Forget the F.B.I. Cache; the Podesta Emails Show How America is Run

From the interesting Thomas Frank, at the Guardian U.K., "WikiLeaks’ dump of messages to and from Clinton’s campaign chief offer an unprecedented view into the workings of the elite, and how it looks after itself":

The emails currently roiling the US presidential campaign are part of some unknown digital collection amassed by the troublesome Anthony Weiner, but if your purpose is to understand the clique of people who dominate Washington today, the emails that really matter are the ones being slowly released by WikiLeaks from the hacked account of Hillary Clinton’s campaign chair John Podesta. They are last week’s scandal in a year running over with scandals, but in truth their significance goes far beyond mere scandal: they are a window into the soul of the Democratic party and into the dreams and thoughts of the class to whom the party answers.

The class to which I refer is not rising in angry protest; they are by and large pretty satisfied, pretty contented. Nobody takes road trips to exotic West Virginia to see what the members of this class looks like or how they live; on the contrary, they are the ones for whom such stories are written. This bunch doesn’t have to make do with a comb-over TV mountebank for a leader; for this class, the choices are always pretty good, and this year they happen to be excellent.

They are the comfortable and well-educated mainstay of our modern Democratic party. They are also the grandees of our national media; the architects of our software; the designers of our streets; the high officials of our banking system; the authors of just about every plan to fix social security or fine-tune the Middle East with precision droning. They are, they think, not a class at all but rather the enlightened ones, the people who must be answered to but who need never explain themselves.

Let us turn the magnifying glass on them for a change, by sorting through the hacked personal emails of John Podesta, who has been a Washington power broker for decades. I admit that I feel uncomfortable digging through this hoard; stealing someone’s email is a crime, after all, and it is outrageous that people’s personal information has been exposed, since WikiLeaks doesn’t seem to have redacted the emails in any way. There is also the issue of authenticity to contend with: we don’t know absolutely and for sure that these emails were not tampered with by whoever stole them from John Podesta. The supposed authors of the messages are refusing to confirm or deny their authenticity, and though they seem to be real, there is a small possibility they aren’t.

With all that taken into consideration, I think the WikiLeaks releases furnish us with an opportunity to observe the upper reaches of the American status hierarchy in all its righteousness and majesty...

Well, he's on to something here, no doubt.

The Podesta emails, and all the salacious, scandalous, and unsurprisingly outrageous revelations therein, should be getting near non-stop coverage on the television and cable networks, and should be leading the newspaper headlines each and every morning.

I'm glad Frank's laying it out like it really is. Others have said virtually the same thing about this unaccountable political class (Angelo Codevilla, for one), although it's refreshing to see this coming from the far-left Guardian U.K.

In any case, more here.

Democrat Donna Brazile Shared Second Debate Question with Clinton Campaign, Hacked Email Indicates

These ghouls literally make me sick.

At WSJ:

A second hacked email has surfaced that appears to show Democratic consultant Donna Brazile sharing a debate question with Hillary Clinton‘s campaign in advance of a March primary debate.

Ms. Brazile—then a CNN contributor and Democratic Party official—warned one day before a March primary debate hosted by CNN in Flint, Mich., that a question would come “from a woman with a rash.”

“Her family has lead poison and she will ask what, if anything, will Hillary do as president to help the [people] of Flint,” Ms. Brazile wrote in an email addressed to Clinton campaign communications director Jennifer Palmieri and campaign chairman John Podesta.

The email was stolen from Mr. Podesta’s inbox and posted by the website WikiLeaks. Ms. Brazile currently is the interim chair of the Democratic National Committee.

The Clinton campaign has declined to confirm or deny the authenticity of the stolen emails and has pointed to possible links to the Russian government as evidence of foreign tampering in the election...

And it's no wonder huge numbers of Donald Trump supporters say the system's rigged, and they expect rioting if not a revolution if Hillary's elected.

It's going to be rough out there on election night.

Still more.

Kylie Jenner for Halloween

At Egotastic!, "Sexy Little Sister Kylie Jenner Wears Eye-Popping Bikini and Chaps Costume for Halloween."

Kelly Rohrbach Sexy in Iconic Red Swimsuit for Reshoots of New 'Baywatch' Movie (PHOTOS)

At Egotastic!, "Kelly Rohrbach Swimsuit Hottie for 'Baywatch' Reshoots."

Kendall Jenner in Daring Latex for Halloween Party at Kate Hudson's

Happy Halloween everybody!

At London's Daily Mail, "Kendall Jenner flaunts her legs in a dominatrix dress at Kate Hudson's Halloween party."

Clinton and Trump Are Shuffling the Electoral Map

From Ronald Brownstein, at the Atlantic.

Charles Murray, Coming Apart [BUMPED]

I've finished Frederick Douglass' autobiography, which, as noted, sat on my shelf for over 20 years unread (and what a mistake that was).

So, I'm picking up some other books that have been sitting around, the most relevant of which (for the moment) is Charles Murray's Coming Apart: The State of White America, 1960-2010. (I had it linked as a bonus book at yesterday's Deal of the Day post.)

Murray is cited at the survey, "The Vanishing Center of American Democracy."

I'm also ordering my copy of J.D. Vance's, Hillbilly Elegy: A Memoir of a Family and Culture in Crisis.

Thanks for all the support everybody. I appreciate it.

Democrats Erupt With Fury at Anthony Weiner's Return

Well, I'm just all shaken up about this.

At NYT, "For Democrats, Anthony Weiner Makes an Unwelcome Return":

Dems acknowledge ppl helped Weiner in various ways out of respect for his wife. Now call him variations of "sick" https://t.co/MWu3kL5bnk

— Maggie Haberman (@maggieNYT) October 30, 2016

Carolyn B. Maloney, a congresswoman from the Upper East Side, was riding in a taxi on Friday when she heard the news: Emails discovered in an investigation into Anthony D. Weiner’s sexting had revived the F.B.I.’s interest in the case of Hillary Clinton’s private server.

“I said: ‘Oh, no, not this, not happening now,’” she said.

And then Ms. Maloney’s thoughts turned to Mr. Weiner. “I can’t stand him — even before this,” Ms. Maloney said.

On the West Coast, John L. Burton, the chairman of the California Democratic Party, informed of Mr. Weiner’s inadvertent intrusion into the election on Friday evening, let loose an emphatic expletive.

“We’re still talking about that guy during a presidential election?” Mr. Burton fumed, using a profane seven-letter word instead of “guy.”

Weiner — the name became almost a curse word among senior Democrats over the past two days, as the disgraced congressman unexpectedly surfaced in the final stretch of the presidential contest. The news resurrected memories of previous Weiner scandals.

“He is like a recurring nightmare,” said the Rev. Al Sharpton. “It’s like one of those ‘Damien’ movies — it’s like every time you think he’s dead, he keeps coming again.”

The fury that many leading Democrats feel toward Mr. Weiner had been building for years. His sexting habits embarrassed them. His attempted political comeback in 2013 disgusted them.

But their high regard for his now-estranged wife, Huma Abedin, always kept them from going public. On Friday that was over.

Randi Weingarten, the president of the American Federation of Teachers and an influential Clinton supporter, said she had long held her tongue out of “enormous respect and love” for Ms. Abedin.

But Ms. Weingarten said Mr. Weiner’s treatment of women demanded forceful censure.

