, "A new paper in a prestigious journal proves a 15-year hiatus in global warming. Why is it being ignored?"

Hat Tip: Blazing Cat Fur, "This article, in Nature magazine, ought to have been front page news – and might have been, had it suggested that global warming was worse than we had thought..."

Deal of the Day: Save $15.00 on All-New Fire TV

At Amazon, All-new Fire TV – Now with 4K Ultra HD and Alexa.

Also, All-new Fire TV Gaming Edition.

Plus, from Matthew Desmond, Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City.

Also, Devah Pager, Marked: Race, Crime and Finding Work in an Era of Mass Incarceration.

Still more, from Alice Goffman, On the Run: Fugitive Life in an American City.

Starving on the Prosciutto-and-Brie Poverty Diet

Heh.

I read Talia Jane's over-the-top piss-and-moan screed ("open-letter") to Yelp CEO Jeremy Stoppelman, and while true, it's hard out there making rent and paying the bills, the fact is we all go through that period of life and you find ways to deal with it. (Taking on a roommate halves the cost of rent, for example.)

But read Michelle Malkin's response to the whiny, entitled brat, here:

Eagle-eyed Internet users archived Instagram and Twitter images of Talia Jane indulging in a spa day with a fashionable facial mask made of Lush-brand coffee grounds; showing off her well-stocked kitchen, where she baked sumptuous cupcakes, “prosciutto-brie-cilantro-garlic biscuits,” “brie-stuffed meatballs topped with brie and rosemary sprigs,” “roast chuck marinated in herbs,” “a s— ton of Swedish potatoes au gratin,” and “mini pumpkin pies.”

In one of her richer moments (pun intended), Jane brags about having Bulleit Kentucky Bourbon delivered to her office through a smartphone app. “I’ve been meaning to buy whiskey,” she burbles, but I always forget until after I’m phone and my pants are off” (presumably when she’s under all her blankets shivering from cold and deprivation). “(A)lcohol delivery services aren’t available where I live because I’m in the suburbs,” so “I had alcohol delivery to my job. (O)ddly enough, no one asked about it.”

Starving on a “living wage” with booze delivered straight to her desk. The struggle is so real.

My husband and I immediately read this fraud’s screed to our 15-year-old and 12-year-old children as an object lesson in how not to be a grown-up:

Demand more than you are worth.

Expect all the benefits of autonomy without any of the accountability.

Snivel, moan, repeat.

Ms. Talia was fired, by the way. Pretty richly deserved that, heh.

Inside the Republican Party's Pathetic, Last-Ditch Effort to Stop Donald Trump

This entire piece just drips with the GOPe's utter contempt for the rank-and-file white working-class voter.

The issues Donald Trump has championed should be the top GOPe priorities, but party elites (idiots) are obsessed with diversity and winning the Hispanic vote (and not alienating Muslims, I guess).

In any case, at the New York Times, "Inside the Republican Party’s Desperate Mission to Stop Donald Trump":

Despite all the forces arrayed against Mr. Trump, the interviews show, the party has been gripped by a nearly incapacitating leadership vacuum and a paralytic sense of indecision and despair, as he has won smashing victories in South Carolina and Nevada. Donors have dreaded the consequences of clashing with Mr. Trump directly. Elected officials have balked at attacking him out of concern that they might unintentionally fuel his populist revolt. And Republicans have lacked someone from outside the presidential race who could help set the terms of debate from afar.

The endorsement by Mr. Christie, a not unblemished but still highly regarded figure within the party’s elite — he is a former chairman of the Republican Governors Association — landed Friday with crippling force. It was by far the most important defection to Mr. Trump’s insurgency: Mr. Christie may give cover to other Republicans tempted to join Mr. Trump rather than trying to beat him. Not just the Stop Trump forces seemed in peril, but also the traditional party establishment itself.

Should Mr. Trump clinch the presidential nomination, it would represent a rout of historic proportions for the institutional Republican Party, and could set off an internal rift unseen in either party for a half-century, since white Southerners abandoned the Democratic Party en masse during the civil rights movement.

Former Gov. Michael O. Leavitt of Utah, a top adviser to Mr. Romney’s 2012 presidential campaign, said the party was unable to come up with a united front to quash Mr. Trump’s campaign.

“There is no mechanism,” Mr. Leavitt said. “There is no smoke-filled room. If there is, I’ve never seen it, nor do I know anyone who has. This is going to play out in the way that it will.”

Via Memeorandum.

Amazing Christina Ricci Bikini Photos

Thirty-six years old and she's in fantastic condition.

Those triceps are buffed!

At London's Daily Mail, "PICTURE EXCLUSIVE: Christina Ricci reveals her tattoo collection on bikini break with family to celebrate her 36th birthday."

Cheryl Tiegs Slams Politically-Correct 'Plus-Sized' Models for Sports Illustrated Swimsuit (VIDEO)

Well, I happen to think Ashley Graham's pretty hot, but if she'd have lost those extra pounds, would she have even been a cover model?

Via CNN:



PREVIOUSLY: "Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Launch Week 2016 (VIDEO)."

Plus, remember how hot Tiegs was back in the day?

Barbara Olson, Hell to Pay

Barbara Olson died on September 11th. She was aboard American Airlines Flight 77, which slammed into the Pentagon.

Here's her book, Hell to Pay: The Unfolding Story of Hillary Rodham Clinton.

That might be worth a quick read in the near future here, especially as Mrs. Clinton nears accession as her party's presidential nominee.

Hat Tip: Blazing Cat Fur, "The Trashing of Bill’s Accusers: What Did Hillary Do — And Why Did She Do It?"

Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Launch Week 2016 (VIDEO)

Well, it's a babe-blogging publishing phenomenon, heh.

Watch:

Jackie Johnson's Saturday Forecast

I wasn't out much today, just to take my son to school.

