Robert Stacy McCain Suspended on Twitter — #FreeStacy

This kind of thing is getting old and dreary, but at least the latest episode attests to the far-reaching good will Robert Stacy McCain has earned across the web's social media and blogging landscape. Maybe we should start calling him Robert Stacy McMensch (a "mensch" is Yiddish for a person with "great honor and integrity").

Robert blogged about his imprisonment in Twitter Gulag, "The #FreeStacy Story: Why Was My @rsmccain Account Suspended?"

I'm Robert Stacy McCain. I've been a journalist since 1986. My account @rsmccain was suspended tonight. #FreeStacy #tcot @ToniMZ81

— Sex Trouble (@SexTroubleBook) February 20, 2016

Folks, R.S. McCain is tweeting at his backup book account, @SexTroubleBook. #FreeStacy @Support

— Donald Douglas (@AmPowerBlog) February 20, 2016

Also from Ed Driscoll, at Instapundit, "WELL, IT CERTAINLY LOOKS THAT WAY AT THE MOMENT: Is Twitter Silencing Conservatives?" (Legal Insurrection and Twitchy linked there.)

Also, from Da Tech Guy, "The Twitter Star Chamber Suspends Stacy McCain" (via Memeorandum)."

Still more, from Robby Suave, at Reason, "Did Twitter's Orwellian ‘Trust and Safety’ Council Get Robert Stacy McCain Banned?" (at Memeorandum).

Robert's still in Twitter Gulag. Please keep sending tweets to @Support, @Twittter, @Safety, and @Jack (Jack Dorsey, Twitter co-founder and current CEO), using the #FreeStacy hashtag.

Sometimes I think that I wouldn't still be blogging if it wasn't for Robert. He makes it fun and I'm proud to say he's a good friend.

And while you're at it, hit the tip jar at The Other McCain.

I'll have updates, of course.

Is Socialism Making a Comeback?

A great read, from Michael Tanner, at CATO.

Federal Prosecutors Push Back Against Apple

At LAT, "Feds strike back at Apple, say firm misleads in public battle over terrorist's iPhone":

In a stinging rebuke of Apple, federal prosecutors contended Friday that the company was “not above the law” and could easily help the government unlock a terrorist’s smartphone without undermining anyone else’s privacy.

“Rather than assist the effort to fully investigate a deadly terrorist attack,” government lawyers said, Apple “has responded by publicly repudiating” a court order demanding the company’s help.

The court filing portrayed the conflict as a battle between FBI agents working tirelessly to obtain key information about a terrorist plot that killed 14 people and injured 22 in San Bernardino in December and a private company wishing to protect its reputation and brand.

In a motion to compel Apple’s help, prosecutors also accused the company of making misleading statements...

More.

Lily Aldridge Uncovered for Sports Illustrated Swimsuit 2016 (VIDEO)

Watch, "Lily Aldridge Uncovered Swimsuit 2016."

Great to see Ms. Lily back for 2016. She's fabulous.

Polls Tighten on Eve of Heated South Carolina Republican Primary

It's going to be interesting.

If Donald Trump wins it'll be the beginning of a dash to the nomination. He'll have so much momentum he'll be unstoppable.

But the race is apparently tightening in the Palmetto State, so we'll see. We'll see.

At the New York Times, "Republicans Speed Across South Carolina as Race Tightens":

SPARTANBURG, S.C. — The Republican presidential candidates hurtled across South Carolina on Friday to make their final, frantic pitch one day before the state’s primary, as polls showed the race tightening here after a volatile and often nasty week of campaigning.

The vote on Saturday, a critical test of organization and strength for much of the field, comes as the candidates are closing in on Donald J. Trump, who until now has held comfortable leads in the polls here. A new NBC/Wall Street Journal/Marist poll shows Mr. Trump just five points ahead, down from his 16-point lead in the state a month ago.

The poll had Senator Ted Cruz of Texas in second with 23 percent, and Senator Marco Rubio of Florida and Jeb Bush, the former governor of Florida, vying for third and fourth place, with 15 and 13 percent, respectively. Ben Carson, a retired pediatric neurosurgeon, and Gov. John Kasich of Ohio each had 9 percent.

As the Republican field winnows, nearly all of the remaining contenders need to deliver strong performances. A big victory by Mr. Trump would give him a jolt of momentum that could add a sheen of inevitability to his candidacy heading into the crucial March 1 contests, when 12 states vote, many of them in the South...

Keep reading.

Kate Hudson's New Book, Pretty Happy

The lovely Ms. Hudson was on CBS This Morning yesterday.

Watch, "Kate Hudson on new health book, 'why not' mantra."

And check it out, at Amazon, Pretty Happy: Healthy Ways to Love Your Body.