“I don’t care who it is, no one should be a sexual predator,” Ms. Weingarten said. “I think we all have to take a stand about that, and I think what’s happening now is that people are.”

Mr. Weiner, who lost his seat in Congress and his mayoral hopes after repeated episodes in which he sent lewd messages to women, is now under federal investigation for allegedly sending sexual messages to a 15-year-old girl in North Carolina. In that inquiry, the F.B.I. this month seized a laptop that contained thousands of messages belonging to Ms. Abedin, a top aide to Mrs. Clinton.

The F.B.I. director, James B. Comey, told Congress on Friday that investigators will now review those messages for possible relevance to the Clinton inquiry, news that rattled the Clinton campaign and stung her supporters.

For some, the development touched off more worry than anger: former President Bill Clinton, who learned of the news en route to his last event of the day, in Pennsylvania, fretted that it would draw hostile attention to Ms. Abedin, according to a person familiar with his thinking.

Around the country, former aides to Mr. Weiner, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, traded emails and texts throughout the weekend, fuming at the “collateral damage” inflicted by their onetime boss....

Keep reading.

Will Hillary's Email Investigation Cost Her the Election?

I don't think so, although the angst on the left following the Comey announcement is pretty delectable.

At the Guardian, "Will Hillary Clinton lose the election because of the FBI's email investigation? Pollsters and observers think not, but as election day looms the Democratic nominee is losing support just as Donald Trump is experiencing a resurgence."

Also, at CBS News, "CBS battleground poll: Partisans divide on news of FBI, emails":

News of the FBI’s decision spread quickly through the battleground states – eight in ten likely voters had heard about it by Saturday – and partisans quickly went to their respective corners: Republicans think it’s bad and expect the emails to contain things damaging to Clinton, and most Democrats say too much is being made of it. While a sizeable third of Democrats also say it’s bad, we found yet another reminder that the election has become a relative choice between the two candidates: those same Democrats also feel the email matter is not as bad as things they dislike about Donald Trump, so they aren’t re-evaluating their vote.

The survey was done following the announcement, across the thirteen “battleground” states.

There’s a suggestion the new email issue could limit Clinton’s chances of growing beyond the base that already supports her. Only 5 percent of Democrats say it could make them less likely to vote for Clinton, and among voters overall, 71 percent say it either won’t change their thinking, or in some cases, they’re already voted.

Most of those who say they’re less likely to vote for Clinton are Republicans, who are not supporting her anyway. Just 5 percent say it all depends on what is in the emails, a wait-and-see approach. Overall, 52 percent of battleground voters expect the emails to contain “more of what we already know” and 48 percent - the largest group of which are Republicans – expect things that are additionally damaging to Clinton...

Keep reading.

Huma Abedin Laptop May Contain Thousands of Emails Sent To or From Hillary's Private Server

Comey's really busted some Democrat balls, heh.

At WSJ, "FBI in Internal Feud Over Hillary Clinton Probe":

As federal agents prepare to scour roughly 650,000 emails to see how many relate to a prior probe of Hillary Clinton’s email use, the surprise disclosure that investigators were pursuing the potential new evidence lays bare building tensions inside the bureau and the Justice Department over how to investigate the Democratic presidential nominee.

Metadata found on the laptop used by former Rep. Anthony Weiner and his estranged wife Huma Abedin, a close Clinton aide, suggests there may be thousands of emails sent to or from the private server that Mrs. Clinton used while she was secretary of state, according to people familiar with the matter. It will take weeks, at a minimum, to determine whether those messages are work-related from the time Ms. Abedin served with Mrs. Clinton at the State Department; how many are duplicates of emails already reviewed by the Federal Bureau of Investigation; and whether they include either classified information or important new evidence in the Clinton email probe.

The FBI has had to await a court order to begin reviewing the emails, because they were uncovered in an unrelated probe of Mr. Weiner.

The new investigative effort, disclosed by FBI Director James Comey on Friday, shows a bureau at times in sharp internal disagreement over matters related to the Clintons, and how to handle those matters fairly and carefully in the middle of a national election campaign. Even as the previous probe of Mrs. Clinton’s email use wound down in July, internal disagreements within the bureau and the Justice Department surrounding the Clintons’ family philanthropy heated up, according to people familiar with the matter.

The latest development began in early October when New York-based FBI officials notified Andrew McCabe, the bureau’s second-in-command, that while investigating Mr. Weiner for possibly sending sexually charged messages to a minor, they had recovered a laptop with 650,000 emails. Many, they said, were from the accounts of Ms. Abedin, according to people familiar with the matter...

Keep reading.

Sunday Cartoons

At Flopping Aces, "Sunday Funnies."



Also at Theo's, "Cartoon Roundup..."

Cartoon Credit: A.F. Branco, "Democratic Decay."

The Vanishing Center of American Democracy

This report may well be the best thing I've ever read on American political ideology, or at least the best on the current plague of political polarization.

It's a keeper, for sure.

From the Institute for Advanced Studies in Culture at the University of Virginia, "The Emergence of a New Culture War."

Read "The Vanishing Center of American Democracy," a revealing report on American political culture, here: https://t.co/ZaB589EDtq pic.twitter.com/8FZubi4T8M

— IASCulture (@iasculture) October 12, 2016

From the press release:

The Vanishing Center of American Democracy, a report based on an in-depth survey just completed by the Gallup Organization for the Institute for Advanced Studies in Culture at the University of Virginia, suggests that the depth of public disaffection exhibited during the 2016 presidential election may reveal the emergence of a new culture war, one marked by both divergent values and social divisions.

The dramatic twists and turns of the 2016 presidential race exposed profound shifts in America’s political culture that challenge the legitimacy of the governing institutions of our democracy, according to report authors James Davison Hunter and Carl Desportes Bowman. The Vanishing Center reveals the multiplying fault lines of a culture war that pits many of America’s highly educated and prosperous against the less-educated and economically struggling.

The Institute's 2016 Survey of American Political Culture limns the contours and depths of Americans’ dissatisfaction not only with the economy, electoral politics, and our political leaders but with the very underpinnings of our political culture.

The full results of the survey, along with The Vanishing Center, were released at noon Oct. 12 at the Gallup headquarters in Washington, D.C. The report’s authors, James Davison Hunter, author of Culture Wars, and Carl Desportes Bowman, IASC survey research director, as well as New York Times columnist Thomas Edsall, and Professor Nancy Isenberg, author of White Trash: The 400-Year Untold History of Class in America.

The nationally representative survey took place between Aug. 8 and Aug. 31, with more than 1,900 Americans taking part.

Read The Vanishing Center of American Democracy here.

Sunday Morning Rule 5

Here's a quickie to get the Rule 5 juices flowing.

At 90 Miles from Tyranny, "Morning Mistress."

⚡⚡⚡⚡#TheGirls ⚡⚡⚡⚡ pic.twitter.com/bCfq9ZEjtQ

— Best Trim & Tail100K (@carlosdelgado28) October 22, 2016

Also, at Pirate's Cove, "Sorta Blogless Sunday Pinup."

And from Drunken Stepfather, "STEPLINKS OF THE DAY."

Evil Blogger Lady has "Raquel Welch Rule 5."

From Dana Pico, "The left are shocked, shocked! that the Affordable Care Act isn’t working the way they thought it would."

The Right Way has "Friday Babe."