It wasn't too hot though. I napped late this afternoon and was perfectly comfortable. But if it stays warm into March, perhaps we'll have already seen most of the rain and snow of the season.

Via CBS News 2 Los Angeles:

Former Secretary of Labor Robert Reich Endorses Bernie Sanders for President

He posted at Facebook, via Memeorandum, "I endorse Bernie Sanders for President of the United States":

I endorse Bernie Sanders for President of the United States. He’s leading a movement to reclaim America for the many, not the few. And such a political mobilization – a “political revolution,” as he puts it -- is the only means by which we can get the nation back from the moneyed interests that now control so much of our economy and democracy.

This extraordinary concentration of income, wealth, and political power at the very top imperils all else – our economy, our democracy, the revival of the American middle class, the prospects for the poor and for people of color, the necessity of slowing and reversing climate change, and a sensible foreign policy not influenced by the “military-industrial complex,” as President Dwight Eisenhower once called it. It is the fundamental prerequisite: We have little hope of achieving positive change on any front unless the American people are once again in control.

I have the deepest respect and admiration for Hillary Clinton, and if she wins the Democratic primary I’ll work my heart out to help her become president. But I believe Bernie Sanders is the agent of change this nation so desperately needs.

And watch Reich's interview at CNN, "This campaign is 'almost unimaginable'." He shows grudging admiration for Donald Trump, simply because, like Sanders, Trump is mobilizing generations of the disaffected. It's an interesting segment.

Diamond and Silk, 'Stump for Trump' Gals: Marco Rubio 'Had a Gay Lifestyle in the Past...' (VIDEO)

Oh boy.

This video's way worth it just for the look on Carol Costello's face when the "Stump for Trump" gals report that they've Googled Marco Rubio's past and "he owes America and the gay community an apology."

At Mediaite, via Memeorandum, "The ‘Stump for Trump’ Girls Just Said on CNN That Marco Rubio Had ‘A Gay Lifestyle’."

And on YouTube, "Diamond & Silk : Marco Rubio Had a Gay Lifestyle in the Past."

Chris Christie Endorses Donald Trump, Latest Twist in Wild Republican Presidential Campaign (VIDEO)

From Maggie Haberman, at the New York Times, "Chris Christie Endorses Donald Trump and Calls Marco Rubio 'Desperate'" (via Memeorandum):

Gov. Chris Christie of New Jersey endorsed Donald J. Trump on Friday, a major turn in a wild race and one that gives the New York businessman a significant boost as he heads into the pivotal “Super Tuesday” contests.

Mr. Christie was a candidate for president himself until he came in sixth place in New Hampshire’s primary. Seeing his political career facing an abrupt conclusion after his failed presidential campaign, he expressed his anger Friday at Senator Marco Rubio, whom he was said to be upset with, blaming the “super PAC” backing the Florida senator for halting his momentum in New Hampshire with a string of slash-and-burn ads.

The endorsement came a day after Mr. Rubio, in a withering debate performance, turned his guns on Mr. Trump for the first time, and followed up with his attacks on Friday morning, calling Mr. Trump a “con artist.”

At Friday’s news conference announcing the endorsement, which was peppered with demeaning insults of Mr. Rubio by the two men, Mr. Christie repeatedly attacked Mr. Rubio, calling his behavior at the debate “desperate” and reflective of a “losing campaign.”

Mr. Trump welcomed the endorsement with warm praise for the New Jersey governor... 

More.

BONUS: CNN's video is here, "Chris Christie endorses Donald Trump."

And watch this Gretchen Carlson interview with the Weekly Standard's Michael Warren, "How Donald Trump's presser changed the media's narrative."

Kelly Clarkson Brings Keith Urban to Tears (VIDEO)

I watched this last night on, where else? Twitter: "Everyone is talking about @Kelly_Clarkson's performance on American Idol!"

And there's a YouTube clip, at Spin, "Kelly Clarkson Brings Keith Urban to Tears on ‘American Idol’ With ‘Piece By Piece’ Performance."

Others were brought to tears as well.

Via CNN:

Marco Rubio Attacks Donald Trump During Texas Campaign Rally (VIDEO)

So here comes Marco Rubio now, finally finding his wheelhouse?

Heh, he's on a roll. It's an amazing departure from his "Rubiot" performance a couple of debates back.

The obvious question is whether it's too little too late?

Watch, a CNN video, via Free Beacon, "Rubio shreds Donald Trump at rally, mocks his tweets, age, debate performance."

BONUS: At Twitchy, "‘Bit of his own medicine’: Marco Rubio reads Trump’s #MeanTweets [video]," and "Chuck Todd wonders if Rubio’s ‘con artist’ jab at Trump could backfire."

California Voters Want More Water and Less Bullet Train

This is good.

From Leslie Eastman, at Legal Insurrection, "New drought plans needed after “Godzilla El Niño” turns out to be a dud":

Less than a year ago, climate scientists were heralding the “Godzilla El Niño,” which would generate historic rainfalls that could help alleviate California’s mega-drought.

Climate reality has failed to confirm climate theory, as the term “dud” is now being used to describe the weather pattern.

Is this El Niño a dud?

Sacramento is in the peak of its rainy season, but there is no substantial rain in the forecast for the next two weeks. The Sierra snowpack has fallen below normal levels for this time of year. The state’s three largest reservoirs remain far below capacity.

Whither El Niño?

Throughout the summer and fall of 2015, California residents waited in anticipation as they heard about the strong El Niño weather pattern brewing in the Pacific Ocean. We remembered the winters of 1997-98 and 1982-83, when such strong El Niños corresponded with deluges. And we hoped for relief from our long, brutal drought.

But through Feb. 20, Sacramento has seen half the precipitation that occurred by this point in 1997-98 and 1982-83.