BONUS: From the Ellen DeGeneres Show, "What's Cuter Than Kate Hudson Holding a Baby Panda? Nothing."

Caroline Wozniacki Featured in Sports Illustrated Swimsuit 2016 in Body Paint (VIDEO)

Amazing.

Via Theo Spark, "Caroline Wozniacki Bodypainting Swimsuit 2016... (VIDEO)."

Ted Cruz Overtakes Donald Trump in Latest Nationwide GOP Presidential Poll (VIDEO)

A huge deal is being made about this poll, but it's only 28 to 26 percent in favor of Ted Cruz, well within the margin of error. Besides, Quinnipiac's out with a new national survey as well, and Donald Trump's way out front, with a 2-1 lead. NBC/WSJ could be an outlier?

In any case, at NBC News, "Surprise: Trump Falls Behind Cruz in National NBC/WSJ Poll":

Republican presidential front-runner Donald Trump has fallen behind Ted Cruz in the national GOP horserace, according to a brand-new NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll.

In the poll, Cruz is the first choice of 28 percent of Republican primary voters, while Trump gets 26 percent. They're followed by Marco Rubio at 17 percent, John Kasich at 11 percent, Ben Carson at 10 percent and Jeb Bush at 4 percent.

The results from the poll — conducted after Trump's victory in New Hampshire and Saturday's GOP debate in South Carolina — are a significant reversal from last month, when Trump held a 13-point lead over Cruz, 33 percent to 20 percent.

Republican pollster Bill McInturff, who conducted this survey with Democratic pollster Peter Hart and his firm Hart Research Associates, says Trump's drop could signal being "right on top of a shift in the campaign."

"When you see a number this different, it means you might be right on top of a shift in the campaign. What you don't know yet is if the change is going to take place or if it is a momentary 'pause' before the numbers snap back into place," he said.

McInturff added, "So, one poll post-Saturday debate can only reflect there may have been a 'pause' as Republican voters take another look at Trump. This happened earlier this summer and he bounced back stronger. We will have to wait this time and see what voters decide."

This poll comes after other surveys -- both nationally and in South Carolina, the site of Saturday's next Republican contest -- show Trump with a commanding lead. But some of those weren't conducted entirely after the last debate like the NBC/WSJ poll.

Another possible explanation for Trump's decline in the new NBC/WSJ poll is an increase in "very conservative" Republican voters from January's sample...

More.

Also at Hot Air, "Whoa: WSJ/NBC national poll shows Cruz climbing past Trump to lead, 28/26: I want to believe. But I don’t."

Today Only: Save 30 Percent on Fire HD 6, 6" HD Display

At Amazon, Fire HD 6, 6" HD Display, Wi-Fi, 8 GB - Includes Special Offers, Black.

Also, Kindle Paperwhite, 6" High-Resolution Display (300 ppi) with Built-in Light, Wi-Fi - Includes Special Offers.

Plus, From Michael Gunter, Out of Nowhere: The Kurds of Syria in Peace and War.

And, from Fred Lawson, Global Security Watch-Syria (Praeger Security International).

More, from Flynt Leverett, Inheriting Syria: Bashar's Trial by Fire.

Campus Anti-Semitism Looks to Instill Hatred for Long Term

From Barbara Kay, at Toronto's National Post:

At McGill University, the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) zombie has returned.

For the third time in less than two years (and the fifth time in seven years), anti-Zionist crusaders are on the warpath. A motion calls on the Students Society of McGill University at their winter general assembly on Feb. 22 “to support any (BDS) campaigns on campus and to pressure the McGill board of governors to divest from corporations ‘complicit in the occupation of the Palestinian territories’.”

Similar motions in the Fall of 2014 and March of 2015 were, respectively, shelved indefinitely and failed on a secret ballot. Yet here the anti-Zionists are again. Clearly they hope to wear down the student body to the point of indifference or numbed acceptance.

The vehicle for this latest anti-Israel motion is the McGill BDS Action Network, which consists mainly of members of a group advocating Palestinian human rights and is endorsed by the McGill Black Students’ Network, McGill Students for Feminism, the McGill Syrian Students’ Association, the environmental activist group Divest McGill and the Union for Gender Empowerment.

No thinking person can avoid noting the irony in these names. Environment? Israel leads the world in agricultural sustainability, water conservation and arid-land research, while its neighbours pump non-renewable oil in increasing quantities. Gender rights? Israel is the only country in the entire Middle East that accords equal rights to women and gays.

And the Syrian Students Association? More people have died in the past year in Syria than have died in the entire Arab-Israeli conflict in the last 65 years, and for reasons that have nothing to do with Israel. Why does the Syrian Students Association not direct its activist energies in support of their ethnic brethren, or the Christians and Yazidis who will never be able to return to their ancestral homes? Welcome to the topsy-turvy world of Western progressivism, where hatred of Israel is so fierce it can derail activists from attending to the causes they allegedly represent...