And the Last Tradition has "Rule 5 Laenn Amos."

More, at Egotastic!, "Bella Hadid Bra Peeks."

Also at the Chive, "Sunday is for the Triple-B: Beers, Babes and Burgers (46 Photos)."

At Last Men on Earth, "LINDSEY PELAS BIG GUNS OUT," and "LARSA PIPPEN IN SHORT SHORTS AND OTHER BLESSINGS OF THE INTERNET."

Ella Dawson, the Woman Tackling the Stigma of STDs

Leave it to Robert Stacy McCain to go where no rational man has gone before.

See, "Feminism and the Cult of the True Self."

That thing when you're a herpes-infected Gender Studies major and someone notices your bisexuality is mostly fake. https://t.co/x7xRXw7yDr pic.twitter.com/Hv48MF0M3F

— The Patriarch Tree (@PatriarchTree) October 30, 2016

Blink 182 Recreates 'What's My Age Again?' (VIDEO)

At the Independent U.K., "Blink 182 recreate 'What's My Age Again?' music video with naked women for new single 'She's Out Of Her Mind'."

Today's College Students

And other media-whacked know-nothings.

Today a sweet college student asked me what impact social media had when I was in college, bless his heart. pic.twitter.com/fY06IxZ5rW

— S.E. Cupp (@secupp) October 24, 2016

On a Mt. Vernon tour, a millennial just asked if George Washington had electricity. SMH.

— Byron Tau (@ByronTau) October 23, 2016

Cautionary Note on the Election's Public Opinion Polls

I don't know?

I remember the arguments in 2012, and even that one website called "unskewed polls," or something like that, that said Mitt Romney was going to win the election. And of course Gallup saw a Romney surge to 51 percent a couple of days before the election.

I've forgotten which ones, but some or the other polls also had Romney winning Ohio. It was looking really good for the GOP.

And then what? I remember the networks calling Obama's reelection by 6:00pm on the West Coast. There was no cliffhanger. No all night of recounts. Nothing. It was over before it had barely begun.

So, I'm not going to over-analyze the polls this year. I expect Trump's doing better than is shown in most polls, but I'm not going to underestimate the enthusiasm for Hillary Clinton. The Democrats have a ground game. Trump's campaign not so much.

In any case, at IBD, "What Explains the Wide Range of Poll Results Between IBD/TIPP and Others?":

What Explains The Wide Range Of Poll Results Between IBD/TIPP And Others? https://t.co/mOisA3xK4n #tcot #tlot #polls

— IBDeditorials (@IBDeditorials) October 24, 2016

IBD/TIPP is fairly transparent. The typical poll is intended to have between 750 and 900 respondents, a random sample of registered voters. Those are then further winnowed by identifying likely voters, as opposed to just registered voters, through both targeted questions and demographics of the respondents.

The Oct. 24 poll is pretty typical: It yielded 815 likely voters with a margin of error of plus-or-minus 3.6 percentage points at a 95% confidence level. That means, based on the sample, there's a 95% certainty that the "true" support levels for the candidates are within 3.6 percentage points of the reported results.

TechnoMetrica, IBD's polling company, conducts the survey by telephone. It uses both landline and cellphones, with about 35% coming from landlines and 65% coming from cellphones. All of the interviews are done live — no "robocalls" or other dodgy techniques that might bias the outcome.

The numbers are not reported raw. They are adjusted to match the presumed registration percentages of the political parties. That way no party is systematically underrepresented. The same is done for race, gender, region, and party affiliation.

This ensures a more accurate end result than simply relying on raw poll responses. On party affiliation, the presumed mix is as follows: Democrats 37% of likely voters; Republicans a bit over 29%; and independents at 34%.

In the end, that latter category may be key. IBD/TIPP in its latest poll has Trump ahead among independents and "other" by 41% to 32%. That's much wider than most other polls, and one possible explanation for why the poll differs from others.

Polls are, by their very nature, approximations. They use a wide variety of means to guess what literally tens of millions will do, based on just a small sample. Sometimes that yields very big differences, as it has this time.

What about political bias, as some darkly allege? Well, no pollster wants to be wrong. If any poll is really out of whack, it's likely because they missed something in their polling — not political bias.

The Political Environment on Social Media

At Pew Research:

New report @pewinternet: The Political Environment on Social Media https://t.co/blGn6apAVT pic.twitter.com/FUITJoLmBW

— PewResearch Journo (@pewjournalism) October 25, 2016

Some users enjoy the opportunities for political debate and engagement that social media facilitates, but many more express resignation, frustration over the tone and content of social platforms.

In a political environment defined by widespread polarization and partisan animosity, even simple conversations can go awry when the subject turns to politics. In their in-person interactions, Americans can (and often do) attempt to steer clear of those with whom they strongly disagree.

But online social media environments present new challenges. In these spaces, users can encounter statements they might consider highly contentious or extremely offensive – even when they make no effort to actively seek out this material. Similarly, political arguments can encroach into users’ lives when comment streams on otherwise unrelated topics devolve into flame wars or partisan bickering. Navigating these interactions can be particularly fraught in light of the complex mix of close friends, family members, distant acquaintances, professional connections and public figures that make up many users’ online networks.

A new Pew Research Center survey of U.S. adults finds that political debate and discussion is indeed a regular fact of digital life for many social media users, and some politically active users enjoy the heated discussions and opportunities for engagement that this mix of social media and politics facilitates. But a larger share expresses annoyance and aggravation at the tone and content of the political interactions they witness on these platforms. Among the key findings of this survey...

F.B.I. Announcement Was Like an '18-Wheeler Smacking Into' the Clinton Campaign

Well, I think it's great.

Hillary's stroll to the finish line got knocked off like a blitzing linebacker blindsiding a quarterback. I love it.

For Democrats, the new focus on Hillary Clinton's emails is "like an 18-wheeler smacking into us" https://t.co/w1nNqLunxD pic.twitter.com/7W1jc9k42L

— NYT Politics (@nytpolitics) October 29, 2016

Is There Any Level to Which Democrats Won't Sink? (VIDEO)

Word is InfoWars has been getting a lot more attention these days, considering what's going on and all.

I don't care for it, although I think Alex Jones is a funny character. I'm just not into 9/11 trutherism or (more recently) anti-Semitic conspiracies.

Still, he's pretty hilarious.

Watch:

Deal of the Day: Save on Dyson Multifloor Canister Vacuum [BUMPED]

At Amazon, Dyson DC39 Ball Multifloor Canister Vacuum (Certified Refurbished).

Also, Save on WMF Flatware.

And, Save on Select Cuisinart Kitchen Products and Accessories.

Shop for Kind Food Bars.

More, Amazon Accessories.

BONUS: Charles Murray, Coming Apart: The State of White America, 1960-2010.

Taylor Hill and Emmy Rappe in Las Vegas (VIDEO)

Via Michael Kors:

Kate Upton Modeling with Penguins (VIDEO)

Ms. Kate's been out of the limelight, although she's sure as easy to behold as ever.

Via Sports Illustrated:

We Are Confronted with a Struggle for Political Power in Which, for Once, All is at Stake

See the commentaries from Mark Danner, Andrew Delbanco, and Elizabeth Drew, at the New York Review of Books, "On the Election—II."

Previously: "What Is to be Done About the Republican Party?"

ABC Tracking Poll 'Mysteriously' Shows 10-Point Shift Toward Donald Trump in One Week

"Mysteriously."