At this point, it looks as if California is going to have to continue implementing a wide array of water-saving measures, which include “cash-for-grass” and drought-shaming neighbors...

More.

Well, whether or not we had the "Godzilla El Niño," it's clear the whole "drought crisis" paradigm has been shot through, considering the significant rain and snow we did receive this season. Remember, the snowpack's just above normal levels, and we're likely to get more. (See the Los Angeles Times, "In Northern California, skiers and water officials are grateful for the recovering snowpack.")

And thus, yeah, California residents had better push back against all these stupid, aggressive "water-saving measures." We've always had dry spells in this state. If the idiots and Sacramento would expand water-capture (think reservoirs), we'd all be fine.

'Confederate Heritage Month'

This is so stupid, although I'm sure Stogie at Saberpiont will be pleased.

At the Jackson Free Press, "UPDATED: Mississippi Governor Declares April 'Confederate Heritage Month,' No Slavery Mention":

UPDATED: Gov @PhilBryantMS Declares April ‘Confederate Heritage Month,’ No Slavery Mention https://t.co/ibU5ufM1x1 pic.twitter.com/e5HKN83Icm

— JxnFreePress (@JxnFreePress) February 25, 2016

JACKSON — Two weeks before the Mississippi Legislature allowed 19 state flag bills to die in committee, Gov. Phil Bryant took out a pen and signed an official governor's proclamation, declaring the month of April "Confederate Heritage Month," a routine occurrence in Mississippi and several other southern states.

The proclamation, which does not appear on the State of Mississippi's website with other proclamations, such as about emergency inclement weather, is posted on the website of the Sons of Confederate Veterans, which is ferociously against changing the Mississippi flag to remove the Confederate battle flag—which supporters like to call the "Beauregard flag"—from its canton.

#SCV is also an organization that pushes revisionist history about the Civil War and the reasons the Confederacy formed, such as selling books by James Ronald Kennedy and his twin brother Walter Donald Kennedy at Jefferson Davis' Gulf Coast home, Beauvoir, which SCV manages. The Kennedy brothers are founding members of the League of the South. These organizations stand in strong denial of the reasons the Confederates themselves said they seceded, joined the Confederacy and started the war—to maintain slavery, extend it to new states and force the return of fugitive slaves who had made their way to free states.

On Bryant's gubernatorial letterhead, the proclamation starts out by explaining that April is the appropriate month to honor Confederate heritage because it "is the month in which the Confederate States began and ended a four-year struggle." It adds that the state celebrates Confederate Memorial Day on April 25 to "recognize those who served in the Confederacy."

It then explains that it is "important for all Americans to reflect upon our nation's past" and "to gain insight from our mistakes and successes," adding that we must "earnestly strive to understand and appreciate our heritage and our opportunities which lie before us."

#Bryant refuses to take a position on changing the Mississippi flag, saying it should be up to the voters, who decided in 2001 to leave the old flag in place, in a vote that fell largely along racial lines.

#Mississippi, along with Arkansas and Alabama, also celebrate Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee's birthday on the same day as the federal Martin Luther King Jr. birthday in January...

In the past, I might have said "to each his own," but since the Dylann Roof Charleston massacre of black parishioners, I'm not about to defend the "heritage" of the Confederate Flag any longer. Sure, let it fly, but don't tell me it's not about slavery. It's about slavery.

More. (Via Memeorandum.)

FLASHBACK: "Leftist Stogie at Saberpoint Joins Marxists and Radical Libertarians on Civil War Revisionism."

There's lots more from the Stogie-Donald debates here.

Awkward Oscar Moments

The Academy Awards is the one awards show I genuinely like, and the one I try to faithfully watch each year.

I don't know how much longer my personal tradition can hold out, however, with all the stultifying political correctness that's taken over everything.

#OscarsSoWhite and all that, you know?

In any case, I love this photo-compilation, at the Los Angeles Times, "23 totally awkward Oscar moments."

As for the political correctness, here's the Times' front-page lead story this morning, "91% white. 76% male. Changing who votes on Oscar won't be easy":

With Sunday’s Oscar show, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences will close one of the most contentious awards seasons in its history and open an era of historic change, as the 89-year-old institution launches an ambitious drive to diversify its membership.

A Los Angeles Times study shows just how much work the academy has to do if it intends to reflect the audience it serves — and just how aggressive the group’s new goals are.

In 2012, The Times reported that Oscar voters were 94% white and 77% male. Four years later, the academy has made scant progress: Oscar voters are 91% white and 76% male, according to a new Times study.

Blacks are about 3% of the academy, up from 2%; Asians and Latinos are each just over 2%, with both groups up slightly.

The academy has invited more women and minority group members over the last four years, but with its 6,261 voting members appointed for life, the organization’s ranks were on track to remain overwhelmingly white and male for decades.

Under fire for nominating an all-white slate of actors for two years in a row, the academy last month vowed to double the number of women and minority members by 2020. It also adopted controversial new rules that will allow it to take away voting rights from inactive members.

“Our goal is to make sure that we are active in bringing in different voices regardless of gender or race or sexual orientation,” academy President Cheryl Boone Isaacs said in an interview Thursday. “Inclusiveness in this organization, that is our goal.”

Doubling the number of women and minority members over the next four years, however, figures to be daunting.

The academy has about 1,500 women and 535 non-white people who are eligible to vote on the Oscars, according to Times estimates. Based on those findings, doubling their numbers would require inviting at least 375 women and more than 130 people of color each year.

That would demand a dramatic shift in admissions given that the academy's latest class — touted as the largest and most diverse in its history — was only 322 people, most of them white men...

More.

Sacramento State's Four-Year Graduation Rate is Just 9 Percent (VIDEO)

Actually, I think the four-year graduation benchmark is extremely unrealistic. The problem, though, is that less than half of students are even graduating within six years.