Keep reading.

Unhinged, Anti-American Salon: 'The Pledge of Allegiance Must Go...'

Not linking to the Salon piece, although you can click through at Memeorandum, "The pledge of allegiance must go: A daily loyalty oath has become a toxic, nationalistic ritual."

You can also read excerpts at Truth Revolt, "Salon: 'Toxic, Nationalistic' Pledge of Allegiance 'Must Go'."

It's a classic anti-American screed from the godless, anti-American left.

No one thinks America's perfect, but if you refuse to pledge allegiance to your own country, then you're not really an American. Your loyalties lie elsewhere, with the global movement to destroy the American project, with the left, with international communism, and with global jihad.

It's pretty straight up.

More at Memeorandum.

And on Twitter:

I'm "dangerously close to radical" for arguing US kids be treated like kids in other democracies, not indoctrinated. https://t.co/ONJ8KcoOKt

— David Niose (@ahadave) February 17, 2016

The Rebel Journalists Banned from Covering Events at Alberta Legislature by NDP Premier Rachel Notley (VIDEO)

Read all about it, at Notley is a Bully.

And here's Faith Goldy:

Jan Crawford Reports on the Battle Over Antonin Scalia's Seat (VIDEO)

This is good. The segment features footage of President Obama pushing for the filibuster against President Bush's nominees back in 2007, when Obama represented Illinois in the Senate.

At CBS News This Morning:

Antonin Scalia Fueled the Movement to Reestablish Constitutional Originalism

From David B. Rivkin Jr. and Lee A. Casey, at the Los Angeles Times, "Justice Scalia kept constitutional originalism in the conversation — no small legacy":

"I'm Scalia.” That's how Justice Antonin Scalia began to question a nervous lawyer, who was mixing up the names of the nine Supreme Court justices during oral arguments on the controversial 2000 case Bush vs. Gore. His introduction should have been unnecessary, because if any justice dominated the contemporary Supreme Court stage, it was Scalia.

By turns combative, argumentative and thoughtful, Scalia was a stout conservative who transformed American jurisprudence in 34 years on the bench. He was also charming, witty and cordial, able to maintain a close friendship with Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, perhaps his leading intellectual rival on the Supreme Court's left wing.

Appointed to the federal appeals court in Washington, D.C., by President Reagan in 1982, Scalia was elevated by Reagan to the Supreme Court in 1986. Scalia was, first and foremost, an “Originalist” — the title of a popular play about the justice that premiered last year in the capital. Scalia was not the first to argue that the Constitution must be applied based on the original meaning of its words — that is, the general, public meaning those words had when that document was drafted, rather than any assumed or secret intent of its framers. He did, however, supply much of the intellectual power behind the movement to reestablish the primacy of the Constitution's actual text in judging.

With Scalia on the bench, academics, lawyers and jurists left, right and center were forced to confront originalist theory, which many had previously dismissed as hopelessly simplistic...

Keep reading.

Today's Jackie Johnson Forecast

I didn't blog last night, but it's never too late for Jackie.

Beach weather.

Via CBS News 2 Los Angeles:

Grandmaster Maurice Ashley Plays Trash-Talking New York Hustler (VIDEO)

This is pretty good.

Watch, at GQ, "New York Chess Hustler Talks a Lot of Trash, Doesn't Realize His Opponent Is a Grandmaster."

Deal of the Day: Save 40 Percent or More on Work and Safety Boots and Shoes

At Amazon, Work and Safety Boots and Shoes.

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

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

BONUS: From Michael Burleigh, The Third Reich: A New History.

Bernie Sanders Has Momentum in Nevada (VIDEO)

I think I'll roll over laughing if Sanders wins the Nevada caucuses.

At CNN, via Memeorandum, "Poll: Clinton, Sanders in a dead heat for Nevada":

Washington (CNN) Likely Democratic caucusgoers in Nevada are split almost evenly between Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders ahead of Saturday's caucuses, according to a new CNN/ORC Poll. — Though Clinton holds an edge over Sanders

And at KTNV News 13 Las Vegas:

Robert Service's New Book

At Amazon, The End of the Cold War: 1985-1991.

Oregon State Police Get Death Threats in LaVoy Finicum Shooting (VIDEO)

Death threats have come in from around the country. Unambiguous death threats.

At KOIN 6 News Portland:

'Feminists are women who do not like men...'

From Robert Stacy McCain, "Pro Tip: Don’t Be a ‘Feminist Man’."

"Feminist man" is an oxymoron. Those two things just do not go together.

