Donald Trump Forces Republicans to Relitigate the Iraq War

So, Trump nailed down the Code Pink constituency last night:

Code Pink is ecstatic with Trump's performance during last night's debate https://t.co/WaNv7QGLLh

— Sam Stein (@samsteinhp) February 14, 2016

“I watched the debate last night and LOVED IT — @medeabenjamin on Donald Trump. https://t.co/WaNv7QGLLh

— Sam Stein (@samsteinhp) February 14, 2016

Dennis Kucinich said he was heartened to hear Trump’s position on the Iraq War https://t.co/WaNv7QGLLh

— Sam Stein (@samsteinhp) February 14, 2016

And from Byron York, at the Washington Examiner, "Trump forces GOP to take uncomfortable look at Iraq War":

So once again, Trump has gambled. Maybe his frankness will allow other Republicans to loosen up and admit their doubts about the Iraq war...

— Byron York (@ByronYork) February 14, 2016

GREENVILLE, S.C. — The Republican presidential candidates met in debate just hours after learning of the death of Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia. Beyond that, the debate came at a time when the entire world economy has the jitters; when yet another attempt to bring peace to Syria is in tatters; and when the Republican establishment is more nervous than ever about the continued strength of Donald Trump. And with all of that going on, the most passionate exchange of the entire event was about … relitigating the Iraq War.

It's not shocking that George W. Bush's decision to invade Iraq would come up nearly 13 years after the fact; it pops up in Democratic debates these days, too. But the exchange between Trump and Jeb Bush over Iraq Saturday night wasn't just a passing reference. It was in some ways the debate Republicans mostly didn't have back in 2004, when Democrats were consumed with the war. And here in Greenville, as has happened elsewhere in this campaign, the candidate named Bush had a hard time dealing with the subject.

The back-and-forth started when moderator John Dickerson brought up a 2008 interview with CNN in which Trump said he was surprised that Democrats had not impeached George W. Bush over the war, and that it would be "a wonderful thing" if they had.

On stage Saturday, Trump would not repeat what he said about impeachment — there are apparently limits even for Trump. But he did not hesitate to talk about Iraq. "Obviously, the war in Iraq was a big, fat mistake, all right?" Trump said. "We spent $2 trillion, thousands of lives, we don't even have it. Iran has taken over Iraq with the second-largest oil reserves in the world."

"George Bush made a mistake," Trump continued. "We can make mistakes. But that one was a beauty. We should have never been in Iraq. We have destabilized the Middle East."

And finally: "They lied," Trump said of the Bush administration. "They said there were weapons of mass destruction, there were none. And they knew there were none. There were no weapons of mass destruction."

I love Trump, but he's losing me here. And if you think back, earlier in the campaign he's said he oblititerate the terrorists and we'd win the war on terror, so he's not too consistent in his ideological positions.

Oh well, at least he's once again dominating the debate, although perhaps not in the direction I'd prefer.

Still more.

More at Memeorandum.

WATCH: Ronda Rousey, Ashley Graham, Hailey Clauson Revealed for SI Swimsuit 2016 Cover (VIDEO)

Following-up, "Ronda Rousey, Ashley Graham, and Hailey Clauson Score Unique Covers for Sports Illustrated Swimsuit 2016."

Now watch, the big reveal, "Ronda Rousey, Ashley Graham, Hailey Clauson Revealed as 2016 SI Swimsuit Cover Models."

Ronda Rousey, Ashley Graham, and Hailey Clauson Score Unique Covers for Sports Illustrated Swimsuit 2016

At WeSmirch, "History in the making: Ronda Rousey, Ashley Graham & Hailey Clauson each score a SI Swimsuit 2016 cover!"

And on Twitter:

Podcast: The decision behind the @SI_Swimsuit covers (@MJ_Day with @SI_MaggieGray) https://t.co/oArZrTVF7e pic.twitter.com/fpsTWWLxfl

— Sports Illustrated (@SInow) February 14, 2016

Supreme Court Thrust to Center of Presidential Campaign

Amazing how much Scalia's death has roiled an already intense political season.

At the Los Angeles Times, "Scalia's death puts Supreme Court at the center of the presidential campaign":

Justice Antonin Scalia's death has turned a second-tier topic into a central facet of the 2016 presidential campaign: Among the new president's first acts likely will be nominating a justice who will determine the balance of power on the Supreme Court.

Potential court openings haven't dominated debates thus far in the campaign, and voters have not often raised it, aside from a suggestion to Hillary Clinton that, if elected, she'd appoint President Obama. But Scalia's death changes all that, vaulting into prominence a choice that will determine the country's course on voting rights, abortion, immigration, campaign finance, the environment and other contentious issues.

The battle lines were drawn within minutes of the death announcement, with Obama saying he would nominate a successor and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, who controls the schedule, saying that the Senate should not take up an appointment in the 11 months remaining in the president's term. Republican presidential candidates immediately backed McConnell. Democrats objected, arguing that selecting a justice is Obama's job — and deciding in prompt fashion is the Senate's.

The political ramifications are many: Democrats and Republicans will have an issue around which to rally voters who might have considered the court a secondary issue, if that. Obama will have a chance to appoint a nominee who could influence political races up and down the ticket by appealing to a specific demographic group, even if the nominee is not ultimately confirmed.

Candidates in hot Senate races will be pressed to say how they would vote on Obama's pick, since those elections will determine who controls the nomination process next year. And voters will witness a contemporaneous example of the Washington gridlock that already has inflamed anger on both sides in this presidential campaign.

“Maybe a Supreme Court vacancy will remind people that presidential elections are not circuses — they really are important,” said Charlie Cook, a nonpartisan political analyst. “The stakes just went up, and now everyone knows it.”

Keep reading.

Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia Dead at 79

Everything is so much more politicized than, say, 30 years ago.

Back then, it seems to me, there'd have been an announcement of the justice's death, and the president would've waited until after the holiday weekend to make a statement and announce his intentions to appoint a nominee.

Not Obama though. We'd barely gotten the news about Scalia and Obama was out with a White House television statement. (And then, the entire political class, as seen on Twitter, has handicapped the upcoming appointment, giving Scalia's loved ones hardly any time to grieve. It's not for me to say, I guess. That's they way things are nowadays. It just appears unseemly.)

The obituary's at the Los Angeles Times, "Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia dies at 79; fiery conservative fought liberalism's tide":

Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia, an eloquent conservative who used a sharp intellect, a barbed wit and a zest for verbal combat to resist what he saw as the tide of modern liberalism, has died. He was 79.

Scalia died while on a hunting trip in West Texas, according to a statement issued Saturday by Texas Gov. Greg Abbott. The death was later confirmed by the U.S. Marshals Service and the Supreme Court.

Scalia died at the Cibolo Creek Ranch, a 30,000-acre retreat of antebellum forts bought and restored by Houston millionaire John Poindexter.

Scalia had gone to his room Friday night and was found dead Saturday after he did not appear for breakfast, the Marshals Service said.

At about 2:45 p.m. Saturday, people at the ranch summoned a Catholic priest from Presidio, 30 miles away, to minister last rites to the justice, who was a Catholic. “It appeared as though he had passed away in his sleep," said Elizabeth O'Hara, a spokeswoman for the Diocese of El Paso...

More.

Obama's comments are here, "Obama to Nominate Scalia Successor ‘In Due Time’ (VIDEO)."

'Jeb is so wrong!' — Donald Trump and Jeb Bush Clash at #GOPDebate in South Carolina (VIDEO)

The stacked crowd was out of control.

Lame.

At Politico, "Trump: Boos coming from pro-Bush 'lobbyists'.



Also, "Trump: Jeb 'so wrong' on ISIS," and "Trump blames George W. Bush for 9/11."

And see, "Trump bludgeoned in nastiest GOP debate yet":

An all-out brawl broke out on Saturday night’s debate stage, as the GOP candidates viciously tried to wound each other ahead of next weekend’s South Carolina primary.

Donald Trump skewered Jeb Bush for standing by his brother and the Iraq War. Bush slammed John Kasich for supporting Obamacare’s Medicaid expansion. Marco Rubio and Trump called Ted Cruz a serial liar, and Cruz bit back, retorting that Rubio is weak on undocumented immigrants and Trump would nominate liberal judges.

The barbs were often indiscriminate and unrestrained, drowning out CBS’s moderators and egged on by a vocal audience that booed Trump and Cruz.