So something's got to be done to boost completion times.

At CBS News Sacramento:



Plus, from the Sacramento Bee, last July, "New Sac State president puts graduation rates first."

Rachel Williams for Primitive Glamour

Nice: "The controversy that surrounds the UK-bred Glamour scene in many ways echoes the complexities of being a Londoner. The old guard becomes the new; what is rejected becomes accepted, and the cycle repeats itself. What is the proper amount of proper? Of course, none of this matters. Our blurb in time is meant for connecting with others and sharing those experiences when appropriate. Whether it be next door neighbors or residents of a community halfway across the globe, every smile has a story."

Direct Rachel link here.

Check out Rosie Jones and India Reynolds at the link as well.

BONUS: Flashback, "Rachel Williams — the Girl Who Broke the Internet — Makes Her Sexy Return!"

Stella Maxwell for Victoria's Secret in Malibu Photo Shoot

At London's Daily Mail, "PICTURE EXCLUSIVE: Carefree Stella Maxwell throws off her shirt as she goes topless for beach photoshoot."

And at Egotastic!, "STELLA MAXWELL TOPLESS FOR VICTORIA'S SECRET SHOOT IN MALIBU."

BONUS: "Stella Maxwell showcases her lithe legs in racy leather and lace jeans as she steps out in Milan during Fashion Week."

Drug-Dealing Brothers Face Jail-Time After Mocking Judge Who Let Them Off on Facebook

I guess these are a couple of stupid white working-class blokes.

At London's Daily Mail, "Brothers jailed after judge mocked on Facebook for suspended sentences":

Two brothers hauled back to court for mocking a judge on Facebook after she decided not to send them to prison for drug dealing have now been jailed for two years.

Forty minutes after Daniel Sledden, 27, received a suspended jail term from Judge Beverley Lunt, he posted online: "Cannot believe my luck 2 year suspended sentance (sic) beats the 3 year jail yes pal! Beverly [sic] Lunt go suck my ****".

Soon after, his brother, Samuel, 22, wrote: "What a day it's been Burnley crown court! Up ur **** aha nice 2 year suspended..."

The defendants, from Accrington, Lancashire, were recalled for a sentence review when the remarks were brought to the attention of the judge after she previously heard their expressions of remorse for offending.

On Friday, Judge Lunt said: "The question I have to ask myself is this, if I had not known their real feelings at being in court would I have accepted their remorse and contrition, and suspended the sentence. And the answer is of course not.

"Each of the posts indicate they have not changed at all. They have not taken on board anything or learned any responsibility."

The Sleddens originally received a two-year jail term, suspended for two years, after they admitted being concerned in the supply of cannabis between May and September 2014.

Both will now serve two years after the suspension was lifted by Judge Lunt...

Still more, plus photos of these two losers.

Donald Trump Leads Marco Rubio by 11 Points in Latest IBD/TIPP National Poll

Rubio's trolling Trump, and everyone's getting all jazzy-pants about it.

I seriously doubt last night's debate will make much difference, however. Trump's going to roll up a bunch of wins next Tuesday, not the least of which in Florida.

Here's the new IBD poll, "Clinton, Sanders Are in a Dead Heat; Trump Leads But Rubio Rises."

The Dems are statistically tied, but Trump still holds a large lead in the GOP race:

Despite her win in the Nevada caucuses Saturday, Hillary Clinton’s lead among Democrats over Bernie Sanders has evaporated nationally, 45% to 43%, according to the latest IBD/TIPP poll. Last month, Clinton topped Sanders 50% to 38%.

On the GOP side, Donald Trump held steady at 31%. Ted Cruz dropped a point to 20%. Marco Rubio, however, saw his support climb eight percentage points to reach 18% — a clear sign that much of the support of candidates dropping out the race have been gravitating to Rubio.

Meanwhile, Ben Carson has 8% and John Kasich has risen to 7%. Both are resisting pressure to step aside.

Trump’s lead, however, narrows considerably when first and second choices are combined. While 42% picked Trump as either their first or second choice, Cruz and Rubio were tied at 39%.

An analysis of the 12 states that vote for GOP candidates on Super Tuesday shows that Trump holds a similar lead, with 31% support. However, Rubio moves into second place at 23%, followed by Cruz at 20%.

Given Trump’s definitive win in Nevada on Tuesday, a string of victories on March 1 could give him a virtually insurmountable lead for the GOP nomination...

More.

Plus, on Florida, at ABC News, via Memeorandum, "Donald Trump Leads Marco Rubio by 16 Points in New Florida Poll."

BONUS: At WFAA News 8 Dallas, via Memeorandum, "Cruz, Trump tied in WFAA Texas poll."

Rotten in Denmark: 'Growing domestic consensus that large-scale Muslim immigration is incompatible with European social democracy...'

Get a kick out of this, from Hugh Eakin, at the New York Review of Books, "Liberal, Harsh Denmark":

In country after country across Europe, the Syrian refugee crisis has put intense pressure on the political establishment. In Poland, voters have brought to power a right-wing party whose leader, Jarosław Kaczyński, warns that migrants are bringing “dangerous diseases” and “various types of parasites” to Europe. In France’s regional elections in December, some Socialist candidates withdrew at the last minute to support the conservatives and prevent the far-right National Front from winning. Even Germany, which took in more than a million asylum-seekers in 2015, has been forced to pull back in the face of a growing revolt from Chancellor Angela Merkel’s own party and the recent New Year’s attacks on women in Cologne, allegedly by groups of men of North African origin.