Pro Tip: Don't Be a 'Feminist Manhttps://t.co/pBoRWe2NPe@DateOffCampus @Instapundit @AVoiceforMen @NoraSamaran pic.twitter.com/HlpEz4yHpS

— Robert Stacy McCain (@rsmccain) February 16, 2016

"Feminists are women who do not like men ..." https://t.co/pBoRWe2NPe
cc @deanesmay @voxday @nero @AmPowerBlog pic.twitter.com/414tspTBhd

— Robert Stacy McCain (@rsmccain) February 16, 2016

Socialism vs. Communism (VIDEO)

Deirdre Bolton talks to Stephen Moore about Bernie Sanders, Hillary Clinton, and the Democrats -- on Fox Business Channel.

It's not a rigorous discussion by any means, although humorous.

Frankly, the Democrats are now a Marxist ideological party. You can't talk about socialism vs. communism without talking about Marx. If leftists could nationalize the American economy they would, but the correlation of ideological forces isn't quite there yet in this country. Close, but not quite yet. Leftists, if anything, are patient revolutionaries.

Michele Fiore Speaks to Crowd Outside Federal Courthouse in Portland on February 12, 2016 (VIDEO)

Following-up from the other day, "Michele Fiore, Unlikely Mediator in #Malheur Militia Standoff in Oregon."

Via the Portland Oregonian:



Also, "Michele Fiore takes questions after courthouse speech."

Still more, "'In my opinion Mr. Finicum was murdered,' says Nevada Assemblyman John Moore."

Why Are Men So Easily Turned On Sexually by a Woman's Legs (VIDEO)

Here's Dennis Prager, who goes almost a full 5 minutes talking about the sexual power of the visual without mention the male hormone, testosterone, heh.

That's the key ingredient creating very different sexual stimuli between men and women.

At Prager University:

Review of the 58th Annual Grammy Awards

Interesting.

At the New York Times, "At the Grammys, Big Voices, Pretty Faces and Bitter Truths":

It was a big night for Taylor Swift and Kendrick Lamar at the Grammys https://t.co/QTHHywynkU pic.twitter.com/HqBxBIOLHM

— The New York Times (@nytimes) February 16, 2016

Taylor Swift's speech "will go down as one of the essential kiss-off moments in Grammy history" https://t.co/mfKJE0NwBd

— The New York Times (@nytimes) February 16, 2016

The Grammys is an awards show that has all but eliminated giving awards https://t.co/ZINqd3wGi4

— The New York Times (@nytimes) February 16, 2016

The show was also atoning for the 2014 snub of Kendrick Lamar, who lost best rap album to Macklemore and Ryan Lewis at the time. Mr. Lamar’s 2015 album “To Pimp a Butterfly” swept this year’s hip-hop categories, and he gave the show’s central performance — although “To Pimp a Butterfly” lost to Taylor Swift’s “1989” as album of the year. (Ms. Swift and Mr. Lamar also shared a Grammy this year for the video of her single that features him, “Bad Blood.”)

Mr. Lamar’s live segment drew on “The Blacker the Berry” and “Alright” from “To Pimp a Butterfly,” with Mr. Lamar sidestepping their profanities; it also mentioned Feb. 26, 2012, the date Trayvon Martin was killed. The performance was a vehement, multilevel blast against “modern day slavery” that’s bound for extensive Internet exegesis. It was staged with prisoners breaking chains and African-style drummers and dancers against a bonfire backdrop, ending with the name of Mr. Lamar’s hometown, Compton, superimposed on a silhouette of Africa.

The other flagship Grammys performance was Lady Gaga’s tribute to David Bowie. Orange-haired and seemingly changing a costume a minute, splashed with video effects, Lady Gaga raced through snippets of Mr. Bowie’s hits, mixed a vocal impression of him with her own delivery and hit her marks with dance moves that echoed some of Mr. Bowie’s. She got close to guitarist Nile Rodgers, the co-producer of “Let’s Dance,” who was prominent in the backup band...

More.

Transgender Rights Protesters in Olympia, Washington (VIDEO)

Via Ruptly:

Protesters supporting the Washington State Human Rights Commission's SB 6443 decision that allows the use of restrooms and locker rooms regardless of gender identity were confronted by a counter demonstration opposing the rule in Olympia, Monday. Both protests were held in front of the State Capitol building in the Washington State capital.

PREVIOUSLY: "Poway School Parents Want Unisex Restroom for Transgender Teenager."

Teenager Dies While Trying to Escape from Robbery (VIDEO)

What a shame.

At ABC News 10 San Diego:

The teen crashed and hit his head on trolley tracks.

Millennials Unsettle Presidential Race

Seen on Twitter, "Millennial Wave Unsettles Presidential Race."