If Trump is disciplined like he was in September, when we last saw him genuinely surging in the polls, perhaps election night might be a cliffhanger?

At this point, though, I think the leftist media might have done enough damage to the Manhattan mogul's chances. I'm skeptical the latest F.B.I. bombshell's going to make that much difference.

But at least we're kept on the edge of our seats, and leftists are freakin' out. That part's to die for, lol.

At Hot Air.

And ICYMI, "F.B.I.'s Announcement Re-Frames Election as Referendum on Hillary Clinton (VIDEO)."

Saturday Tessa

Here's the lovely Tessa Fowler, "A hard man is good to find."

Also, "'Yellow? I'm gonna have to call you back'."

Sabine Jemeljanova Page 3 Saturday

At the Sun U.K.:

Sabine from London slowly slips off her little black dress https://t.co/mF4xtMHpYm pic.twitter.com/Kzeqr1errI

— Page 3 (@Page3) October 29, 2016

Ava Sambora Bikini Pics

Here's some Rule 5 for all of your babe-blogging cruisers out there.

At Egotastic!, "Ava Sambora Bikini Photoshoot in Malibu," and "Ava Sambora Bikini Dream and Emily Ratajkowski Booty Highlight the Weekly Social (VIDEO)."

BONUS: At the Hostages, "Big Boob Friday."

Describe the 2016 Election in One Word

Spectacular.

Incredible.

Awesome.

Unprecedented.

Disastrous.

I don't know? Those are just a few words that come to mind for me. Actually, this has been the most interesting election in my lifetime, regardless of who wins. As noted previously, I'm especially pleased to see the crackup of the GOP coalition. I love the populist uprising and I expect it to continue for some time. This is all healthy to me, not dangerous. America's a big enough and great enough country to tackle all these problems. There's no threat to the survival of the American republic, although there's definitely a threat to the culture and ideological foundations that have made us great. Those things may be going away. Leftists are cheering such developments, because they hate American exceptionalism. The dis-empowered "coalition of restoration," however, isn't so pleased. They're going to be on the outside of the dominant culture looking in, and they'll get burned as society keeps up its inexorable movement to the radical left.

In any case, it is what it is.

At the Los Angeles Times:

We went to the ‘happiest place on Earth’ and asked people to describe the election in one word https://t.co/yRm9CaB6Kl pic.twitter.com/VUwD2AZ1vD

— Los Angeles Times (@latimes) October 29, 2016

F.B.I.'s Announcement Re-Frames Election as Referendum on Hillary Clinton (VIDEO)

As well it should.

At USA Today, "Trump sees opportunity in Clinton emails":

WASHINGTON — Hillary Clinton's presidential bid takes a heavy blow, and Donald Trump sees a big opportunity.

The stunning statement by FBI Director James Comey that agents are reviewing newly discovered Clinton emails rocked the presidential race this weekend, though analysts said it will be a few days before the campaigns know whether actual voters are being changed.

Certainly Trump sees the probe as an election-changing event, telling supporters in New Hampshire that "Hillary Clinton's corruption is on a scale we have never seen before," and voters should "not let her take her criminal scheme" to the White House.

"This is the biggest political scandal since Watergate and I'm sure that it will be properly handled from this point forward," Trump said Friday night during a rally in Lisbon, Maine.

Clinton and her aides, who are demanding that the FBI release more information about its review, said voters have already made up their minds about her use of a private email server as secretary of State.

"I think that's factored into what people think," Clinton told reporters in Des Moines, "and now they're choosing a president."

At first glance, it appears the new FBI development will benefit Trump, who trails Clinton in most national and swing-state polls, analysts said – maybe not by changing peoples' minds, but by prompting equivocal voters to back the New York businessman.

"It re-frames the election as a referendum on Clinton and all the baggage she brings into office with her," said Republican consultant Bruce Haynes, founding partner of Washington-based Purple Strategies. "It puts the spotlight squarely back on her, all her faults and all the truckloads of baggage she brings."

There are more email stories to come...

Keep reading.

Fifty-One Percent of Voters Fear Violence on Election Day

Following-up, "Some Donald Trump Voters Warn of Revolution if Hillary Clinton Wins."

I doubt there's going to be a revolutionary insurrection, although election day violence seems like a distinct possibility, especially if Donald Trump wins, heh.

Here's Thursday's front-page at USA Today. So dramatic:

On today's #frontpage: 51% fear #ElectionDay violence; More major-college football coaches hit $3M mark pic.twitter.com/oKukzSQMbQ

— USA TODAY (@USATODAY) October 27, 2016

And see, "Poll: Clinton builds lead in divided nation worried about Election Day violence."

Do We Want a Criminal in the White House?

From Roger Simon, at Pajamas, "America Is at Its Most Perilous Crossroads Since World War II."

Leftists Angry at F.B.I. Director James Comey

Well, I went back to bed yesterday after posting a couple of entries in the morning. I slept and read books intermittently, then picked up my son from school at 3:30pm. When I got back, I checked the television to see if the World Series was starting, and that's when I caught all the news about the F.B.I. bombshell.

Legal Insurrection has the story, "Who could have predicted Weiner would bring down Hillary’s campaign?"

And at Memeorandum, "Emails in Anthony Weiner Inquiry Jolt Hillary Clinton's Campaign."

The biggest kick is the leftist meltdown, heh.

Progs thought they had this thing in the bag and now the F.B.I's dropped a bummer of an October surprise on them.

Here's far left Jane Mayer, at the New Yorker, "James Comey Broke with Loretta Lynch and Justice Department Tradition" (via Memeorandum).

And WaPo's Matthew Miller, who is former communications flack for the Department of Justice, flipped his wig. You gotta love this:

I wrote a piece in July on why Comey's public comments about Clinton were such an inappropriate abuse of power. 1/ https://t.co/G8croz4qWZ

— Matthew Miller (@matthewamiller) October 28, 2016

He flagrantly violated DOJ rules with his press conference. Then went on to break new ground discussing details of the case to Congress...2/

— Matthew Miller (@matthewamiller) October 28, 2016

Each time, he either violated or seriously stretched DOJ rule & precedent. Press conference was the original sin, & it begat the rest. 4/

— Matthew Miller (@matthewamiller) October 28, 2016

But today's disclosure might be worst abuse yet. DOJ goes out of its way to avoid publicly discussing investigations close to election. 5/

— Matthew Miller (@matthewamiller) October 28, 2016

Not just public discussion either. Often won't send subpoenas or take other steps that might leak until after an election is over...6/

— Matthew Miller (@matthewamiller) October 28, 2016

Why? Because voters have no way to interpret FBI/DOJ activity in a neutral way. Who is the target of an investigation? What conduct? 7/

— Matthew Miller (@matthewamiller) October 28, 2016

This might be totally benign & not even involve Clinton. But no way for press or voters to know that. Easy for opponent to make hay over. 8/

— Matthew Miller (@matthewamiller) October 28, 2016

Which takes us back to the original rule: you don't comment on ongoing investigations. Then multiply that times ten close to an election. 9/

— Matthew Miller (@matthewamiller) October 28, 2016

For whatever reason (& there are many theories), Comey continues to ignore that. But only for Clinton. 10/

— Matthew Miller (@matthewamiller) October 28, 2016

And then there's the precious Clinton lackey Kurt Eichenwald, bless his heart:

No emails being examined by FBI were to or from Clinton. All of this has to do with procedures followed by an aide. https://t.co/mcsBi7j7XU

— Kurt Eichenwald (@kurteichenwald) October 29, 2016

And Eichenwald's really only worried about the reputation of the F.B.I., not Hillary's chances or anything. Nah.