And then there is Denmark. A small, wealthy Scandinavian democracy of 5.6 million people, it is according to most measures one of the most open and egalitarian countries in the world. It has the highest income equality and one of the lowest poverty rates of any Western nation. Known for its nearly carbon-neutral cities, its free health care and university education for all, its bus drivers who are paid like accountants, its robust defense of gay rights and social freedoms, and its vigorous culture of social and political debate, the country has long been envied as a social-democratic success, a place where the state has an improbably durable record of doing good. Danish leaders also have a history of protecting religious minorities: the country was unique in Nazi-occupied Europe in prosecuting anti-Semitism and rescuing almost its entire Jewish population.

When it comes to refugees, however, Denmark has long led the continent in its shift to the right—and in its growing domestic consensus that large-scale Muslim immigration is incompatible with European social democracy. To the visitor, the country’s resistance to immigrants from Africa and the Middle East can seem implacable. In last June’s Danish national election—months before the Syrian refugee crisis hit Europe—the debate centered around whether the incumbent, center-left Social Democrats or their challengers, the center-right Liberal Party, were tougher on asylum-seekers. The main victor was the Danish People’s Party, a populist, openly anti-immigration party, which drew 21 percent of the vote, its best performance ever. Its founder, Pia Kjærsgaard, for years known for suggesting that Muslims “are at a lower stage of civilization,” is now speaker of the Danish parliament. With the backing of the Danish People’s Party, the center-right Liberals formed a minority government that has taken one of the hardest lines on refugees of any European nation...

Leftists are constantly spewing about how great Scandinavian countries like Denmark are, claiming that their social welfare-state economies are superior to the U.S., blah blah.

Heh, not so much when it comes to Muslim "refugees" though.

Keep reading.

Marco Rubio Goes After Trump at Houston GOP Debate (VIDEO)

I'm tired of the debates, frankly.

But this is pretty good.

At Politico, "Rubio ambushes Trump at GOP debate: The Florida senator, desperate for a surge ahead of Super Tuesday, delivered an all-out assault on the Republican front-runner on the Houston stage."

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BONUS: From James Holland, The Rise of Germany, 1939-1941: The War in the West, Volume 1.

Jackie Johnson's Forecast

Mild, no rain today.

Via CBS News 2 Los Angeles:

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BONUS: From Omer Bartov, Mirrors of Destruction: War, Genocide, and Modern Identity.

And ICYMI, The German War: A Nation Under Arms, 1939–1945.

Jess Greenberg, 'All Along the Watchtower' (VIDEO)

This is fantastic!

I've Finished Orlando Figes, A People's Tragedy

Oh boy, that was a long book, heh.

I wanted to finish before February 8th, when my spring semester started, but I was blogging the Malheur crisis (and the presidential primaries) so much my progress stalled.

Well, I blazed through the last 100 pages or so this week, which is great, because I can now move on to some of the other things I've been meaning to read.

Figes' tome is highly recommended (very highly). You just need to have a lot of time to read.

Here, A People's Tragedy: The Russian Revolution: 1891-1924.

Pic Dump's Back

Always one of the favorite features at Theo Spark's, "Pic Dump..."

Theo's got his February fundraiser going, so the pic dump might be a limited release.

Melania Trump: 'I followed the law...' (VIDEO)

Mrs. Trump, with Mika Brzezinski, on MSNBC:

Why Moscow Holds the Cards in Syria

From Julien Barnes-Dacey and Jeremy Shapiro, at Politico:

It’s time to drop pretenses of U.S. forces or safe zones and persuade the rebels to accept Russia’s terms. Otherwise a new slaughter will start in Aleppo.

Can the shaky cease-fire announced this week avert a fresh disaster about to happen in Syria? The siege of Aleppo, Syria’s largest city. That will be the key test for the pact, which is to go into effect on Feb. 27. For weeks now, Aleppans have felt a sense of impending doom. Recently, Syrian government forces with the support of Russian air power cut off the last remaining major supply route to rebels in Aleppo, setting the stage for a siege. Fearing the prospect of bombardment and starvation, tens of thousands of Syrians have already fled toward Turkey and the hope of safety. With Ankara refusing to let most of them into the country, a humanitarian crisis is already brewing on the border. Many thousands more are fleeing to other parts of Syria, including to regime-held areas. A not-small percentage of them will end up on the road to Europe this spring and summer.

Ironically, the talks are not even any longer about bringing relief to Aleppo. It was the Assad regime’s advance on the city in early February that pushed international negotiations forward. But the talks are less likely to have any meaningful impact there than in other parts of Syria because fighting has dramatically intensified in and around Aleppo even as negotiations have progressed. And the Russians have made it clear that even if a cessation of hostilities comes into effect, Aleppo and the neighboring province of Idlib will be excluded from the arrangement due to the direct presence of Jabhat al-Nusra, Al Qaeda’s affiliate in Syria.

The fact that President Vladimir Putin came out so quickly in support of the agreement, making a special address on Russian television yesterday, at least holds out the prospect of a new commitment from Moscow. This is presumably based on the military gains Putin’s forces have helped Assad secure over recent months. And the Russian leader has reason to be confident he can control events on the ground: The presence of al-Nusra, in particular, gives Russia an excuse to keep fighting in Aleppo and even to target rebel fighters that the West would prefer to support. Washington knows it is impossible to craft a cease-fire that would still allow attacks on the Islamic State—which President Barack Obama wants—but rule out efforts against al-Nusra, which is a terrorist organization by any definition.

Many still see the ultimate answer in the use of U.S. military force or a no-fly or safe zone to save the people of Aleppo and to push back the Russian-supported regime advance. Such voices are demanding that Washington find a way to reopen supply routes into the city and increase the flow of high-end weapons to the rebels.