WSJ's tightened its paywall, and lately I haven't been able to click through on Google. And that means I might have to pay to read their stuff, heh.

In any case, you can get the gist of things with a couple of tweets.

Millennial Wave Unsettles Presidential Race - WSJ https://t.co/VqIzvRA65e pic.twitter.com/eRoALfXbeM

— Peter Hamby (@PeterHamby) February 16, 2016

About half of millennials—31% of eligible voters—don’t identify with either party. https://t.co/Wt9D7rbyI8 pic.twitter.com/p56lTUc63q

— Gerard Baker (@gerardtbaker) February 16, 2016

Bernie Sanders Campaign Rally at Bonanza High School, Las Vegas, Nevada (VIDEO)

Bernie was fired up, heh.

Via KTNV News 13 Las Vegas:

Las Vegas, NV (KTNV) - Six days before the Nevada caucus, Sen. Bernie Sanders spoke in Las Vegas Sunday.

The Democratic presidential candidate hosted a rally at Bonanza High School.

Sanders talked about a wide range of topics, including immigration reform, college tuition, minimum wage and health care.

"When mom is out working and dad is out working and the kids are out working, wages in America are too damn low," he said.


Sanders called for raising the minimum wage to $15 an hour.

During his speech, the senator projected confidence, remembering how Hillary Clinton was once the overwhelming favorite in the race...

Bikini Model Hailey Clauson Uncovered for Sports Illustrated Swimsuit 2016 (VIDEO)

She's lovely.

Watch, "Get Uncovered With SI Swimsuit Cover Model Hailey Clauson."

Some Economists See Huge Costs in Bernie Sanders' Agenda

Following-up from last September, "Bernie Sanders' Socialist Agenda Would Expand Government to the Tune of $18 Trillion (VIDEO)."

At the New York Times, "Left-Leaning Economists Question Cost of Bernie Sanders's Plans":

WASHINGTON — With his expansive plans to increase the size and role of government, Senator Bernie Sanders has provoked a debate not only with his Democratic rival for president, Hillary Clinton, but also with liberal-leaning economists who share his goals but question his numbers and political realism.

The reviews of some of these economists, especially on Mr. Sanders’s health care plans, suggest that Mrs. Clinton could have been too conservative in their debate last week when she said that his agenda in total would increase the size of the federal government by 40 percent. That level would surpass any government expansion since the buildup in World War II.

The increase could exceed 50 percent, some experts suggest, based on an analysis by a respected health economist that Mr. Sanders’s single-payer health plan could cost twice what the senator, who represents Vermont, asserts, and on critics’ belief that his economic assumptions are overly optimistic.

His campaign strongly contests both critiques, defending its numbers and attacking prominent critics as Clinton sympathizers and industry consultants.

Mr. Sanders, on “Fox News Sunday,” reiterated his oft-stated claim that progressive critics dispute: “A family right in the middle of the economy would pay $500 more in taxes and get a reduction in their health costs of $5,000.”

But by the reckoning of the left-of-center economists, none of whom are working for Mrs. Clinton, the new spending would add $2 trillion to $3 trillion a year on average to federal spending; by comparison, total federal spending is projected to be above $4 trillion in the next president’s first year.

“The numbers don’t remotely add up,” said Austan Goolsbee, formerly chairman of President Obama’s Council of Economic Advisers, now at the University of Chicago...

Radical leftists, at Daily Kos and elsewhere, smeared the Wall Street Journal when it came out with its $18 trillion estimate of Sanders' policies in September, but $2 trillion over 10 years would add $20 trillion to the national debt if nothing else changes in Washington's budgeting.

I get a kick out of listening to the old Jewish "democratic" socialist, but America can't afford his agenda.

Keep reading, in any case.

Former President George W. Bush and Former First Lady Laura Bush Arrive in South Carolina (VIDEO)

Wouldn't that be a wonderful treat, meeting them?

Via AP:

Donald Trump Goes Ballistic on Ted Cruz in South Carolina (VIDEO)

Donald Trump just finished up a lengthy press conference, and it was vintage Trump.

He attacked Ted Cruz as a "basket case" and called him the "most dishonest person."

There's brief video at the link, and I'll update with longer segments later.

That once-hyped Trump-Cruz bromance has been nuked, heh.

At CNN, "Trump: Cruz is the most 'dishonest' politician, says Iowa win should be reversed":

Washington (CNN) Donald Trump continued lighting into Ted Cruz Monday, calling him the most "dishonest person I've ever met in politics" and saying the Texas senator's win in Iowa should be disqualified.