My deepest concern is not the election. It's the incalculable damage that Comey has done to the @FBI by making it (wrongly) seem political.

— Kurt Eichenwald (@kurteichenwald) October 29, 2016

Right.

Some Donald Trump Voters Warn of Revolution if Hillary Clinton Wins

This was at the New York Times on Thursday, via Memeorandum.

Well, I doubt we're going to see revolutionary agitation on the right, although people will be pissed if Trump loses. The anger in the electorate's going to linger a long time, and will continue to dramatically shape American politics. Trumpism (populism and nationalism) isn't going away.

Trump supporter brings effigy of Clinton with noose to rally https://t.co/J4x6q1rFln pic.twitter.com/PSC4RX54Ge

— NBC News (@NBCNews) October 27, 2016

Lolz. More at Shakesville, "This Is Intolerable."

WikiLeaks Dumps Mean Hillary's Presidency Would Be Tainted from Day One

It's John Fund, via Instapundit.

A Clinton White House will be corruption central, and it'll keep congressional investigators busy. See WaPo, "House Republicans are already preparing for 'years' of investigations of Clinton."

'We Are in for a Pretty Long Civil War...'

From Julia Ioffe, at Politico, "In back rooms and think tanks, Republicans are already mourning their party — and plotting the fight over who’s going to be in it after Trump":

As the country geared up for the third and final presidential debate last week, the fellows of the storied conservative Hoover Institution gathered in Palo Alto to present their research to the think tank's wealthy patrons. Elsewhere in America, in the homestretch of perhaps the weirdest election the nation has ever experienced, things were getting tense, excited, even feverish. But the rooms at the Hoover retreat at Stanford University could have doubled as a funeral parlor, and the lectures as eulogies for a bygone era. Larry Diamond, a prominent political sociologist known to fellow scholars as “Mr. Democracy,” talked about the breakdown of the party system. Kori Schake, a National Security Council official in the George W. Bush administration and adviser to the McCain-Palin campaign, spoke about how the U.S. was endangering the international order it had itself created. Peter Berkowitz, a conservative political scientist and commentator, gave a talk about “the unraveling of civil society” in America.

“Obviously the party and the conservative movement are very troubled, and there will obviously be a crisis whether Trump wins or loses,” Berkowitz told me later. “What are the core conservative convictions going forward?”

“If he wins, he will for all intents and purposes reshape what it means to be a Republican,” said Schake when I called her. “We’re fumbling our way through, which I hope will lead us to consensus, but we’re nowhere near it now.”

This election, the conventional wisdom goes, has done tremendous damage to the American body politic, but nowhere is the damage as severe as it is inside the party that nominated the wrecking ball known as Donald Trump. Now the party of Ronald Reagan is being led by a man with no discernible ideological leanings, save for an affinity with some of history’s ugliest. In the face of mounting evidence that Hillary Clinton is set to dominate the electoral map on November 8, Republicans across the right side of the spectrum recognize there’s defeat coming. And behind the scenes, in conversations and closed-door venues—the Hoover gathering was not open to the public—the people who once considered themselves the heart, or at least the head, of the party have begun a very pessimistic reckoning.

As yet there seems to be no coherent vision for what kind of future November 9 brings for the Republican Party—or, for that matter, if there will even be a Republican Party they could support. “You’re assuming that ‘establishment Republicans’ are going to be Republicans anymore,” said Juleanna Glover, a GOP lobbyist and former staffer to then-Senator John Ashcroft of Missouri.

“The likelihood of the Republican Party surviving this, of there being another Republican president in the future, is small,” said one movement conservative who served in the Bush White House. “I don’t think the party survives.”

Far from the halls of the Hoover Institution and big Washington policy shops is a force they cannot control: the Trump campaign, a small collection of social-media gurus, Breitbart alumni, and Trump family members who have managed to capture the majority of Republican voters in the U.S., and who may use their new power to launch a media network, or take over as the new axis of the GOP, or both. And as the old establishment looks on in horror, the civil war in its ranks has already begun.

I agree with this. The GOP is crashing, although the Republican establishment, including most of those up at Hoover, bear much of the blame. There's no underlying voter coalition supporting the GOPe. I doubt the huge white working class vote, especially the 60 percent-or-so of white non-college-educated men, will care much about rekindling the GOP if Trump loses on November 8th.

I personally welcome the crackup of the party. I've been saying for a long time that the two-party system needs a major realignment. It looks like the Democrats are going to be the majority party for a while, and there needs to be a real party of opposition to challenge them in upcoming elections. "Democrat-lite," which has been the sellout GOP in recent years, won't do.

In any case, still more at the link. (Via Memeorandum.)

(If Trump loses, I hope we can get a leader like Marine Le Pen to form an American nationalist party. Heh, that'd be so cool.).

Teaching Again Today

I'm teaching all day again today, my regular Thursday schedule.

I did manage to get some things posted on the blog overnight, and I'll have more tonight and over the weekend.

Meanwhile, keep shopping through my Amazon links. Every little bit helps. And remember, when you shop through my links, you're helping me finance my book addiction through no additional cost to yourself. I'm always thankful.

Here, Shop Books.

Also, Best Selling Products.

More, Kind Bar Plus Bar: Peanut Butter Dark Chocolate PLUS Protein, Box of 12.

Shop for Amazon Accessories as well.

BONUS: Edward Klein, Guilty as Sin: Uncovering New Evidence of Corruption and How Hillary Clinton and the Democrats Derailed the FBI Investigation.

What Is to be Done About the Republican Party?

See the commentaries from Russell Baker, G.W. Bowersock, and David Bromwich, at the New York Review of Books, "On the Election—I."

Queer Feminism at Marquette University

From Robert Stacy McCain, at the Other McCain.

The Right's Fever Swamps Aren't Going Away

I got a kick out of this, despite its far-left progressive bent.

Heh. The Fever Swamps Aren’t Going Away, So We Need to Adapt https://t.co/LeLYCGtvs4 @PatriarchTree @EdDriscoll

— Donald Douglas (@AmPowerBlog) October 26, 2016

Neighbors Come Together Over Stolen Campaign Sign

Good news:

Neighbors with opposing political views come together over stolen campaign sign https://t.co/LbzlNctX9T pic.twitter.com/mSpJcSWKnK

— KMBC (@kmbc) October 22, 2016

Keeley Hazell

Found on Twitter:

#ManicMonday 😰 @KeeleyHazellFan @Fan_of_Boobies pic.twitter.com/10Xl8kkcU0

— World Class Beauty (@LoveLucyP) October 24, 2016

Election 2016: The American Way or the European Way?

Excellent video, as always.

From Pat Condell:

Kendall Jenner Loves Showing Off

At W Magazine, "KENDALL JENNER, REVEALED: THE 20-YEAR-OLD MODEL LOVES SHOWING OFF HER BODY."