“You are the single biggest liar,” Trump growled at Cruz, after Cruz suggested he’s an unreliable conservative.

The melee was the unmasking of dynamics that have largely played out by press release or in one-off one-liners on the campaign trail. It’s a sign of the rising stakes in South Carolina, which could define the contours of the race over the next few months as a three-way contest among Trump, Cruz and an establishment-backed candidate like Rubio, Bush or Kasich. Ben Carson, a retired neurosurgeon who has trailed in polls, is also hoping the squabbling helps lift his soft-spoken brand, though he had few opportunities to stand out during the debate...

Deal of the Day: Up to 70 Percent Off Select Cuisinart Kitchen & Dining Ware

At Amazon, Cook N Home 15 Piece Non stick Black Soft handle Cookware Set.

And see all your reduced Cuisinart Kitchen & Dining Ware.

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

Plus, David Horowitz, The Black Book of the American Left Volume 5: Culture Wars.

BONUS: From Dick and Liz Cheney, Exceptional: Why the World Needs a Powerful America.

Donald Trump's America

Via Mark Tapscott, at Instapundit, "CHARLES MURRAY NAILS “TRUMPISM” – Buzz is growing about this superb analysis of the Trump phenomenon."

Following the link takes us the Murray's piece at AEI, "Trump’s America":

If you are dismayed by Trumpism, don’t kid yourself that it will fade away if Donald Trump fails to win the Republican nomination. Trumpism is an expression of the legitimate anger that many Americans feel about the course that the country has taken, and its appearance was predictable. It is the endgame of a process that has been going on for a half-century: America’s divestment of its historic national identity.

For the eminent political scientist Samuel Huntington, writing in his last book, “Who Are We?” (2004), two components of that national identity stand out. One is our Anglo-Protestant heritage, which has inevitably faded in an America that is now home to many cultural and religious traditions. The other is the very idea of America, something unique to us. As the historian Richard Hofstadter once said, “It has been our fate as a nation not to have ideologies but to be one.”

What does this ideology—Huntington called it the “American creed”—consist of? Its three core values may be summarized as egalitarianism, liberty and individualism. From these flow other familiar aspects of the national creed that observers have long identified: equality before the law, equality of opportunity, freedom of speech and association, self-reliance, limited government, free-market economics, decentralized and devolved political authority.

As recently as 1960, the creed was our national consensus. Running that year for the Democratic nomination, candidates like John F. Kennedy, Lyndon B. Johnson and Hubert Humphrey genuinely embraced the creed, differing from Republicans only in how its elements should be realized.

Today, the creed has lost its authority and its substance. What happened? Many of the dynamics of the reversal can be found in developments across the whole of American society: in the emergence of a new upper class and a new lower class, and in the plight of the working class caught in between.

In my 2012 book “Coming Apart,” I discussed these new classes at length. The new upper class consists of the people who shape the country’s economy, politics and culture. The new lower class consists of people who have dropped out of some of the most basic institutions of American civic culture, especially work and marriage. Both of these new classes have repudiated the American creed in practice, whatever lip service they may still pay to it. Trumpism is the voice of a beleaguered working class telling us that it too is falling away.

Historically, one of the most widely acknowledged aspects of American exceptionalism was our lack of class consciousness. Even Marx and Engels recognized it. This was egalitarianism American style. Yes, America had rich people and poor people, but that didn’t mean that the rich were better than anyone else...

Keep reading.

Al-Shabaab Claims Responsibility for Somalia Laptop Jet Bombing (VIDEO)

At CNN, "Al-Shabaab claims responsibility for Somalia in-flight jet blast":

(CNN) The jihadist group Al-Shabaab on Saturday claimed responsibility for a bomb blast on a Somali passenger plane this month -- an explosion that authorities say killed only the alleged bomber.

The Daallo Airlines plane, which took off from Somalia's capital bound for Djibouti on February 2, landed back in Mogadishu despite the blast, which Somali authorities say was caused by a laptop computer containing a bomb.

The bomber -- identified by authorities as Abdullahi Abdisalam Borleh -- was sucked out of the airliner through a hole from the explosion.

In a statement released online, Al-Shabaab said the operation targeted "Western intelligence officials and Turkish NATO forces aboard the airplane bound for Djibouti."

The statement admitted that the bombing did not go as planned.

"While the operation did not bring down the plane as Allah had decreed, it struck terror in the hearts of the crusaders," the statement reads.

The group vowed to continue targeting "Western intelligence teams" that operate in Somalia...

Keep reading.

Rachel McAdams and Michael Keaton in Santa Barbara (VIDEO)

The Santa Barbara Independent Film Festival was last week. Rachel McAdams and Michael Keaton caused quite a stir with their appearance in town.

Via KEYT News 3:

How Far Left Has America Moved?

From S­tuart Stevens, at the New York Times:

FROM the earliest days of Barack Obama’s presidency, a comforting assumption developed among much of the center-right political world. The thinking went like this: President Obama was far more liberal than the majority of the country. But given his extraordinary political talents, the fatigue of the George W. Bush years, the economic crisis and the excitement of electing the first African-American president, the country picked him not because of his ideology but in spite of it.

Once this unique political figure was no longer on the ballot, America would revert to the less liberal, more center-right direction that was the norm after World War II. Under this scenario, President Obama wasn’t some profound historical shift but more of an eccentric diversion.

Now it’s February 2016 and an obscure socialist — O.K., a Democratic Socialist — from a tiny state just beat one of the most powerful forces in the Democratic Party in the New Hampshire primary. On the Republican side, a man whom National Review, the conservative movement’s flagship publication, has vigorously denounced, also won New Hampshire in a rout.

How did we get here?

When he entered the presidential race in 2007, Mr. Obama had amassed a voting record that was ranked by National Journal as the most liberal in the United States Senate. In the Democratic primary, Hillary Clinton’s campaign warned that the young senator’s record would lead to defeat in November. In that general election, Senator John McCain prosecuted the same ideological case, with little success. Big hunks of America had fallen in love with Mr. Obama.

Keep reading.

New York Shoe Robber Loses His Arm When Theft Victim Runs Him Over in Honda Pilot (VIDEO)

At NYDN, "Thief tries to stick up Brooklyn driver in Air Jordan sale scam, but victim hits robber with car, possibly causing him to lose arm — WARNING, GRAPHIC CONTENT."

Watch, "Victim in robbery runs over attempted crook."

It's Going to Feel Like Summer This Weekend, and the Beaches Are Going to Be Packed (VIDEO)

Slather up the sunscreen and head down to the water, lol.

Watch, at CBS News 2 Los Angeles, "Hot Weekend Weather Is Expected to Pack the Beaches."

Last Four Holdouts Plead Not Guilty in Occupation of Malheur National Wildlife Refuge (VIDEO)

Jennifer Dowling reports, for KOIN News 6 Portland, "Last 4 occupiers plead not guilty to federal felony."

Jackie Johnson's Slightly Cooler Forecast

It's still really hot, especially for February.

Via CBS News 2 Los Angeles:

Erica Garner Endorses Bernie Sanders in Dramatic Advertisement (VIDEO)

At her blog, "Erica Garner’s Commercial Endorsing Bernie Sanders for President":

Last week we made a commercial to express to the world exactly why I am endorsing Bernie Sanders for President. The Sanders team allowed me and my team full creative control of this video so this message is 100% my message and my views! They had a totally different idea of what should be done, but true to form with Senator Sanders, he listened to me, didn’t tell me he knew better and I was not practical and this is what we produced.

The Senator didn’t reach out to me all of a sudden because he needs help with Black people. He didn’t put out a press conference announcing that we would be working together. He didn’t force me to frame my support of him around a subject matter that special interest groups that support him can get behind. They said we are glad to have your support, how do you want to plug in. You will see a lot of Black leaders handing out endorsements, think to yourself, have they historically been a rubber stamp for the establishment? I hope this expresses why I think Bernie is our guy!

And watch, here.

Also, with MSNBC's Thomas Roberts, "Daughter of Eric Garner Supports Bernie Sanders."

Hat Tip: Memeorandum.

Louise Mensch Op-Ed in the New York Times

Louise is pretty cool.

At the Old Gray Lady, "Britain, Better Off Out of Europe":

Valentine’s Day is the traditional feast of love. But this February, Britons are more fixated on a political divorce.