"I've been in a business where you know, it's pretty sharp. You meet sharp people, I don't mean sharp like sharp, although they're that also. But you meet people that really go to the edge," Trump told a small crowd in Mount Pleasant, South Carolina. "I've never met people like politicians, they are the most dishonest people I've ever met ... I think Jeb (Bush) is just Jeb. But this guy Ted Cruz is the most dishonest person I've ever met in politics."

He then complained that Cruz effectively stole the Iowa caucuses from him by having staff tell Ben Carson supporters that the retired neurosurgeon was dropping out of the race -- which was not true.

"He apologized to Carson after the event, he should have apologized to me," Trump said. "If Iowa had any guts, the people from the Republican Party, they should disqualify him from winning Iowa. I really mean it. Because what he did was a fraud."

Trump has repeatedly called Cruz a "liar" in recent weeks, but he amped up that message Monday, with just five days left before the South Carolina primary...

More.

Bernie Sanders Supporters Outraged Over Deficit in Superdelegates

Democrat Party superdelegates were designed to stop someone like Bernie Sanders. If the voters veer too far to the left during the primaries, making the likely nominee unelectable in the general, the superdelegates are supposed to come in at the convention and right the ship, throwing their votes behind the more moderate candidate.

There were threats in 2008 that the supers were going to back Hillary Over Barack Hussein, but nothing came of it.

If the DNC pushes these absurd superdelegate counts favoring Hillary all the way to the convention, the party's going to be even more screwed than it already is.

At Politco, "Sanders supporters revolt against superdelegates":

Outraged by the delegate deficit Sanders faces even after his New Hampshire win, the senator's backers are taking action.

Bernie Sanders lost by a hair in Iowa and won by a landslide in New Hampshire. Yet Hillary Clinton has amassed an enormous 350-delegate advantage over the Vermont senator after just two states.

Outraged by that disconnect – which is fueled by Clinton’s huge advantage with Democratic superdelegates, who are not bound by voting results – Sanders supporters are fighting back.

Pro-Sanders threads on Reddit have been burning up with calls for action, with some supporters even reaching out to superdelegates (who are typically Democratic governors, members of Congress, and top state and national party leaders) to lobby them on the Vermont senator’s behalf. Progressive groups are also taking a stand: There are currently two petition campaigns designed to urge superdelegates to reflect the popular vote, rather than the sentiment of party elites.

In one of them, MoveOn.org activists are targeting undecided and committed Hillary Clinton superdelegates with a clear message: wait until all the votes are counted before throwing support behind a candidate.

The effort, which will begin this week after MoveOn.org polls its supporters to pick which superdelegates to petition first, comes amid growing criticism from Sanders supporters who complain that the game is rigged in the former secretary of state's favor.

As of Sunday, the petition had 112,107 signatures with a goal of 125,000 signatures.

Super-Ds aren't going to fly in the age of social media. The Dems are going to get creamed by the very constituencies that hate Hillary.

Big mistake. They're making a big mistake.

Deal of the Day: Teeter Inversion Table

At Amazon, Teeter EP-560 Ltd. Inversion Table with Bonus Accessories.

Also, Jawbone UP3 Activity Trackers.

And, PNY Memory Products.

BONUS: From James McPherson, The Illustrated Battle Cry of Freedom: The Civil War Era.

Lincoln's Birthday

Abraham Lincoln's birthday was February 12, 1809. Today would be his holiday. George Washington's birthday was February 22, 1732. Next Monday would be his holiday, but the feds consolidated them in 1971.

Allen Guelzo's has a major biograpy of Lincoln,  Abraham Lincoln: Redeemer President. Also, from David Herbert Donald, Lincoln.

And from Carl Sandburg, Abraham Lincoln: The Prairie Years and The War Years.

Chris Erskine Runs the L.A. Marathon

A very, very lighthearted column on running --- and completing --- the Los Angeles Marathon.

Erskine ran it in 6 hours flat.

At LAT:

Chris Erskine on the L.A. Marathon: there's no thrill of victory, only the agony of the feet https://t.co/sNE9NuAB64 pic.twitter.com/ld6n22Q7QU

— Los Angeles Times (@latimes) February 15, 2016

Could Obama Make a Recess Appointment to Replace Scalia?

"The answer appears to be yes," argues Elizabeth Price Foley, at Instapundit.

This whole episode surrounding Scalia's death proves the country's gone bat-nutz crazy.

Still trending at Memeorandum.

Donald Trump 'Rips Open' Republican Wounds, as Rivals Say He's Declared 'War' on the Party

What a bunch of crybabies.

At the Washington Post, "Debate rips open GOP wounds, and party risks tearing itself apart":

GREENVILLE, S.C. — In an election that Republicans have long seen as a chance to put forward new stars with a fresh and broadly appealing conservative vision, the GOP is instead at risk of tearing itself apart over its past as it heads into the thick of the primary season.