What We're Not Talking About This Election

From Glenn Reynolds, at USA Today, "Talking about Trump's sex life lets us avoid reality":

My last column noted that although America is fighting something like five wars, nobody seems to be talking about it. It would be nice if that were the only important subject that’s not getting enough attention but it isn’t. Here are a few other topics that would be getting major daily attention, if our press and our candidates were better...

Keep reading.

Shop Today

I'm heading out to the college.

(I have two classes on M-W; four on T-H, which means T-TH I'm gone literally from 6:00am to 5:00pm.)

In any case, until later.

At Amazon, Shop Books.

BONUS: Alison Gopnik, The Gardener and the Carpenter: What the New Science of Child Development Tells Us About the Relationship Between Parents and Children.

'Go Your Own Way'

On the Sound L.A., a little while ago, while dropping my kid off at school.

Fleetwood Mac:

Bad Company
Bad Company
8:33 AM

Let It Be
The Beatles
8:27 AM

Rock the Casbah
The Clash
8:24 AM

Barracuda
Heart
8:19 AM

Lonely Is the Night
Billy Squier
8:03 AM

No More Mr. Nice Guy
Alice Cooper
8:00 AM

Don't Stop Believin'
Journey
7:56 AM

Misty Mountain Hop
Led Zeppelin
7:51 AM

Under My Thumb
The Rolling Stones
7:38 AM

Somebody's Baby
Jackson Browne
7:34 AM

Go Your Own Way
Fleetwood Mac
7:30 AM

Rag Doll
Aerosmith
7:26 AM

Little Baby Cries When Daddy Kisses Mommy (VIDEO)

So cute.

Watch, "Adorable little baby cries each time her parents kiss each other."

Thousands of California National Guard Troops Forced to Repay Enlistment Bonuses (VIDEO)

Obama's pledged to investigate the matter, but hasn't promised to forgive the repayments.

Talk about FUBAR.

At LAT, "Thousands of California soldiers forced to repay enlistment bonuses a decade after going to war," and "Defense secretary orders Pentagon to stop collecting California National Guard bonus repayments."

The Clichés of Third-Wave Feminism

From Robert Stacy McCain, at the Other McCain.

The Godzilla Theory of Social Justice Warriors

From Kathy Shaidle, at Five Feet of Fury, "My NEW Taki’s column: The Godzilla Theory of Social Justice Warriors."

'Black Jeopardy'

Here's the video, from last weekend's SNL, "Black Jeopardy."

You gotta love it, heh.

Plus, here's Gavin McInnes, at Rebel Media, "SNL's Trump sketch shows that America finally gets it."

Democrat Corruption is Much Worse Than Trump

You can say that again.

From Andrew Klavan, at Pajamas.

Caitlin Stasey on Instagram

She's some Australian actress, with an Instagram account, of course.

At WWTDD, "Caitlin Stasey Gets Topless Again and Shit Around the Web."

Also at the Mirror U.K., "Former 'Neighbours' star Caitlin Stasey now has a VERY racy career."

Newt Gingrich Blows Up at Megyn Kelly: 'You Are Fascinated with Sex!' (VIDEO)

I think Megyn handled herself well, actually.

I know conservatives say she's all anti-Trump, but if we had more people in the media like her we'd have a lot better news coverage.

Anyway, the heat makes for good television.

From the "Kelly File" last night:

Also, at WaPo, via Memeorandum, "‘You are fascinated with sex’: That Megyn Kelly-Newt Gingrich showdown was one for the ages."

Hillary Clinton Has Turned Americans on Each Other

Well, Hillary's just starting the pattern mastered by Obama, the Us vs. Them style of demonization politics.

From Scott Adams, "The Bully Party":

I’ve been trying to figure out what common trait binds Clinton supporters together. As far as I can tell, the most unifying characteristic is a willingness to bully in all its forms.

If you have a Trump sign in your lawn, they will steal it.

If you have a Trump bumper sticker, they will deface your car.

if you speak of Trump at work you could get fired.

On social media, almost every message I get from a Clinton supporter is a bullying type of message. They insult. They try to shame. They label. And obviously they threaten my livelihood.

We know from Project Veritas that Clinton supporters tried to incite violence at Trump rallies. The media downplays it.

We also know Clinton’s side hired paid trolls to bully online. You don’t hear much about that.

Yesterday, by no coincidence, Huffington Post, Salon, and Daily Kos all published similar-sounding hit pieces on me, presumably to lower my influence. (That reason, plus jealousy, are the only reasons writers write about other writers.)

Joe Biden said he wanted to take Trump behind the bleachers and beat him up. No one on Clinton’s side disavowed that call to violence because, I assume, they consider it justified hyperbole.

Team Clinton has succeeded in perpetuating one of the greatest evils I have seen in my lifetime. Her side has branded Trump supporters (40%+ of voters) as Nazis, sexists, homophobes, racists, and a few other fighting words. Their argument is built on confirmation bias and persuasion. But facts don’t matter because facts never matter in politics. What matters is that Clinton’s framing of Trump provides moral cover for any bullying behavior online or in person. No one can be a bad person for opposing Hitler, right?

Some Trump supporters online have suggested that people who intend to vote for Trump should wear their Trump hats on election day. That is a dangerous idea, and I strongly discourage it. There would be riots in the streets because we already know the bullies would attack. But on election day, inviting those attacks is an extra-dangerous idea. Violence is bad on any day, but on election day, Republicans are far more likely to unholster in an effort to protect their voting rights. Things will get wet fast.

Yes, yes, I realize Trump supporters say bad things about Clinton supporters too. I don’t defend the bad apples on either side. I’ll just point out that Trump’s message is about uniting all Americans under one flag. The Clinton message is that some Americans are good people and the other 40% are some form of deplorables, deserving of shame, vandalism, punishing taxation, and violence. She has literally turned Americans on each other. It is hard for me to imagine a worse thing for a presidential candidate to do.

I’ll say that again.

As far as I can tell, the worst thing a presidential candidate can do is turn Americans against each other. Clinton is doing that, intentionally.

Intentionally.

Still more.

French Riot Police Battle Hundreds of Migrants as Calais 'Jungle' is Demolished (VIDEO)

Burn it freakin' down.

And send those "migrants" back where they freakin' came from.

At Telegraph U.K., "Calais 'Jungle' demolition: Mayor warns crisis 'far from over' as more migrants arrive despite camp."

Democrat Operative Robert Creamer Ran a Political Terror Campaign

From Austin Bay, at Instapundit, "WHERE’S THE MEDIA OUTRAGE?: Democrat operative Robert Creamer ran a political terror operation — with the goal of influencing the 2016 election."

The scum had inside access at the Obama White House:

Creamer visited the @WhiteHouse 340 TIMES in the last few years. Tell Chris Wallace to ask @HillaryClinton tomorrow https://t.co/UH2Yt4mknq

— James O'Keefe (@JamesOKeefeIII) October 19, 2016

Victoria's Secret Angels Working Out (VIDEO)

Following-up, "Stella Maxwell Flaunts Her impeccable Posterior in Thong Bodysuit."

Boy, these ladies are working it!

For Victoria's Secret:

Stella Maxwell Flaunts Her impeccable Posterior in Thong Bodysuit

At London's Daily Mail, "What's her (Victoria's) Secret? Stella Maxwell flaunts her impeccably pert posterior in a thong bodysuit as she gears up for the annual lingerie show."

Teaching Today

Apologies for light posting.

I'll be teaching all day today, and will be back for more blogging tonight or in the morning.