But just as constant in these refrains is the lack of a broader strategy in which to place the use of U.S. force. Beyond the fact that these measures would risk a direct U.S.-Russian clash and the possible outbreak of a wider conflict, it is doubtful whether safe zones would actually improve protection for civilians. Without an accompanying ground force able to secure the zones, fighting will continue. Al-Nusra and ISIL are likely to partly fill any vacuum. Pushing the regime back from northern Aleppo may change the identity of those who suffer, but it will hardly reduce the problem overall...

Keep reading.

Donald Trump Shatters the Republican Party

A great piece, from Shane Goldmacher, at Politico, "Trump shatters the Republican Party: How the 2016 primary will define the GOP for years to come."

Iran Pledges Huge Cash Bonuses to Palestinian Terrorists Who Kill Israeli Jews

This is extremely troubling, from Jonathan Tobin, at Commentary, "Iran Pledges Cash for Killing Jews."

Jackie Johnson's Mostly Sunny Forecast

The Northern California mountains picked up 20 inches of new snow with that brief storm last week, so I'm not too worried about all the warm weather we're having in SoCal.

It's been nice.

Via CBS News 2 Los Angeles:

Republicans Go from Denial to Acceptance

I don't know if the Kübler-Ross model applies, but no doubt the GOPe's going through some of the classic stages of grief. Eventually they're going to have to accept that Donald Trump's going to be the nominee.

That could come as early as next week.

At LAT, "Republican elite are shifting their thinking on Donald Trump: 'You know, this could happen'":

Republican leaders who view Donald Trump as a pox on their party have finally settled on a strategy: Resist him as long as they can. Then figure out how to retreat gracefully.

Most mainstream Republicans still worry that Trump would make a bad president. And they hold deep concerns that his incendiary rhetoric and ideological smorgasbord of ideas could damage the party, both politically and philosophically, so profoundly that it might never recover.

But even as many party elites have fallen in line behind Florida Sen. Marco Rubio in recent days — believing him the best hope to defeat Trump — they no longer dismiss the billionaire celebrity or insist that it will all work out, as it usually does for the establishment in GOP primaries.

“A lot of longtime Republicans, probably a couple weeks ago, had to sit down and think, ‘You know, this could happen,’ ” said Trent Lott, the former Senate majority leader from Mississippi who is now a Washington lobbyist.

For many in the party establishment, that reckoning amounted to an existential crisis, a moment to reflect on where their core beliefs end and where their practical political instincts kick in.

If Trump wins the nomination, his combative relationship with the establishment will end in an embrace, though perhaps an uneasy one, predicted Lott, who is backing Ohio Gov. John Kasich.

“They’re not going to sign up, and they’re not excited by the prospect,” Lott said of his fellow party standard-bearers. “But I think they’re thinking that if he becomes the nominee — he runs the table and becomes the nominee — we’re certainly going to support him if it comes to Hillary or Bernie.”

It’s a slow process. Several establishment figures, including former New York Mayor Rudolph Giuliani and Reagan administration Secretary of Education William Bennett, said in recent days that Trump has reached out to them to talk policy, sending a broader signal that he may be able to win over at least a few establishment allies. And others have sounded notes of increasing acceptance...

More.

Deal of the Day: Over 65% Off Latest Lenovo ThinkPad Yoga 2-in-1 Convertible 11.6-Inch IPS Touchscreen Laptop (Tablet)

That's quite a deal.

Hurry while supplies last.

At Amazon, 2016 Latest Lenovo ThinkPad Yoga 2-in-1 Convertible 11.6-inch IPS Touchscreen Laptop (Tablet), Intel Quad Core Processor, 4GB DDR3, 128GB SSD, HDMI, Bluetooth, Webcam, AC Wifi, Windows 10 Pro, 3.2 lbs.

Plus, from Gretchen Morgenson, Reckless Endangerment: How Outsized Ambition, Greed, and Corruption Created the Worst Financial Crisis of Our Time.

And from Jeff Madrick, Age of Greed: The Triumph of Finance and the Decline of America, 1970 to the Present, and Why Economies Grow.

BONUS: From Professor Benjamin J. Cohen, Currency Power: Understanding Monetary Rivalry.

Donald Trump Taunts Republican Rivals, Predicts Election Steamroller Toward the Nomination (VIDEO)

Hey, this is freakin' too good!

And I was watching last night as well.

At Politico, "Trump taunts rivals and predicts quick end to GOP race" (via Memeorandum).

Watch the victory speech at KTNV News 13 Las Vegas, "Donald Trump makes victory speech in NV."

And more, at CNN:

Super Sexy Samantha Hoopes Outtakes from Sports Illustrated Swimsuit 2016 in Malta (VIDEO)

She's freakin' awesome.



FLASHBACK: "Uncovered Samantha Hoopes 2015 (VIDEO)," and "Samantha Hoopes, the Lady from the 'American Thickburger' Video."

False Flag? Ku Klux Klan Members Support Donald Trump at Nevada Caucuses (VIDEO)

I personally don't believe it.

I suspect these "KKK members" are a couple of leftists out to smear Donald Trump, and it worked. Far-left media and blog outlets are all over the story on Google.

It's a false flag operation.

Watch, at KTNV News 13 Las Vegas:

The #FreeStacy Twitter Exodus Has Begun

At the Federalist.

And see the latest update from R.S. McCain, "#FreeStacy: Have You Mentioned @srhbutts Lately? Perhaps You Should."

Adam Baldwin Sets Record Straight on Quitting Twitter

I like Adam Baldwin. He's a Hollywood actor who's pretty much like a regular guy. I've engaged with him a couple of times on Twitter, and he praised my reporting on the Los Angeles anti-Israel ANSWER protest with a "---> #IAmAndrewBreitbart" tweet. That was cool.

See his Twitter update on the #FreeStacy disaster, at Twitchy, "Adam Baldwin sets the record straight, bids farewell to Twitter."

RELATED: "Update from Robert Stacy McCain."