“Brexit,” the shorthand term for a British exit from the European Union, is finally on the table. For many of my compatriots, the idea is not a negative one; indeed, an escape from the ever greater encroachment of the European superstate on our national sovereignty is a goal we have devoutly wished for since Prime Minister John Major signed the Maastricht Treaty back in 1992. Today, at last, we are positively giddy at the thought of freedom.

The Conservative prime minister, David Cameron, is delivering on his election promise of a referendum on membership in the union, with a vote due by the end of 2017. It will probably be held sooner, in June or September.

Mr. Cameron would prefer Britain to stay in the union. Polls indicate that he is likely to be disappointed. Earlier this month, he returned from Brussels with a package of proposals so weak that Britain’s newspapers united against it.

His so-called brake on welfare benefits for European immigrants, for example, would require the agreement of other countries, would not be applied for more than a year and would eventually be phased out. Mr. Cameron also failed in his attempt to prevent child benefits being sent abroad for workers in Britain with dependents elsewhere in Europe.

After these terms were announced, the pro-exit camp’s lead in polls soared to nine points. One recent survey of Conservative Party members found that more than 70 percent supported Brexit.

The European summit meeting next week could be Mr. Cameron’s last chance to improve his deal. But with the president of the European Parliament, Martin Schulz, touring Britain and helpfully telling us that he would reverse any British gains, Mr. Cameron’s prospects are not promising.

The mood of the country, though, is optimistic. An amicable divorce, many consider, is better than a bad marriage. Brexit campaigners are excited by the possibilities of an independent future in the world. We believe that this vision is better not just for Britain, but also for our European allies.

Brexit offers Britons more money, more control, free trade and planned immigration...

Keep reading.

Ted Cruz Porn Actress Amy Lindsay Says She's a 'Conservative Republican' (VIDEO)

Jake Tapper had the exclusive interview a little while ago.

Amy Lindsay, who starred in now-pulled Ted Cruz ad, considers herself a "conservative Republican," per @JakeTapper on @CNN. #TEDCRUZ

— Donald Douglas (@AmPowerBlog) February 12, 2016

PREVIOUSLY: "Ted Cruz Pulls Campaign Advertisement Featuring Porn Star Amy Lindsay."

Tanya Mityushina, Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Rookie (VIDEO)

They've got a bumper crop of new babes this year.

Wow.

See, "SI Swimsuit Rookie Reveal: Tanya Mityushina."

Thousands of Iraqi Refugees in Finland Cancel Asylum Applications and Return Home

Heh.

They don't feel welcome. And besides, it's cold up there in Finland.

Gives new meaning to a "chilly reception."

At the Telegraph UK, "Iraqi refugees in Finland returning home due to 'chilly weather and hostile locals'":

Thousands of applications for asylum have been cancelled, officials say, with Finland chartering flights to take the refugees back to Baghdad from next week.

Thousands of Iraqis who arrived in Finland last year have decided to cancel their asylum applications and return home, with some saying they dislike the frosty weather and find the locals unfriendly.

More than 4,100 applications for asylum have been cancelled, officials say, with Finland chartering flights to take the refugees back to Baghdad from next week.

Though the majority say they yearn to be reunited with their families, others are simply disillusioned with the Nordic way of life, according to a local travel agent in Helsinki.

Muhiadin Hassan, who is selling up to twenty tickets to Baghdad each day, told Reuters: "Some say they don't like the food here, it's too cold or they don't feel welcome in Finland. There are many reasons."

Finland's intake of asylum seekers rose nearly tenfold last year, after applications increased from 3,600 in 2014 to 32,500 in 2015.

Nearly 80 per cent of the returnees are Iraqis, while just 22 of the 877 Syrians who have sought asylum in Finland have asked to return home...

Michele Fiore, Unlikely Mediator in #Malheur Militia Standoff in Oregon

She's a big, beautiful American babe.

At the Los Angeles Times, "Who is the gun-toting, brash-talking Nevada lawmaker who helped end the Oregon standoff?"

An Inside Look at the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge (VIDEO)

Following-up from earlier, "Last Four Holdouts Surrender at #Malheur National Wildlife Refuge (VIDEO)."

At KOIN News 6 Portland:

John Kasich 'Sucks Wind' in 'Shock National Poll'

Lol.

At London's Daily Mail, "Shock national poll has Trump with support of 44 per cent of Republicans as New Hampshire wunderkind John Kasich sucks wind with just 4."

It's the latest Morning Consult poll, "Poll: Wins Push Trump, Sanders to New Heights."

New national numbers: Trump 44, Cruz 17, Rubio 10, Carson 10, Bush 9, Kasich 4 https://t.co/JS2VrbUqIJ

— Reid Wilson (@ConsultReid) February 12, 2016

Trump does best among indies, non-conservatives, non-colleges, national security voters - https://t.co/JS2VrbUqIJ

— Reid Wilson (@ConsultReid) February 12, 2016

Cruz’s best demographics: Conservatives and evangelicals. Rubio’s best: Households that make $100k plus - https://t.co/JS2VrbUqIJ

— Reid Wilson (@ConsultReid) February 12, 2016

2 Girls Dead in Shooting at Independence High School in Glendale, Arizona (VIDEO)

It's a parent's ultimate nightmare.

At the Arizona Republic, "Police: 2 girls dead, no outstanding suspects at Glendale school":

Two 15-year-old female students are dead, and there are no outstanding suspects, after a double shooting Friday morning at the Independence High School campus in Glendale, police said.

Glendale Police officer Tracey Breeden said each of the two sophomores sustained a single gunshot wound, were found next to each other and were declared dead at the scene. They were found in an isolated area of campus near the administration building.

"This is not an active-shooter situation, and we realized that once we got on scene," she said.

Police did not provide the names of the victims.

Tomi Lahren Interviews Pamela Geller on 'The Islamization of America' (VIDEO)

At the Blaze:

Will the Biggest Democrat America-Hater Please Stand Up?!!

Following-up from earlier, "Who Wants to Be America's Top Socialist?"

Maybe Hillary will win, considering that Mao jacket she had on, heh.

At the Other McCain, "Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton Debate: Who Hates America More?":

@SpreadButter Mao Mao now pic.twitter.com/y3T5G4J6nP

— Hit Of Barry (@Barry_O44) February 12, 2016

“Our elites are fixated on how disappointed they are with the tawdry public precisely because that allows them to avoid examining their own colossal failures.” — Ace of Spades, 2011

Ed Driscoll quoted Ace in the context of reminding us how much liberals hate America, or at least that part of America where white heterosexual men work for a living. It was a strange thing to watch Thursday’s debate between the insurgent socialist Sen. Bernie Sanders and the increasingly frantic former frontrunner Hillary Clinton, where the key issue seemed to be which one of them was more capable of destroying whatever fragments of American civilization might still be intact after Barack Obama concludes his eight-year effort to wreck the country.

Keep reading.

Valentine's Day 2016

Shop, at Amazon, Valentine's Day Favorites.

BUMPED.

Surging Number of Attacks in Germany’s Migrant Centres Sees Christians, Women and Homosexuals Forced to Flee from Muslim Men

At Blazing Cat Fur.

Of course, people fleeing for their lives are the real problem. The "asylum" seekers are gentle souls, misunderstood -- no, demonized -- by the "racist" Europeans.

Donald Trump Autographs Baby with Mohawk at Louisiana Campaign Rally (VIDEO)

Heh.

That's the best.

Via TPM, "Donald Trump signed a baby Trump fan at a rally. Really. (VIDEO)."

And on YouTube, here.

Islamic Jihad Machete Attack at Ohio Deli (VIDEO)

At Pamela's, "JIHAD IN AMERICA - OHIO BLOODBATH: Muslim Muhammad Barry Named MACHETE ATTACKER HACKING PEOPLE in Nazareth Restaurant."

Also, at Jihad Watch, "Ohio: Machete-wielding Muslim injures multiple patrons at restaurant owned by pro-Israel Arab Christian."

And at WBNS News 10 Columbus, "Cops Kill Suspect After Violent Machete Attack at Northeast Columbus Restaurant" (via Memeorandum).

And watch, at ABC News, "Man With Machete Attacks in Ohio Restaurant."

Last Four Holdouts Surrender at #Malheur National Wildlife Refuge (VIDEO)

I'm back to work for the spring semester, and I was in class yesterday during the final stand at the Malheur refuge. Honestly, from checking Twitter during my breaks, I thought David Fry was going to do something rash. At one point he was said to have put a gun to his head.