Meanwhile, thanks to all of those who've been shopping through my Amazon links.

I'm going to pick up my own copy of Hillbilly Elegy when my associate fees get posted. I'm looking forward to reading it.

After reading the first couple of chapter's of Cornel West's Black Prophetic Fire, I was moved to pick up my old paperback copy of the Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, which has been sitting on my shelf for years now, unread, surprisingly. It's been a fascinating book to read.

Also, I'm about 100 pages into Robert S. Gordon's, The Rise and Fall of American Growth: The U.S. Standard of Living since the Civil War. It's an amazingly snappy read for such a massive and intellectually weighty tome.

In any case, thanks again.

More blogging later.

Deal of the Day: Save On the Hoover Linx Cordless Stick Vacuum

At Amazon, Hoover Linx BH50010 Cordless Stick Vacuum Cleaner.

Also, Cyber Power Mini Towers.

BONUS: David Horowitz, The Black Book of the American Left Volume 7: The Left in Power - Clinton to Obama.

Here's David Horowitz on Tom Hayden

At FrontPage Magazine, "Tom Hayden, LA, and Me":

Tom Hayden and I were once comrades-in-arms in a movement to overthrow America's democratic institutions, remake its government in a Marxist image and help America's enemies defeat her sons on the field of battle. Now he is running for mayor of Los Angeles and many people are asking me, "Does this past matter?" I think it does.

Hayden and I were deadly serious about our revolutionary agendas. During the Vietnam War, Tom traveled many times to North Vietnam, Czechoslovakia and Paris to meet communist North Vietnamese and Viet Cong leaders. He came back from Hanoi proclaiming he had seen "rice roots democracy at work." According to people who were present at the time, including Sol Stern, later an aide to Manhattan Borough President Andrew Stein, Hayden offered tips on conducting psychological warfare against the U.S. He arranged trips to Hanoi for Americans perceived as friendly to the Communists and blocked entry to those seen as unfriendly, like the sociologist Christopher Jencks. He attacked as "propaganda" stories of torture and labeled American POWs returning home with such stories as "liars." Even after America withdrew its troops from Indochina, Hayden lobbied Congress to end all aid to the anti-Communist regimes in Vietnam and Cambodia. When the cutoff came, the regimes fell and the Communists conquered South Vietnam and Cambodia and slaughtered 2.5 million people. When anti-war activist Joan Baez protested the human rights violations of the North Vietnamese victors, Hayden called her a tool of the CIA.

On the domestic front, Hayden advocated urban rebellions and called for the creation of "guerrilla focos" to resist police and other law enforcement agencies. For a while he led a Berkeley commune called the "Red Family," whose "Minister of Defense" trained commune members at firing ranges and instructed high school students in the use of explosives. He was also an outspoken supporter of the violence-prone Black Panther Party.

Why do these facts still seem important? It is not that I think a man cannot learn from his mistakes, or change his mind. Far from it. I myself have recently published a memoir recounting my own activities in the radical Left, a past that I now regret. I find this history relevant not just because Hayden is now proposing himself as the chief executive of one of America's most important cities, but because he has never been fully candid about this past. He has not owned up to the extent of his dealings with America's former enemies or to the true agenda of the Red Family commune, which was little more than a left-wing militia. He has remained silent about the criminal activities which included murder of the Black Panther Party, whose cause he promoted at the time.

To be fair, Hayden has admitted to some second thoughts. In an abstract way, he now understands that the democratic process is better than the totalitarian one. He now claims to embrace more modest ambitions about what can be accomplished in the political arena. Yet, in all these years, he has not found the courage to be candid about what he actually did.

His silence on these matters has been coupled of late with an ongoing attack on the FBI, the CIA and other authorities responsible for the public's security and safety. In his 450-page memoir, published only a few years ago, Hayden included many pages of his FBI dossier, along with his sarcastic comments suggesting that the agents who kept an eye on him were no different from the agents of a police state trying to suppress unpopular ideas. Just last week Hayden, along with American communist Angela Davis and other '60s leftovers, led a march on Los Angeles City Hall organized by something calling itself the "Crack the CIA Coalition." Among its demands were "Dismantle the CIA" and "Stop the media cover-up of CIA drug involvement," a reference to a San Jose Mercury News story discredited by the Los Angeles Times, the New York Times and the Washington Post that claimed the CIA had flooded Los Angeles' inner-city communities with crack cocaine.

This sowing of suspicion of legal authority is troubling in a man who proposes himself as the leader of a city like Los Angeles, which has many political, racial and economic fault lines, and in which there are visible tensions between its diverse communities. At worst, it fuels the racial paranoia of elements in the inner-city community who are convinced that there is a government plot to eliminate their leaders, not to mention their community itself...

Keep reading.

PREVIOUSLY: "Tom Hayden, The Long Sixties."

Tom Hayden, The Long Sixties

I picked up a copy of this book years ago, although I never did read it.

I just pulled it off the shelf in light of the news of the man's passing. Might as well give a few chapters a whirl now that the dude's kicked the bucket.

At Amazon, Long Sixties: From 1960 to Barack Obama.

PREVIOUSLY: "Tom Hayden Has Died."

Tom Hayden Has Died

Hayden spoke at my college a few years back.

I never liked him personally. I always thought he was a bad person, a treasonous scoundrel.

In any case, at the Los Angeles Times, "'The radical inside the system': Tom Hayden, protester-turned-politician, dies at 76."

J.D. Vance’s Hillbilly Elegy Available on Kindle for $4.99

That's a deal!

At Amazon, Hillbilly Elegy: A Memoir of a Family and Culture in Crisis (Kindle Edition).

BONUS: Robert S. Gordon, The Rise and Fall of American Growth: The U.S. Standard of Living since the Civil War.

Sunday Cartoons

At Flopping Aces, "Sunday Funnies."



More, at Theo's, "Cartoon Roundup..."

Cartoon Credit: Legal Insurrection, "Branco Cartoon – Mirror, Mirror on the Wall."

Emma Roberts Rule 5

At Popaholic, "Emma Roberts Looking Like a Doll."

Below here is some random hottie!

But see more, at Drunken Stepfather, "STEPLINKS OF THE DAY."

At Pirate's Cove, "Sorta Blogless Sunday Pinup," and "If All You See……is a world turned to desert because of fracking, you might just be a Warmist."

Plus, at Wirecutter's, "Your Good Morning Girl."

At 90 Miles from Tyranny, "Morning Mistress."

Lindsey Pelas, "Yo."

And at WWTDD, "Sara Jean Underwood Keeping the Rolls."

At Egotastic!, "Demi Lovato Hot Performance In Mexico."

Still more from Proof Positive, "Best of the Web* Linkaround."

The Chive, "Bad girls bend at the waist (44 Photos)."

BONUS: At Blazing Cat Fur, "University of Toronto Professor is Simply Not Insane."

As Trump Delivers His Gettysburg Address, Republicans Prepare for Civil War

A good piece, from Dan Balz, at the Washington Post.

Whatever happens is good. The GOP needs a shakeup.

The Coming GOP Civil War. #Gettysburg #MAGA https://t.co/latOV6zbwr

— Donald Douglas (@AmPowerBlog) October 22, 2016

Horrific Tour Bush Crash in Desert Hot Springs: 11 Dead

You can see from the photos that the bus driver rear-ended the semi at full speed.