A day after a debate marked by a series of personal, petty exchanges — and a day before former president George W. Bush was set to make a high-profile return to the national scene — Republicans were grappling with their core beliefs on a host of issues, as well as the image they were broadcasting to the country.

The infighting was ignited at the debate Saturday night by front-runner Donald Trump, who was unrelenting in his criticism of both how well the 43rd president kept America safe before and after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks and of the hawkish Republican worldview in general.

The foreign policy fracas is only the latest row among 2016 candidates over many of the basic tenets that have guided Republican and conservative thinking since the Reagan years, from free trade to the extent to which the federal government should be involved in providing health care for its poorest citizens.

Trump reiterated threats to use tariffs on imported goods to punish corporations that leave the United States, while Ohio Gov. John Kasich defended his decision to accept an expansion of Medicaid in his state as a humane step in line with conservative goals.

The increasingly harsh discussions of these and other issues amount to an existential crisis within the Republican Party and reflect the growing influence of non-ideological, populist voters who have flocked in particular to Trump’s nationalist “Make America Great Again” message...

"Existential" is a strong word. Call me skeptical. "Rejuvenating" is more appropriate, and not a moment too soon.

Keep reading, in any case.

Chaos and Confusion Surround Death of Justice Antonin Scalia

Professor Carol Swain is not pleased --- indeed, burdened --- with the fact that no autopsy was performed on Justice Scalia. It took hours for a justice of the peace to arrive, and another report alleges that he was found with a pillow over his head.

At the Washington Post, "The death of Antonin Scalia: Chaos, confusion and conflicting reports":

MARFA, Tex. — In the cloistered chambers of the Supreme Court, Justice Antonin Scalia’s days were highly regulated and predictable. He met with clerks, wrote opinions and appeared for arguments in the august courtroom on a schedule set months in advance.

Yet as details of Scalia’s sudden death trickled in Sunday, it appeared that the hours afterward were anything but orderly. The man known for his elegant legal opinions and profound intellect was found dead in his room at a hunting resort by the resort’s owner, who grew worried when Scalia didn’t appear at breakfast Saturday morning.

It then took hours for authorities in remote West Texas to find a justice of the peace, officials said Sunday. When they did, Presidio County Judge Cinderela Guevara pronounced Scalia dead of natural causes without seeing the body — which is permissible under Texas law — and without ordering an autopsy.

As official Washington tried to process what his demise means for politics and the law, some details of Scalia’s final hours remained opaque. As late as Sunday afternoon, for example, there were conflicting reports about whether an autopsy should have been performed. A manager at the El Paso funeral home where Scalia’s body was taken said that his family made it clear they did not want one.

One of two other officials who were called but couldn’t get to Scalia’s body in time said that she would have made a different decision on the autopsy.

“If it had been me . . . I would want to know,” Juanita Bishop, a justice of the peace in Presidio, Tex., said in an interview Sunday of the chaotic hours after Scalia’s death at the Cibolo Creek Ranch, a luxury compound less than an hour from the Mexican border and about 40 miles south of Marfa.

Meanwhile, Guevara acknowledged that she pronounced Scalia dead by phone, without seeing his body. Instead, she spoke to law enforcement officials at the scene — who assured her “there were no signs of foul play” — and Scalia’s physician in Washington, who said that the 79-year-old justice suffered from a host of chronic conditions...

More.

Followers Flock to Hear Pope Francis Warn Against 'Dialogue with the Devil'

Shoot, I would've flocked to listen to that, heh.

At the Los Angeles Times, "More than 1 million flock to hear Pope Francis warn against 'dialogue with the devil'":

Pope Francis Sunday traveled to one of Mexico’s most dangerous and impoverished cities to tell the faithful that they must not negotiate with “the devil” and that embracing God will protect against the divided, conflictive societies that imperil the world.

He also paid recognition to Christians slain for their faith, “martyrs,” from centuries ago and from today—an allusion to the persecution of Christians in the Middle East and Africa, one of Francis’ great preoccupations.

More than a million people are believed to have attended the pope’s Mass, inside the venue and outdoors, in this scruffy suburb of the Mexican capital, braving cold temperatures in the morning to fan out over a wide area of the city, across block after block, to receive the first pope from the Americas.

“You cannot dialogue with the devil,” the pope said in his homily, departing, as he often does, from his prepared text. “He will always win.”

Instead, the pope said, people should embrace the spirit of fraternity to avoid forces that “try to separate us, making a divided and fractious family, a divided and fractious society. A society of the few for the few.”

More.