Fry says he is pointing a gun at his head. #Oregonstandoff

— Molly Young (@mollykyoung) February 11, 2016

"I told everybody that I will have a pistol and I will kill myself." #Oregonstandoff

Others are trying to talk him down.

— Molly Young (@mollykyoung) February 11, 2016

At the Portland Oregonian, "Oregon standoff ends with a 'hallelujah'," and "Oregon standoff: Last four occupiers surrender at Malheur refuge."

And watch, at ABC News, "Dramatic End to Armed Standoff in Oregon."

South Carolina GOP Debate Saturday, Feb. 13, in Greenville

CBS News will be holding the debate.

John Dickerson will moderate, along with Major Garrett and Kimberley Strassel.

Watch, "What to expect from South Carolina GOP debate."

Remember, there's no "undercard." See, "CBS News announces Republican debate criteria."

The GOP's South Carolina primary is Saturday, February 20. (The Democrats have their Nevada caucuses on the same day, and then their South Carolina primary on Saturday February 27.)

Ted Cruz Pulls Campaign Advertisement Featuring Porn Star Amy Lindsay

This summary is not available. Please click here to view the post.

Deal of the Day: 50 Percent or More Off 'Deadpool' Video Game

At Amazon, Deadpool - PlayStation 4.

And ICYMI, from Ian Kershaw, To Hell and Back: Europe 1914-1949.

Plus, Top Valentine's Gifts.

Who Wants to Be America's Top Socialist?

Heh.

The "Wisconsin Edition."

From Daniel Greenfield, at FrontPage Magazine.

Parents Object to Controversial 'White Privilege' Video Shown at Virginia's Glen Allen High School

What's interesting is the video's been in use for ten years already, and it's completely pedestrian.

Not sure why it's taken parents so long to complain.

At the Washington Post, "Parents outraged after students shown ‘white guilt’ cartoon for Black History Month."

The cartoon video is here, "The Unequal Opportunity Race."

Jimmy Fallon's Bernie Sanders Impersonation (VIDEO)

What a riot, heh.

Jackie Johnson's Forecast for 'More Record Heat'

This week's high-pressure system is beginning to recede, with slightly cooler temperatures (although still well above average). But next week another high-pressure system will return with more record temps.

Via CBS News 2 Los Angeles:

WATCH: Boise State Police Release Video of Jose Manuel Sanchez High-Speed Chase

This is wild!

Via CNN:



More at the Houston Chronicle, "Crazy video: Man ejected from truck during high-speed chase in Idaho."

Bernie Sanders Now a Threat to Hillary Clinton (VIDEO)

From A.B. Stoddard, at the Hill, "Sanders now a threat":

In what now seems a mandatory part of any Clinton campaign, panic has set in. Tied in the Iowa caucuses and decimated in the New Hampshire primary, Hillary Clinton’s presidential juggernaut has once again veered into a ditch, just like it did eight years ago.

Even before the votes were totaled in Bernie Sanders’s historic New Hampshire landslide Tuesday night, reports leaked of staff shake-ups and new advisers to bigfoot and “layer over” those with whom the Clintons have lost confidence. Friends say the message is her problem — strange for someone who has arguably been running for president since 2005. Others worry she cannot overcome her inaccessibility as a candidate, while still others fear her email scandal will ultimately doom her with voters.

No matter the Clintonian spin, Sanders never had a lock on the Granite State. Not only have Democrats there rescued and reset the campaigns of both Clinton, in 2008, and her husband, in 1992, but two of the most powerful women in the state who serve as senator and governor endorsed Clinton’s bid. Women do well in New Hampshire, and the former first lady’s victory in 2008 resulted from the support of women. On Tuesday, women chose Sanders by 11 points.

Sanders won women under the age of 45 by 40 points and all voters under age 45 by 75 points. The Vermont senator also beat Clinton with liberals, moderates and independent voters by a margin of 3–1. Sanders took voters who care the most about honesty and trustworthiness 91 percent to 5 percent and choose the candidate who “cares about people like me” 82 percent to 17 percent.

Clinton is counting on a firewall in upcoming contests made up of minority voters with whom she currently enjoys a strong polling advantage over Sanders. She plans to campaign with the mothers of Trayvon Martin and Eric Garner, emphasizing gun violence, criminal justice reform and systemic racism. But Sanders is not ceding the African-American vote — he’s already begun a vigorous outreach that highlights those issues, pairing it with an economic message that may appeal to voters disappointed by the Obama administration that Clinton defends but that Sanders has implicitly criticized. Former NAACP President Ben Jealous, who has endorsed Sanders, promised in a tweet Tuesday that black voters are tuning in and will switch to Sanders and that “big endorsements” are on the way....

Clinton will still likely win her party’s nomination. But it looks like Sanders will turn the primary race into a lengthy and costly grind as questions linger about her ability to appeal to young voters, particularly younger women who seem unmoved by the historic nature of her candidacy as the potential first female president...

Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders to Battle for Minority Voters in Upcoming Contests (VIDEO)

At the Los Angeles Times, "Black votes matter in Democratic presidential race as campaigns shift to more diverse states":

Hillary Clinton’s allies in the black community moved aggressively Wednesday to shore up her support with minority voters following her crushing defeat in New Hampshire, as Sen. Bernie Sanders worked to win over the black and Latino voters who will now be crucial to the outcome of the Democratic nominating contest.

Sanders lost little time moving from his victory rally in New Hampshire to a new, more diverse arena. The Vermont senator headed for Harlem for breakfast with Rev. Al Sharpton, the well-known black leader and commentator. Soon social media was ablaze with photos of the two eating at Sylvia’s, a well known New York soul food restaurant.

From there, Sanders headed for ABC’s “The View,” where he shared his thoughts about police brutality with the program’s 2 million viewers.

By mid-afternoon, Clinton surrogates in the African American community were firing back, charging Sanders with inflating his civil rights credentials.

“Hillary Clinton has been a true friend to the African American community for the last 40 years,” Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.), said on a media conference call arranged by Clinton’s campaign. “During that period of time, Bernie Sanders has been largely missing in action.”

As her supporters threw barbs, Clinton herself lay low, taking stock of the damage caused by her 22-point loss in New Hampshire and looking ahead toward a debate with Sanders on Thursday night.

The next few weeks will pose a critical test for both campaigns as the competition shifts from the all-white electorates of Iowa and New Hampshire to racially diverse states whose electorates more nearly reflect the broader population. Nevada’s Democratic caucuses are on Feb. 20; South Carolina’s Democratic primary is Feb. 27.

In both states, Sanders is up against a rival who has deep ties in black and Latino communities and who has also been steadily lining up key endorsements from well-liked minority lawmakers and civil rights leaders for months.

The Clinton campaign had long viewed Nevada and South Carolina as bulwarks that would protect it against any unexpected surge by Sanders...

Keep reading.

'That's why I go for that that rock and roll music...'

From Tuesday morning's drive time, at the Sound L.A.

I'm back to my semester teaching schedule for blogging.

I'll have more tonight.

Rock and Roll Music
The Beatles
6:47 AM

Panama
Van Halen
6:38 AM

The Cisco Kid
War
6:24 AM

Bang a Gong (Get It On)
T. Rex
5:55 AM

BONUS: Drive time flashback, from March 2014, "'He's a real nowhere man...'"

The Death of Twitter

Commentary has been all gloom and doom on Twitter's prospects, mostly because it's become the Internet's nearly exclusive haven of hatred and harassment.

At the New York Yorker, "The End of Twitter":

There are hundreds of millions of dedicated users (I count myself among them) who still see tremendous utility in the service. The core ideals that made the product great are not lost, yet, even if they’ve been obscured. The directness and power at the heart of Twitter—short bursts of information that can make you feel that you’re plugged into a hulking hive mind—are still its greatest asset. The company just needs to find the right way to show the power of those connections to a bigger audience, and the value of that audience to advertisers and partners. Not a simple task, but for Twitter an unavoidable one.

Also, at Instapundit, "ITS BIG PROBLEM IS CONTEMPT FOR ITS USERS, AND FOR FREE SPEECH: Why Twitter has run into trouble."

Poway School Parents Want Unisex Restroom for Transgender Teenager

The "student has every right to use the boys locker room even then he has female anatomy..."