BREAKING UPDATE: Tour bus crash on I-10 has killed at least 11 people. https://t.co/uN4vLKMC0a

— The Desert Sun (@MyDesert) October 23, 2016

The bus was just moved away from the big rig @MyDesert pic.twitter.com/yj35wb6uE6

— Colin Atagi (@TDSColinAtagi) October 23, 2016

I-10 CRASH UPDATE: At least 10 people killed in crash involving tour bus and semi-truck on WB side, @KESQ reports https://t.co/Voc8NIxo6G pic.twitter.com/aQ6j5BZFFS

— ABC7 Eyewitness News (@ABC7) October 23, 2016

Leland Faust, A Capitalist's Lament [BUMPED]

A #1 new item, at Amazon, A Capitalist's Lament: How Wall Street Is Fleecing You and Ruining America.

In the Mail: David A. Keene and Thomas L. Mason, Shall Not Be Infringed [BUMPED]

This came yesterday earlier.

It's a lively read. I read the introductory chapter last night and I really recommend it.

At Amazon, Shall Not Be Infringed: The New Assaults on Your Second Amendment.

Dana Loesch on 'State of the Union' with Jake Tapper (VIDEO)

My friend Dana Loesch joined Gov. Jan Brewer, Sen. Bob Kerrey, and Bakari Sellers for this morning's CNN panel.

Watch, "Trump vows to sue every woman accuser after election," "Oprah on Clinton: 'You don't have to like her...'"

Great to see @jaketapper today for @CNNSotu ! Thanks for tuning in!https://t.co/DtjpFEftiP

— Dana Loesch (@DLoesch) October 23, 2016

And buy Dana's book, Flyover Nation: You Can't Run a Country You've Never Been To.

The Economist Special Report on Russia: Putinism

"Ominous" is the word folks are using to describe this cover at the Economist.

Here's the report, "The threat from Russia: How to contain Vladimir Putin’s deadly, dysfunctional empire."

WikiLeaks sees the conspiracy there, a poorly veiled anti-Semitic conspiracy. Nasty:

The new sober cover of the Economist, which is controlled by Lynn de Rothschild, Clinton's "loyal adoring pal" https://t.co/oTCspy3ddR pic.twitter.com/KuRRfEELLJ

— WikiLeaks (@wikileaks) October 22, 2016

Reflections on Hillbilly Elegy

From Aaron Renn, at City Journal, "Culture, Circumstance, and Agency."

And, Amazon, J.D. Vance, Hillbilly Elegy: A Memoir of a Family and Culture in Crisis.

Bella Thorne at the Nail Salon

At London's Daily Mail, "Bella Thorne flaunts belly button on outing to nail salon wearing blue knitted hat and ripped hipster jeans."

BONUS: At Egotastic, "Bella Thorn in Tiny Daisy Dukes in Los Angeles."

New Elizabeth Hurley Bikini Shots

At London's Daily Mail, "Elizabeth Hurley, 51, flaunts her impeccably toned abs and perky bust in saucy selfie."

Glenn Beck in the Tank for Hillary Clinton?

Heh.

This was a Breitbart meme last week, "Glenn Beck: Electing Hillary Clinton 'Is a Moral, Ethical Choice'."

So here's his response, in a chat with Dana Loesch:



Here's the updated story at CNN, "Glenn Beck: Opposing Trump is 'moral' choice — even if Clinton is elected."

Old America vs. New America and the 2016 Election

I guess this is another way of talking about the Coalition of Restoration versus the Coalition of Transformation, which is Ronald Brownstein's formulation of the current realignment in American politics.

See Cathleen Decker, at LAT, "This election is much more than Trump vs. Clinton. It's old America vs. new America":

The contrast in the 2016 presidential election was as evident Thursday as it has ever been: Donald Trump spoke to a largely white audience in Ohio, a state that has traditionally picked presidents but finds itself somewhat marginalized this year.

Soon after, Michelle Obama, the nation’s first African American first lady, campaigned for Hillary Clinton in Arizona, a state where Latinos have changed the political environment so much that Republicans may well lose there for only the second time since 1948.

The dramas surrounding the Trump campaign have sometimes obscured an underlying reality of 2016: Trump and Clinton are running for the same job, but they are talking to and being sustained by two different Americas.

There’s the old one — a distinction not of age alone, but cultural perspective and outlook — that Trump appeals to as he courts white, rural voters and social conservatives. His support base is heavy with voters uneasy with the turns the country has taken in recent years and, broadly speaking, more comfortable with an era when white men like Trump ran things.

And there’s the new America, the one Hillary Clinton has homed in on with her appeals to women, gay and lesbian Americans, the young, and minorities.

Clinton is not a perfect representative of that new America  —  in part because of her long tenure on the political scene. But the themes on which she has conducted her campaign and popular surrogates like the Obamas have helped shore up her connection. So, too, has her historic reach to become the first woman president.

The focuses of the two candidates echo their parties’ strengths —Republicans with older and whiter voters, Democrats with younger, more culturally and racially diverse ones.

Their slogans also show their aim: Clinton’s is “Stronger Together,” an appeal to the patchwork of groups, many of them flexing new political muscle, that make up her base. Trump’s is “Make America Great Again,” a proposition that harks back to a time when a different, more homogeneous order prevailed.

Trump has never identified his target era, but his cultural references seem to push back decades. Thursday, at a rally in Delaware, Ohio, in a conservative and partly rural area north of Columbus, he brought up “The $64,000 Question,” a quiz show that went off the air in 1958.

In Arizona, before a diverse crowd of thousands, the first lady evoked groups that were often ignored in that era as she delivered a ringing speech on behalf of Clinton.

“We are a nation built on differences, guided by the belief that we are all created equal,” she said. “Hillary knows that our country is powerful and vibrant and strong, big enough to have a place for all of us and that each of us is a precious part of the great American story.”

At his rally, Trump spoke, as he almost always does, to a crowd made up almost completely of white voters. In what has become a common refrain, he framed the election in apocalyptic terms: “Either we win this election or we are going to lose this country,” he said.

To his followers, that threat is all too real. Judy Krauss, a 70-year-old retired teacher who attended the Trump rally, said she worries that “leftist liberals” are changing America for the worse.

“They’re already in the schools, already in the media, already in the Republican Party,” she said.

Michelle Churma, wearing a pin on her shirt with an image of a machine gun and the phrase “Plead the Second” — a reference to the 2nd Amendment —  said she feared the country would go “in an awful direction” if Clinton is elected.

“There’s an America that holds fast to the Constitution … the idea that everyone has an equal chance,” she said. The other believes “everyone has to have the same stuff … the government owes me.”

Earlier this fall, at a shopping mall not far from the rally site, representatives of the other America spoke of their discomfort with Trump.

“We’re married; he’s not OK with that,” said Terri Glimcher, 60, of Powell, Ohio, as she sat in the food court with her wife, Tammy McKey. They were able to marry after the Supreme Court legalized gay unions last year. “He wants to overturn that. And that’s scary.”

Downstairs in another part of the mall, Omeliah Nembhard, 21, said that she was no big fan of Clinton but that Trump struck at the fears of her immigrant family, which moved here from Jamaica.

“My family came here for opportunity, and Donald Trump is taking that away,” she said. “He’s taking America out of America. “

The version of America seen at the ballot box has changed dramatically over the years...

Still more.