Donald Trump Wins Nevada Caucuses (VIDEO)

It was interesting watching last night, for one thing because I saw no polls on Nevada before the caucuses. But Fox News called the race immediately as the voting ended, so I guess the results were never in doubt.

I love this.

At the Las Vegas Sun, "With commanding Nevada victory, Trump strengthens his lead in GOP race":

Ten seconds before the Nevada caucuses officially closed at 9 p.m., an excited crowd of several hundred Donald Trump supporters counted down in a ballroom at Treasure Island.

As the clock struck 9, CNN called the election for Trump, sending the crowd into choruses of wild applause, whistles and chants of “Trump, Trump, Trump” that echoed throughout the room where Trump’s caucus watch party was being held.

The win comes as no surprise: Expectations were particularly high for Trump over the past few days. Polling in the state — scarce and uncertain as it was — placed Trump with a wide lead over Florida Sen. Marco Rubio and Texas Sen. Ted Cruz. Fresh off a first-place victory in South Carolina, Trump carried that momentum over into Nevada, holding two packed rallies Monday and Tuesday in Las Vegas and Sparks.

A solid victory in Nevada is expected to propel Trump solidly forward to next week, when 11 states hold their nominating contests on Super Tuesday. The Nevada win is Trump’s third first-place win in a row, following New Hampshire and South Carolina. (The only state he hasn’t won was Iowa, the first nominating contest, which Cruz carried.)

Nevada was long projected to be Rubio’s firewall, but instead he left the state in second place.

Trump won 46 percent of the vote. Rubio placed second at 24 percent and Cruz was in third at 21 percent. Ben Carson garnered 5 percent of the vote, and Ohio Gov. John Kasich is at 4 percent.

“A couple of months ago, we weren’t expected to win this one, you know that, right?” Trump told the crowd through whistles and cheers Tuesday night. “Of course, if you listened to the pundits we weren't expected to win too much, and now we're winning, winning, winning.”

The question now for Rubio and Cruz in the coming days is what, if anything, can knock Trump off his game...

Actually, Cruz is collapsing, big time. I expect he'll be getting calls to quit the race soon, especially next week, if his slide continues on Super Tuesday.

More.

Plus, at Politico, "Cruz: It's me vs. Trump now":

Ted Cruz was running a very close third in the Nevada caucuses on Tuesday night when he gave his concession speech, but that didn't stop him from declaring the Republican presidential primary a two-campaign race.

For Cruz, it's down to him and Donald Trump...

And at Memeorandum.

Update from Robert Stacy McCain

At the Other McCain, "What @FemFreq Didn’t Say."

I haven't tweeted today. I suspect I'll be back on the platform sometime soon, but it's not the same to me with Robert banned. Frankly, it's weird.

PREVIOUSLY: "Fire @Jack Dorsey!"

Allegations of Lies and Deception Take Toll on Ted Cruz Presidential Campaign

This is just sad.

I've never had any negative thoughts about Ted Cruz. Indeed, he's always seemed like a pretty stand-up guy, and no doubt a rock-ribbed conservative. But now he's being excoriated as a sleezeball? What a shame.

At the Washington Post, "Shouts of ‘liar’ are taking their toll on Ted Cruz’s campaign":

Ted Cruz’s presidential bid is in turmoil after repeated allegations of unsavory campaign tactics by his Republican rivals, leading some key supporters to call for a shake-up in the candidate’s message and strategy a week ahead of the crucial Super Tuesday primaries.

Aides and allies of the insurgent senator from Texas acknowledged in interviews this week that the campaign has been damaged by attacks on Cruz’s integrity from Donald Trump and Marco Rubio. They have pointed to a series of questionable tactics by the Cruz camp, including calls to voters suggesting that candidate Ben Carson was dropping out and the sharing of an inaccurate video suggesting Rubio had disparaged the Bible.

The video flap prompted Cruz to abruptly fire his chief spokesman, Rick Tyler, who posted the clip on social media, on Monday in an attempt to put his candidacy back on course. But the troubles continued Tuesday, when the campaign halted the sale of merchandise by a street artist whose social-media accounts include controversial and sometimes racist messages.

Cruz also weathered another wave of attacks from Trump on the eve of the Nevada caucuses. Trump told a rally in Sparks, Nev., that Cruz is “like a little baby — soft, weak little baby. . . . But for lying, he’s the best I’ve ever seen.”

Cruz and his aides say the accusations of deception are simply false. But with the issue dominating media coverage for more than a week, aides and supporters now acknowledge that the attacks have started taking a toll.

Louie Hunter, Cruz’s Georgia co-chair, said the allegations of untruths being pushed by Trump and Rubio have made their way to voters.

“I think both the Trump and the Rubio campaigns have seized on the narrative that if they say ‘liar’ enough, enough people are going to believe it,” Hunter said. “I think that has manifested itself into some people questioning, albeit incorrectly, the real moral character of Senator Cruz and of this campaign.”

The tumult comes at a crucial time for Cruz, who won the Iowa caucuses at the start of the month but finished third in both New Hampshire and, more disappointingly, South Carolina — a state filled with the evangelical Christians and tea party conservatives who make up his political base. After Tuesday night’s Nevada caucuses — which Trump was favored to win — Cruz is looking ahead to March 1, known as “Super Tuesday,” which features 11 state contests mostly in the South, including Cruz’s home state of Texas.

Cruz’s campaign has been focused on Super Tuesday since its inception, with the candidate calling the South a “firewall” that could help him gobble up delegates and secure the nomination. The campaign has poured time and resources into the delegate-rich region, believing its high percentage of religious and conservative voters would be natural Cruz supporters...

Keep reading.

Also at the Texas Tribune, "Cruz Campaign Pulls Work from Controversial Artist Sabo."

Fire @Jack Dorsey!