Future shock, at Rancho Bernardo High School, in San Diego County.

Remember, California Democrats passed statewide legislating mandatory transgender integration in public schools. Parents are just now being faced with the reality, it turns out, and they're not happy.

At the San Diego Union-Tribune, "Transgender locker room issue roils Rancho Bernardo High School":

POWAY — A transgender student who changes in a boys locker room at Rancho Bernardo High School has triggered a dispute over a 2-year-old state law that seeks to accommodate such students.

The Poway Unified School District board meeting was packed Tuesday night with people raising a broad array of questions about student rights.

Holly Franz, one of the speakers at the meeting, said she learned when the semester resumed three weeks ago that a student who was born female but identifies as male was changing in the locker room.

Franz said she understands that the district has to follow the law that allows the student to use the locker room, but she would like the school to make accommodations for other students who may feel awkward about the situation. She also urged the board of trustees to notify all students if there is a transgender student where other students change clothes.

Advocates for transgender rights responded by starting a petition on Change.org asking the district to take no action regarding the issue. As of Tuesday afternoon, about 1,200 people had signed the online petition...

More.

Obama Calls for End to 'Poisonous Political Climate' (VIDEO)

Amazing, since he's the most poisonous one of all.

At the Los Angeles Times, "Returning to his roots, Obama calls for an end to 'poisonous political climate'."

Two Maryland Sheriff's Deputies Killed in Shooting at Panera Bread (VIDEO)

At the Baltimore Sun, "Two Harford County sheriff's deputies shot to death in Abingdon":

Two longtime Harford County sheriff's deputies were shot to death in broad daylight Wednesday at a busy shopping center by a man officials believe was targeting police, according to authorities.

The 68-year-old suspect, whom officials described as a vagrant, was also killed in the confrontation in Abingdon, a closely knit community 30 miles northeast of Baltimore.

The mayhem erupted at a Panera Bread restaurant shortly before noon in the Boulevard at Box Hill shopping center.

Officials declined to name the two deputies who were killed. Sheriff Jeffrey R. Gahler said one had served on the force for 30 years and was assigned to the courts services division, and the other had served for 16 years and was assigned to the community services division.

"Today is a sad day for the Harford County sheriff's office and the citizens of Harford County, who we are sworn to serve," Gahler told reporters Wednesday afternoon, and bowed his head. "It is with great sadness that I tell you both deputies who were shot earlier today have succumbed to their injuries."

The suspect was identified as David Brian Evans. Gahler said there were two warrants for Evans' arrest — a criminal warrant for allegedly assaulting a police officer in Florida and a civil warrant issued in Harford County.

Gahler said he believed Evans targeted one of the deputies inside the Panera "because he was in a police uniform."

The deputies are believed to be the first in Harford to be killed by gunfire on duty in more than a century...

More.

Hillary Clinton Breaks Out Fake Southern Accent in South Carolina

Oh brother.

Michelle Malkin hammers Hillary's fake accent, on Twitter.

And watch, "Hillary Clinton deploys southern accent in South Carolina."

Hillary Addresses 'Softening Support Among Women and Almost No Support Among Millennials...' (VIDEO)

Nancy Cordes reports, for CBS Evening News, "Clinton dealing with lack of young supporters."

Most Added Wishlists

At Amazon, Most Added Wishlists and Registries.

Also, from by Rupert Woodfin, Introducing Marxism: A Graphic Guide.

And from Stanley Kurtz, Radical-in-Chief: Barack Obama and the Untold Story of American Socialism.

Another Jackie Johnson Record Forecast

Hey, it's nice.

Via CBS News 2 Los Angeles:

Oregon Standoff: FBI Surrounds Occupiers at the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge

At the Portland Oregonian, "Oregon standoff: FBI moves in on last refuge occupiers."

Plus, lots of activity on Twitter.

FBI Surrounds Occupiers at the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge: — Portland https://t.co/P7Q2LSeyca

— FBI Portland (@FBIPortland) February 11, 2016

Holdout occupiers at Ore. wildlife refuge argue with negotiator, yell at law enforcement: https://t.co/eqQpfDyWj4 pic.twitter.com/EacXDSxuQL

— The Associated Press (@AP) February 11, 2016

Sean Anderson said they will surrender in the morning when legislator, reverend are at checkpoint. Unclear if he is speaking for Fry, Banta.

— Les Zaitz (@LesZaitz) February 11, 2016

Expect updates...

New Hampshire Exit Polls Reveal Hillary Clinton Electoral Weaknesses

Following-up from yesterday, "The Hillary Clinton Campaign Implosion."

At the Los Angeles Times, "New Hampshire exit polls display vulnerabilities for Hillary Clinton":

Hillary Clinton's bracing 22-point defeat in New Hampshire came at the hands of voters who seemed to reject not so much her policies, but Clinton herself — making her rebound all the more complicated unless the state proves to be an outlier.

That verdict comes through clearly in the exit poll of New Hampshire’s Democratic primary voters. Just over a third of them cited honesty and trustworthiness as the most important attribute for the next president, and Clinton’s opponent, Sen. Bernie Sanders, won those voters 91% to 5%. Asked if one candidate or both shared their values, a third said only Sanders did, and he won those voters 97% to 2%.

The repudiation was across the board. Sanders won almost all categories of voters, including women. Clinton had made them a specific target, but Sanders won women's votes by 11 points.

New Hampshire is almost wholly white, more liberal and less religious than most states, which may make the defeat here a blip when the election season is concluded. But the sharp divisions evident Tuesday suggest trouble ahead for the national front-runner.

As the campaign moves into more diverse states, one big question will be whether African American and Latino voters decide by virtue of race and ethnicity or age. If minority voters form a bloc, Clinton’s strength in states like South Carolina and Nevada is assured. But if young minority voters break away from their elders to back Sanders, Clinton’s advantage would be diminished.

New Hampshire lacks enough minority voters to draw any conclusions about the impact of race and youth. But as in Iowa, young voters overall proved to be a potent army for Sanders. Among those aged 30 and under, he won more than 4-in-5 votes. The only age category that Clinton won was voters 65 and older, 55% of whom supported her.

In crafting his victory, the Vermont senator accomplished something remarkable. Most Democratic insurgent campaigns in recent elections, dating back to Sen. Gary Hart in 1984, have attracted upscale voters and not those lower on the economic ladder. Sanders reversed that as he became the first Democratic challenger to win here since Hart upset former Vice President Walter Mondale that year.

Among those making $50,000 a year or less, Sanders beat Clinton 2-1. He also defeated Clinton among voters without a college degree, by 36 points.

Those lower-income, less-educated voters formed the backbone of Clinton’s 2008 campaign, giving her advantages that kept the race going for months against then-Sen. Barack Obama, who had a coalition of black voters and upscale whites. That year, among New Hampshire voters making less than $50,000, Clinton defeated Obama 47% to 32% in a multicandidate race.

New Hampshire’s voting populace is young and extremely mobile, a circumstance that benefited Sanders. About 30% of voters were either not old enough to vote or were not residents the last time Clinton ran in a primary here. In that way, however, New Hampshire is similar to states like California, where young and new voters abound, even if many of them don’t register or vote regularly...

More.

Plus-Sized Model Ashley Graham Appears in Sports Illustrated Swimsuit 2016 (VIDEO)

At Sports Illustrated, "SI Swimsuit 2016 Rookie Reveal: Ashley Graham."

And at WWTDD, "Ashley Graham Plus One in Sports Illustrated Swimsuit."

Nicola Griffin, 56, Rocks Gold Bikini in 'Swimsuits for All' Advertisment in Sports Illustrated Swimsuit 2016

You're a young as you feel --- and as young as you look!

At USA Today, "56-year-old in gold bikini rocks ad in 'Sports Illustrated'."

Christie and Fiorina Quit GOP Presidential Race

Christie doesn't surprise me, but Fiorina said she'd stay in the race all the way to the convention. She must be strapped for cash, and after such a promising surge for a while last year.

At the New York Times, via Memeorandum, "Chris Christie Drops Out of Race After New Hampshire Flop."

And at Politico, "Carly Fiorina quits 2016 race."

TSA: The Total Security Abyss

From Michelle Malkin:

While a TSA agent pawed my hair bun this weekend, presumably on high alert for improvised explosive bobby pins, I pondered the latest news on the Somalia airplane terror attack.