Ashley Graham Posts Her Sports Illustrated Photos to Instagram

Following-up from earlier, "Ronda Rousey, Ashley Graham, and Hailey Clauson Score Unique Covers for Sports Illustrated Swimsuit 2016," and "WATCH: Ronda Rousey, Ashley Graham, Hailey Clauson Revealed for SI Swimsuit 2016 Cover (VIDEO)."

She tweeted her Instagram post, "Truly speechless!!! This cover is for every woman who felt like she wasn't beautiful enough…"

Also, at Sports Illustrated on Twitter, "Get to know #SISwim 2016 cover model @theashleygraham!"

Donald Trump Clears Up His Comments About George W. Bush and 9/11 (VIDEO)

Like I said, I'll be surprised if Trump's comments on 9/11 make any difference at this point. No one's relitigating the Iraq war. Well, Bernie Sanders is, since his vote against the war is his sole foreign policy credential. But most GOP voters are worried about jobs and the economy, immigration, to say nothing of current problems in the Middle, not whether Bush 43 cooked the books.

Here's Trump with John Dickerson on this morning's Face the Nation. It's good, vintage Trump:

Kristen Keogh's Valentine's Day Forecast

Via ABC News 10 San Diego:

Deal of the Day: STIGA Table Tennis

Save 37 percent, at Amazon, STIGA Triumph Table Tennis Table.

Plus, more savings, T-fal A80789 Specialty Nonstick Dishwasher Safe Oven Safe PFOA-Free Jumbo Wok Cookware, 14-Inch, Black, and T-fal A91082 Specialty Nonstick Dishwasher Safe Oven Safe Jumbo Cooker Saute Pan with Glass Lid, 5-Quart, Black.

Lots more, T-fal Kitchen Items.

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

EXTRA: From Richard Ben Cramer, What It Takes: The Way to the White House.

AoSHQ: Why Trump Damaged Himself Tonight

Here's Ace with the analysis, "The Ego Has Landed: Why Trump Damaged Himself Tonight":

The "ego" in the headline doesn't actually refer to Trump's ego, for once. Rather, it refers to the voters' egos.

I think Trump hurt himself badly tonight, enough to knock him out of his first-place standing in most states. Oh he won't completely disappear -- but 2nd Place Trump is not the same thing as Frontrunner Trump.

Trump damaged himself with his claim that Bush lied us into war in Iraq. Not botched the intelligence, not read too much into thin intelligence.

Most Republicans, I think, would agree that that.

No, Trump claimed that Bush deliberately lied us into war.

First, this is alarming because it once again demonstrates that Trump has a conspiratorial mind. It's not enough for the conspiracist to say someone was wrong -- no, they have unrealistically black/white minds, and if you made a bad call, you must have lied.

That conspiracism was always present in his claims about Obama's birth certificate. But that bit of fantasy was about Obama, someone the average Republican voter isn't exactly eager to man the battlements for.

This corker -- this Al Gore roar of quote -- is about George W. Bush, someone still looked upon with affection by most of the party.

Which brings us to the second problem.

If Donald Trump is right, and George W. Bush deliberately schemed with his neo-con advisers to "lie" us into a phony war with Iraq, what does that say about the average Republican voter who supported Bush from 1999, voted for him, defended him through the recount, cried with him on 9/11, agreed with him on Iraq, defended him from ceaseless liberal attacks on him during the war, defended him from Obama's never-expiring "Blame Bush" blame-shifting, etc.?

If Trump is right, then we're not just wrong to have supported him. If Trump's right, we're goddamned rubes and fools to have defended this Actual Hitler-Level Monster for going on 17 years now...

Well, like I said earlier, Trump's comments didn't go over very well with me, although I doubt they're going to have much of an impact on his support. Frankly, who's to say voters are interested in relitigating the Iraq war? I just don't see it. There's so many more current issues facing the electorate, things to which Trump's campaign has nailed down perfectly.

Donald Trump Towers 22-Points Ahead of Ted Cruz in New South Carolina GOP Poll (VIDEO)

The poll was conducted before last night's debate, and with the huge military presence in the Palmetto State, Trump's number's could take a dive. But considering all that's happened so far in this campaign, I doubt it.

At CBS News, "Poll: South Carolina still solidly for Donald Trump, Hillary Clinton." (Via Memeorandum.)

And watch, at Face the Nation, "Trump, Clinton lead in latest CBS News poll of South CarolinaFace the Nation on CBS."

How Conservative is Donald Trump?

Here's the panel on "Face the Nation" this morning:

Sunday Cartoons

Flopping Aces', "Sunday Funnies," isn't posted yet. (Here's last week's.)

But see Reaganite Republican, "Reaganite's SUNDAY FUNNIES," and Theo Spark, "Cartoon Roundup..."



Cartoon Credit: Legal Insurrection, "Branco Cartoon – Street Talker."

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

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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."