Following-up from yesterday, "Robert Stacy McCain Responds to Twitter Suspension — #FreeStacy."

Adam Baldwin, television star and well-known conservative on social media, quit Twitter once and for all yesterday.

He deleted everything except his final tweet, which links to Robert Tracinski, at the Federalist, "#FreeStacy: The Old Regime and the Twitter Revolution."

It's an excellent piece. I mean, I like Tracinski, but this essay really illustrates his range. And I love this from his concluding five-point plan to rescue the platform:

4) Fire CEO Jack Dorsey.

The “Trust and Safety Council” was Dorsey’s brainchild, and he’s the one who chose to give it over to political hacks with an axe to grind. In other words, while Twitter’s user base has been leveling off and its share price has been going down in flames, he’s been busy hatching a scheme to drive away even more of its users. If Dorsey were sole owner of Twitter, he would have a right to run it into the ground however he likes. But it’s a publicly traded company, and he has shareholders, co-owners of the firm who have a right to complain that he’s crashing their share prices for the sake of his own personal political crusade. The company’s remaining shareholders need to rebel before he sets fire to more of their money.

Other prominent Twitter users are also hanging up their hashtags, most notably Ace at AceofSpadesHQ, who said he's "done with it," except for "promotion" or "to criticize the regime."

I first signed up for Twitter to connect with tea party people and to promote my blog. It's been fun (while it's lasted) to connect with a lot of cool people ("tweeps") from around the country, but I'm seriously upset that Robert's been banned. His old R.S. McCain handle has been removed permanently. See, the Other McCain, "#FreeStacy: @rsmccain ‘Will Not Be Restored’; @SexTroubleBook Suspended."

I don't know about other folks, but these developments make Twitter definitely less fun for me. People keep talking about taking their debates elsewhere, but right now who knows where that's going to be?

.@Jack, Twitter is dead to me if you permanently ban my friend Robert Stacy McCain. @safety @Support cc. @Instapundit #FreeStacy

— Donald Douglas (@AmPowerBlog) February 22, 2016

@lamblock Ima 'bout to cry frankly. I tag R.S. McCain in almost everything I tweet. It's not going to be the same. Folks are quitting.

— Donald Douglas (@AmPowerBlog) February 23, 2016

Well @Jack, the #Twitter time-suck is past its prime, and #TCOTs are bailing out. You might want to #FreeStacy. @safety @Support

— Donald Douglas (@AmPowerBlog) February 23, 2016

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The New Shape of the Republican Race

From Ronald Brownstein, at the Atlantic (via Memeorandum):

After his solid, broadly based victories in New Hampshire and South Carolina, Donald Trump now holds a commanding position in the race for the Republican presidential nomination.

But Trump still faces two “known unknowns,” to borrow the memorable phrase from former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, an architect of the Iraq War that Trump now excoriates. One is whether Trump has a ceiling of support. The second is whether, even if he does, any of his remaining rivals can unify enough of the voters resistant to him to beat him.

So far the evidence suggests the answers are: maybe, and not yet. Indeed over the first three contests, Trump’s two principal remaining opponents have shown mirror-image weaknesses. Texas Senator Ted Cruz has assembled a coalition of support that is too narrow; Florida Senator Marco Rubio is building a coalition that is too shallow.

As in his New Hampshire win earlier this month, Trump’s support in South Carolina transcended many of the usual fissures in Republican politics, according to exit poll results posted by CNN. The one big exception remained education: In each of the first three contests, including the Iowa caucus, Trump has not run as well among voters with a college degree as with those lacking advanced education. But because those white-collar voters have fragmented among many choices, none of Trump’s rivals is consolidating enough of them to overcome the New Yorker’s dominant position among voters without a college degree. The simple equation that Trump has consolidated blue-collar Republicans while the party’s white collar wing remains divided remains the most powerful dynamic in the race, even as Trump has failed to exceed 35 percent of the vote in any of the initial contests.

More.

But actually, I like this passage from this last weekend's Los Angeles Times:

...two factors could conspire to give Trump the nomination.

First, his challengers continue to find reasons to remain in the race, and the longer the field remains crowded, the harder it is for any one of them to attract more voters than Trump in a given state. In fact, one of Rubio’s main arguments is that “the longer this goes on, the worse it’s going to be,” and therefore he is the candidate who can unify the party. A Bush aide said he dropped out in part to help the party unite behind an alternative.

Trump himself mocked pundits for saying his opponents’ votes combined could defeat him if some of them drop out.

“These geniuses,” he said, his voice dripping with sarcasm. “They don’t understand that as people drop out, I’m going to get a lot of those votes also. You don’t just add them together.”

Second, polls show an increasing number of Republicans have become comfortable with Trump leading the party’s ticket in the November general election. In the Fox poll, 74% of Republicans said they would be at least somewhat satisfied with Trump as president. That number was far smaller (43%) among all voters.

To beat back Trump, Cruz, who won the Iowa caucuses, will need to pick up wins in a slew of Southern state primaries held March 1, and hope other contenders drop out. But the Texas senator ultimately will have to persuade more voters to embrace his pure form of conservatism and reject Trump as a phony, a case he has been trying to make for weeks.

“If you are conservative, this is where you belong,” Cruz told supporters Saturday. “Because only one strong conservative is in a position to win this race.”

Rubio, who may have been helped by his endorsement this week from South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, has a different challenge. The Florida senator will have to begin winning states and hope that a majority of Republicans decide they want a more mainstream candidate, despite polls showing voters are looking to back those who have not served in government.

Rubio did well among GOP primary voters who said they wanted to vote for the best general election candidate, but only about 15% of South Carolina voters said that was a priority.

“If it is God’s will that we should win this election,” Rubio said Saturday night, “then history will say, on this night in South Carolina, we took the first step forward to the beginning of a new American century.”