Intelligence officials released video footage of airport employees in Mogadishu handing a laptop to a jihadist suspect before he boarded Daallo Airlines Airbus Flight D3159 last week. The device allegedly contained a bomb that exploded on the plane, which created a massive hole out of which the bomber was fatally sucked. Two other passengers were injured in the blast before the pilot successfully made an emergency landing.

Several airport workers have now been arrested and the FBI is in Africa assisting the investigation.

The Somalia incident is not the only suspected in-flight inside job of late. Investigators believe a ramp worker at Egypt’s Sharm el Sheikh airport was recruited by ISIS to plant a bomb on the Russian airliner that crashed last fall in the desert of the Sinai Peninsula. All 224 passengers and crew members aboard Metrojet Flight 9268 perished.

America can rest easy knowing that TSA aggressively tackled my harmless chignon like the Denver Broncos on Super Bowl Sunday.

But as the TSA carries out its multibillion-dollar charade of homeland security on babies’ bottles of breast milk, veterans’ prosthetic devices and suburban moms’ updos, who is screening the screeners?

Chilling. Man.

Keep reading.

The Finest Organic Extra Virgin Coconut Oil

A best selling food item, at Amazon, Viva Labs The Finest Organic Extra Virgin Coconut Oil, 16 Ounce.

Also, from Haribo, Gummi Candy Gold-Bears, 5-Pound Bag.

And, Shop Gourmet Foods.

Plus, Wolfgang Puck Makes It Healthy: Light, Delicious Recipes and Easy Exercises for a Better Life.

BONUS: From Craig Claiborne, The Original New York Times Cookbook.

BUMPED.

LATEST: It's Day 40 of the Malheur Occupation

It goes on.

At the Portland Oregonian, "Oregon standoff Day 40: What you need to know."

And watch, from Sunday, "Occupier takes joy ride in pickup truck with federal plates." It's the crazy loon David Fry.

Super Bowl Security Theater

Following-up from the other day, "U.S. Air Force Fighter Jets to Patrol Skies Over Super Bowl 50 in Santa Clara, California (VIDEO)."

Watch this clip from Alex Jones' InfoWars channel, heh. They're making too much sense!

Air Force Major General James Martin Jr. Fainted During Pentagon Briefing (VIDEO)

Poor guy. He was taken to the hospital, but is apparently going to be okay.

Via CNN:

'Ever since it delivered a psychological victory by giving an unexpectedly strong finish to Eugene McCarthy against incumbent President Lyndon Johnson in 1968, thereby delivering the first ballot-box expression of Americans’ angst over the Vietnam war, New Hampshire’s primary has been something of a political canary in the nation’s mine shaft...'

This is an excellent piece, from Kathy Kiely, at USA Today, "Trump, Sanders wins 30 years in the making."

Lolz: Our Culture of Wannabe Rock Stars Going Home to Mama's House, Sleeping on a Twin Bed

Watch, this great segment, with Megyn Kelly interviewing Dr. Phil.

It's pretty hilarious.

Here, "Dr. Phil: We've Created a Generation of Entitled, Narcissistic People."

Republican Presidential Campaign Heads to South Carolina, With No Clear Republican Challenge to Donald Trump

Lindsey Graham is on Fox with Bill Hemmer right now, talking about South Carolina, and calling Donald Trump "an absolute disaster for the Republican Party."

Blah, blah.

Perhaps the voters down there disagree.

And Graham's shilling for Jeb, which about makes me puke.

At the New York Times, "Race Goes to South Carolina, With No Clear Republican Threat to Trump":

COLUMBIA, S.C. — With Donald J. Trump’s decisive victory in New Hampshire and no strong runner-up among a pack of also-rans, the Republican race barreled into South Carolina on Wednesday shadowed by a question: whether any alternative candidate can gain enough support to threaten Mr. Trump’s drive to the nomination.

Gov. John Kasich of Ohio, the second-place finisher in New Hampshire with less than half the support of Mr. Trump, arrives in this more conservative Southern state where he has little staff or support. Senator Ted Cruz of Texas, resuming an effort here to enlist the Christian right, the key to his victory in Iowa, faces a playing field where evangelical voters are far less monolithic. And former Gov. Jeb Bush, buoyed by outperforming his Florida rival Senator Marco Rubio, has a chance to open more daylight — but it is unclear if it will be enough to inspire establishment-leaning Republicans to coalesce behind him.

On the Democratic side, Senator Bernie Sanders’s idealistic message, which inspired a decisive victory in New Hampshire over Hillary Clinton, faces a sharp test in South Carolina, where Democrats are more moderate and demographically diverse.

Mr. Trump is quite likely to face a kind of scrutiny here he has so far avoided: The only Republican candidate who does not favor increased military spending, he must woo a state with eight bases and 58,000 military retirees. His Vietnam War draft deferments may also be an issue.

While Mr. Trump has led in every poll in South Carolina since July, Mr. Bush has invested substantial resources here. His aides say 1,000 volunteers have knocked on doors at more than 50,000 homes. His brother, former President George W. Bush, who is expected to campaign alongside him here, appeared in an ad in South Carolina during the Super Bowl, declaring, “Jeb Bush is a leader who will keep our country safe.”

“The commander-in-chief question is going to be a big one,” said Jim Dyke, a senior adviser to Mr. Bush here. “If you look at exit polls from 2008 and 2012, in both elections about 25 percent identified as active military or had served in the military.”

Maybe Jebbie will pull out the Barbara Bush "big guns" to rally the rubes in South Carolina. You want a "disaster for the Republican Party"? Nominate Jeb for a third Bush term. It's sickening.

Donald Trump in the Driver's Seat on Way to Presidential Nomination

From Fred Barnes, at the Weekly Standard:

Donald Trump got everything he wanted in New Hampshire primary—and a whole lot more. He's not only a stronger frontrunner in the Republican race than ever; he's now in the driver's seat on the road to the presidential nomination.

Trump is dominant. Here are a few examples:

* Every Republican candidate who finished first and second in Iowa and New Hampshire has won the presidential nomination. Having done so, Trump is now in a class with Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush, Bob Dole, George W. Bush, and Mitt Romney. John McCain was a partial exception in 2000, having basically skipped Iowa and then won in New Hampshire. And it doesn't matter where the first and second place finishes occurred. Reagan was second in Iowa in 1980, then won New Hampshire. Dole won Iowa in 1996 and settled for second to Pat Buchanan in New Hampshire.

* That New Hampshire failed to force all the marginal candidates out of the race is a boon for Trump. There's still no single "establishment" candidate to oppose him. There are three, maybe four, and they're fighting each other, not Trump. This is important. If Jeb Bush is still running when the Florida primary occurs on March 15, he'll split the establishment vote with Marco Rubio. And Trump will win Florida. A similar situation will exist in Ohio if Kasich, the state's governor, hangs around. Kasich and Rubio and maybe Bush will form a circular firing squad. Should Trump win both states, the race is over.

* Trump was zinged after Iowa because his vote was less than polls had forecast. But in New Hampshire, the opposite happened. The RealClear average of New Hampshire polls pegged Trump at 29.5 percent. He got better than 34 percent of the actual vote.

* There were suspicions Trump's percentage would be significantly less than previous winners in New Hampshire. It was in some cases, mostly campaigns with fewer top tier candidates than this year. Trump slightly trailed Bush (38 percent) in 1988 and McCain in 2000 (37). But he beat Buchanan (27) in 1996. No embarrassment here.

* The Trump magic appears to be spreading to states with upcoming primaries...

Still more.

I love that Reagan comparison, second in Iowa, and first in New Hampshire. I'd be trumpeted that historical vignette.

Chris Christie Missed the Cut for GOP Debate in South Carolina Saturday (VIDEO)

Background at Politico, "Kasich, Christie and Fiorina need strong N.H. finishes to make CBS debate."

At the Newark Star-Ledger, "Christie's presidential bid is over, political pros say":

TRENTON — Gov. Chris Christie is still waiting to exhale, but Republican experts are saying the New Jersey governor is all but certain to end his presidential campaign in New Jersey sometime Wednesday.

"We're going to go home to New Jersey tomorrow and take a deep breath," Christie told supporters in Nashua, N.H., late Tuesday evening after the New Hampshire presidential primary.

The goal, Christie said, is to "see what the final results are tonight — 'cause that matters — whether we're sixth or fifth."

A sixth-place finish would mean Christie wouldn't qualify for the ninth GOP debate, scheduled for Saturday in South Carolina under criteria for admission CBS released late Tuesday. He needed to be in the top five in New Hampshire...

More.

Fiorina won't make it either. And she's gonna whine about sexist treatment by CBS. (Ben Carson won't make it either. These dum-dums need to drop out, sheesh.)

Also at Memeorandum.

The Hillary Clinton Campaign Implosion

At the New York Times, "It's Clinton Déjà Vu — New Hampshire Brings Snow and Rumors of Campaign Implosion":

Periods of intense hand-wringing and recrimination always occur in Clintonworld around the New Hampshire primaries, if history is any guide — and what is Clinton history, if not utterly repetitive?

These brawls traditionally follow difficult results in Iowa. In 1992, the native Hawkeye Tom Harkin beat Bill Clinton in the year’s first caucuses. Barack Obama beat Hillary in 2008 (as did John Edwards, who finished second). And last week, Bernie Sanders essentially tied the former secretary of state, setting up the latest Clinton bloodbath-in-waiting. Hillary is down big in the New Hampshire polls. Her nervous staff and extended community of sycophants, hangers-on and self-professed “confidantes” keep unburdening themselves in the press — while being granted anonymity in exchange for their self-aggrandizing candor.

We’ve been here before. This is how it all rolls in the Clinton precincts of Blue America. The situation is so familiar to be its own Democratic Party cliché, like nominating unelectable liberals in the 1980s or engaging in nasty platform fights in the 1990s.

Say this about the Clintons, for better or worse: They are predictable. Thrush and Karni’s New Hampshire pre-autopsy contained all the paint-by-number refrains of Clinton crackups past:

· The term “staff shake-up” would need to appear in the story’s headline (or, at least, the lede).

· Also, somewhere, the phrase “lack of trust” or “mutual suspicion.”

· The story would have to include a nod to the trusted old Clinton hands who were selflessly offering themselves up as potential campaign saviors.

· Embedded in the article would be the clear implication that all of this could have been avoided if only Mark Penn, Clinton’s 2008 strategist, were more involved.

· The story would also inevitably include at least one blind quote from a former Obama campaign aide who knows how to do things better.

· The story would have to offer up for sacrifice at least one scapegoat, whose job was allegedly in peril.

· Bonus points if said scapegoat hails from Obama’s campaigns (watch your back, Joel Benenson).

So, yes, this latest chapter in the Clintons’ book of Supposed Looming Implosions, 2016 edition, contains all the predictable elements...

More.

It is repetitive, for sure. I remember this movie from 2008. I'm still trying to get my head around the idea of a Bernie Sanders nomination, but it's not far-fetched at this point.

Also, at Politico, "How Much Trouble Is Hillary Clinton In?"

(Via Memeorandum.)

This Maggie Haberman Piece on Donald Trump's New Hampshire Win and Resurgent Campaign is Outstanding

I read it on my iPhone and tweeted. It's really good.

Backers Stayed With Donald Trump As He Regained His Bearings, via @MaggieNYT https://t.co/2heJJNljGr

— Donald Douglas (@AmPowerBlog) February 10, 2016

Another Jackie Johnson Recordbreaking Weather Forecast

It hit the 90s today, with Fullerton, at 92 degrees, the hottest spot in the U.S.

Via CBS News 2 Los Angeles:

Get the Fire Kids Edition for $79.99

At Amazon, Fire Kids Edition, 7" Display, Wi-Fi, 8 GB, Blue Kid-Proof Case.

BONUS: From Donald Trump, Crippled America: How to Make America Great Again.

Ian Kershaw's New Book, To Hell and Back

At Amazon, To Hell and Back: Europe 1914-1949.

Kershaw, a powerhouse scholar, is the author of the acclaimed two-volume biography of Adolf Hitler, Hitler: 1889-1936 Hubris, and Hitler: 1936-1945 Nemesis.

Jackie Johnson's Recordbreaking Weather Forecast

What a day!

So beautiful! The mild Santa Ana winds blew the smog offshore and you could see the mountains clear as a bell. Mt. Baldy was snow-covered.

Makes you want to lollygag around at the beach, heh.

At the Los Angeles Times, "Winter heat wave sets new records in California; hotter conditions expected Tuesday."

And here's Jackie!

Hillary Clinton Trails Bernie Sanders by 10 Points in Latest Monmouth University Poll (VIDEO)

The poll that matters is tomorrow. Hopefully, Team Clinton doesn't pull any dirty tricks.

At Monmouth, "NEW HAMPSHIRE: TRUMP, SANDERS HOLD LEADS":

Bernie Sanders currently holds a 52% to 42% lead over Hillary Clinton in New Hampshire’s Democratic primary. This is a slightly tighter contest than the 53% to 39% lead Sanders held in Monmouth’s January poll. Now that it is effectively a two person race – despite the fact that 28 names appear on Tuesday’s ballot – since Martin O’Malley dropped out of the race, the number of likely voters who do not lean toward any candidate has gone up to 6% from 2% last month.

Fully 6-in-10 (60%) likely Democratic primary voters say that they are completely decided on their candidate choice. Clinton (68%) supporters are slightly more likely than Sanders backers (60%) to say their vote is locked in. These results indicate a slight solidification over the 52% who were completely decided last month. Another 23% of Democrats have a strong preference but are still open to considering other candidates. Fewer than 1-in-5 either have only a slight preference (7%) or are really undecided (10%).

“Sanders is sitting in the driver’s seat heading into the last few days before New Hampshire voters head to the polls,” said Murray.

Sanders supporters and undecided voters were asked about the possibility of them actually voting for Clinton on Tuesday. In addition to the 42% support she already receives, another 13% of voters say they are at least somewhat likely to mark their ballots for Clinton when they go to the polls, while 35% say they are not at all likely to do so. Among Clinton supporters and undecided voters, Sanders could potentially add 15% to his current 52% support, while just 25% say they definitely would not consider voting for him on Tuesday...

Still more.

Get Kindle Paperwhite for $99.99

At Amazon, Shop Amazon - $20 off Kindle Paperwhite.

BONUS: From Mary Katharine Ham, End of Discussion: How the Left's Outrage Industry Shuts Down Debate, Manipulates Voters, and Makes America Less Free (and Fun).

How 'Neomasculinity' Blogger Roosh V Became International 'Pro-Rape' Villain

At Instapundit, "REMEMBER, SOCIAL-JUSTICE WARRIORS ARE THE ANGRY PEASANTS WITH PITCHFORKS, MASQUERADING AS THE VOICES OF MORALITY AND REASON: Elizabeth Nolan Brown: How Maryland ‘Neomasculinity’ Blogger Roosh V Became an International ‘Pro-Rape’ Villain; A case study of collective catharsis through call-out culture and moral panic as meme."

The Other McCain's been all over this story. See, "How @RooshV Trolled the World," and "When @RooshV Is Right."

Emily Ratajkowski Interview for Buick’s First-Ever Super Bowl Advertising Campaign (VIDEO)

At Yahoo, "Emily Ratajkowski Talks Super Bowl and ‘Feelin’ the Bern’."

“I’m going to be in New Hampshire next week with Bernie Sanders,” she revealed. “I’m super excited [to support him]. I haven’t met him before, but I’m looking forward to it next week. I’m totally feelin’ the Bern.”

Kristy Garett, Playboy's Last Nude Playmate, Makes Exotic Debut (VIDEO)

Watch, "Watch the Incredibly Exotic Miss February 2016 Kristy Garett Make Her Playboy Debut."

Also, at the Mirror UK, "Now THAT'S cheeky: Last naked Playboy model Kristy Garett flashes her assets in sexy shoot."

All the photos are posted at the Maxwelld Collection.

Bill Clinton Unloads on Bernie Sanders, Condemns 'Dishonest' Attacks Against Hillary (VIDEO)

Following-up from previously, "Bernie Sanders Condemns 'Bernie Bros' (VIDEO)."

Watch, at CNN, "Bill Clinton slams Bernie Sanders' supporters."

And at the New York Times, "Bill Clinton Unleashes Stinging Attack on Bernie Sanders":

MILFORD, N.H. — Bill Clinton uncorked an extended attack on Senator Bernie Sanders on Sunday, harshly criticizing Mr. Sanders and his supporters for what he described as inaccurate and “sexist” attacks on Hillary Clinton.

“When you’re making a revolution you can’t be too careful with the facts,” Mr. Clinton said, deriding Mr. Sanders’s oft-mentioned call for a political revolution.

The former president, addressing a few hundred supporters at a junior high school here, portrayed his wife’s opponent for the Democratic nomination as hypocritical, “hermetically sealed” and dishonest.

He even likened an incident last year, in which Sanders staffers obtained access to Clinton campaign voter data, to stealing a car with the keys in the ignition.

Mr. Clinton discussed the race for nearly 50 minutes, and his comments took on a harder edge the longer he spoke. What began as a testimonial to Mrs. Clinton’s leadership and a statesmanlike lecture on her approach to issues evolved into an angrier recitation of grievances against Mr. Sanders and his fervent supporters.

“ ‘Anybody that doesn’t agree with me is a tool of the establishment,’ ” Mr. Clinton said, mocking what he described as the central critique of Mrs. Clinton by Mr. Sanders.

Mr. Clinton’s comments represented an escalation in the language that he and Mrs. Clinton’s campaign have used to attack Mr. Sanders, who has maintained a sizable advantage in the polls here. Mr. Clinton made headlines in 2008 for fiercely defending his wife, and leveling tough attacks on Senator Barack Obama, but he has been largely restrained so far in this campaign.

His heated remarks here reflected the frustration the Clintons felt two days before the primary in a state that has rewarded them in the past, but that appears ready to hand Mr. Sanders a decisive victory. Mr. Clinton seemed especially irritated that New Hampshire, after lifting his 1992 bid for the Democratic nomination and handing her a comeback win in 2008, would now abandon his wife.

Still more.

The Clintons are desperate, although that's not good news for Bernie. The establishment media's in the tank for Hillary. The combined axis will attempt to destroy the Vermont democrat socialist.

Bernie Sanders Condemns 'Bernie Bros' (VIDEO)

At Politico, "Sanders rallies take a darker turn":

The Vermont senator's hardcore supporters have turned up the vitriol against Clinton.

DURHAM, N.H. — The boos are getting louder. The chants are getting more personal. The shouts from the crowd are getting more frequent.

Top Democrats supporting Hillary Clinton have noticed the disdain that some of Bernie Sanders’ most hardcore backers have toward her, and are beginning to worry about what it’s going to take to bring them into the fold in November, when they assume Clinton will be the party nominee.

Some of Clinton’s most prominent supporters and fundraisers were unsettled by chants of ‘she’s a liar’ by Sanders supporters Monday at his caucus night rally in Des Moines and the loud booing that ensued when Clinton was shown on the large screens at the front of the room – a reaction that appeared to prompt the nervous Sanders staff into turning off the televisions.

“It’s a concern, and a lot of it depends on how Hillary reacts during the [primary] contest and after the contest. She can go after Bernie, but she has to go after him respectfully and acknowledge all the time how he brought these issues to the front-burner. She’s gotta keep doing that: ‘We owe a debt of gratitude for bringing these topics to the forefront,’” said former Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell, a staunch, longtime Clinton backer. “It’s a concern, but only if we let it become a concern."

In New Hampshire — likely to be a swing state in November — Sanders’ energetic rallies have been marked by booing when he mentions Clinton, and wild cheers when he lists the issues where she is out of step with progressives. The Vermont senator’s supporters have grown so familiar with his stump speech that some respond even before he’s made his point.

On Tuesday in Claremont — near the Vermont border — Sanders started the portion of his speech that rails against the bank Goldman Sachs, but was barely able to get the name of the financial institution out of his mouth before one man yelled, “Hillary goes there!” and others around him erupted in cheers.

Clinton’s camp has taken to publicly warning the Sanders’ campaign about his legions of online backers whose social media postings have caught the eye of both campaigns as sometimes overly and inappropriately aggressive.

“It can be nasty. It can be vitriolic,” said Clinton press secretary Brian Fallon at a breakfast briefing Thursday, referring to a contingent of Sanders supporters who have been termed ‘Bernie Bros.’ “[I] think that the Sanders campaign needs to beware the extent to which, in an effort to mobilize and galvanize their supporters, they start to let the mentality or the crudeness seep into their own words and criticisms that they hurl at Secretary Clinton.”

More.

Also at BuzzFeed, "Sanders to the Bernie Bros: “We Don’t Want That Crap”."

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Plus, for your right-wing reading needs, an encore, from E.J. Dionne, Why the Right Went Wrong: Conservatism, From Goldwater to the Tea Party and Beyond.

And Matt Lewis, Too Dumb to Fail: How the GOP Betrayed the Reagan Revolution to Win Elections (and How It Can Reclaim Its Conservative Roots), and McKay Coppins, The Wilderness: Deep Inside the Republican Party's Combative, Contentious, Chaotic Quest to Take Back the White House.

BONUS: From Russell Kirk, The Conservative Mind: From Burke to Eliot.

Millennials Heed the Siren Call of Socialism

Yup.

They're sold.

From Joel Kotkin, at the O.C. Register:

The biggest story this election season is not Donald Trump or the fortunes of the two winners in Iowa, the unattractive tag team of Ted Cruz and Hillary Clinton. For all their attempts to seem current and contemporary, these candidates – and Trump as well – represent older, more established elements in American life, such as evangelicals, nativists and, in Hillary’s case, the ranks of middle-age women, seniors and public-sector unions.

The biggest and most important development has been the massive support among the new generation of voters for Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders and his open embrace of socialism. In Iowa’s Democratic caucuses, which ended with Clinton and Sanders in a virtual tie, young people opted for Sanders at an almost inconceivable rate of 84-14. In 2008, Barack Obama won this segment, claiming only a 57 percent majority.

So we are seeing the embrace of an openly socialist septuagenarian by a generation that, within a decade, will dominate our electorate and outnumber baby boomers as soon as 2020. That should put more conventional politicians, and business, on notice. Whether you are a Republican, a free-marketer or, even a Democratic-leaning crony capitalist, be afraid – be very afraid...

Well, this story hasn't escaped my notice, obviously, heh.

Like I've said a number of times, roughly half of Democrats these days identify as socialist, not just have a positive opinion of it. We're seeing a massive shift in ideological orientation, and it's much higher among Millennials.

Remember from the other day, "Reverend Franklin Graham: 'This is the most important election in my lifetime...' (VIDEO"?

We really are at a turning point. Folks always say this election's the most important on in their lifetime, but 2016 seems like the last chance to turn things around before it's too late. It won't matter if regular people vote after that. The country they've always known will be long gone.

But keep reading, if you're not too disgusted already.

Polls Show Donald Trump Holding Double-Digit Lead in New Hampshire (VIDEO)

Following-up from yesterday, "Donald Trump Moves to 22-Point Lead Over Marco Rubio in New Hampshire Tracking Poll."

Here's the last entry in the UMass Lowell New Hampshire tracking poll, "Trump-34 Rubio-13 Cruz-13 Kasich-10 Bush-10... #NHPrimary LVs..."

And watch, at CBS News This Morning:



I'm making no predictions. Too many voters are undecided up there, and I thought enthusiasm would push Trump over the line in the Hawkeye State. No can do, it turns out.

So, we'll see about New Hampshire tomorrow. We'll see.

Marco Rubio's Going to Keep Saying 'Barack Obama Knows Exactly What He's Doing...' (VIDEO)

Rubio's hammering this message, doubling- and tripling-down despite the harsh reaction he's gotten from all quarters.

Watch, at ABC News, "Marco Rubio Faces Fallout from GOP Debate."

Distracted Drivers Putting the Public's Safety at Risk (VIDEO)

Via CBS News 2 Los Angeles:

Spokeswoman Karen Finney Won't Disavow Misogynist Comments by Hillary Clinton Surrogates Albright, Steinem (VIDEO)

Watch, via Free Beacon, "Clinton Spokeswoman Won't Disavow Misogynist Remarks by Steinem, Albright."

And ICYMI, "Gloria Steinem Apologized for Comments She Made About Young Women on 'Real Time with Bill Maher' (VIDEO)."

Ammon Bundy Issues 'Call to Action' from Jail: 'Arm Yourself with Ideas...' (VIDEO)

Here's the latest, at the Portland Oregonian, "Oregon standoff Day 38: What you need to know Monday."

And watch:


Expect updates...