Some Democrats Starting to Get Queasy About Hillary Clinton

I am loving this campaign, heh. Loving it!

At Politico, "Hillary Clinton's primary quagmire":

Hours before the West Virginia polls closed Tuesday, Hillary Clinton’s top fundraisers got a memo from campaign manager Robby Mook. The message: Even if Bernie runs the table in the remaining states, he still can’t win.

It’s a well-known point by now, but it’s still one Mook needed to make as Clinton sputters toward the finish line, loaded down with the baggage of recent losses in Indiana and West Virginia and the prospect of a few more losses still to come.

This wasn’t the way the Democratic primary was supposed to end. Clinton may have turned her focus to presumptive GOP nominee Donald Trump, but at the same time her campaign is forced to continue fighting a rear-guard action against Bernie Sanders, who shows no sign of surrender.

After going dark on television for several weeks, the former secretary of state is suddenly investing in television advertisements in Kentucky — a state that should have been in her wheelhouse. Deep into the primary schedule, Clinton is forced to reckon with almost weekly results highlighting her relative weaknesses with white men and young voters, and she’s only gradually been able to increase her swing state travel. All the while, Trump sharpens his day-to-day critiques of her.

Some Democrats are now growing uneasy over a rocky finish that has Clinton spending resources and political capital so late in the process.

“The defeat in Indiana I was just horrified at, frankly,” said former Democratic National Committee chairman Don Fowler, a Clinton backer, echoing others who say that for the moment it’s more of an annoyance than a deep concern about the candidate. “The longer Bernie stays in, and the longer he is not mathematically out of the process, the weaker we’re going to seem to be."

Clinton is still on track to pass the threshold to clinch the nomination at some point in June using a combination of pledged delegates and superdelegates, and her lead among pledged delegates remains above 275. That makes it extremely difficult for Sanders to catch up to her unless he can win over a large number of the party elites who vote regardless of their state’s decision. Yet the Clinton campaign, cognizant of the need to show respect to Sanders’ legion of devoted supporters, is unable to initiate the call to unite behind her candidacy...

More.

Interview with Kim R. Holmes (VIDEO)

Following-up from yesterday, "Should Be at Top of the Bestseller Lists: Kim R. Holmes, The Closing of the Liberal Mind."

Holmes discusses his book, The Closing of the Liberal Mind: How Groupthink and Intolerance Define the Left.

Here Are Four Things #NeverTrump Doesn't Get

I love this essay, from Anthony Scaramucci, at WSJ, "The Entrepreneur’s Case for Trump":

Principled conservatives fail to understand the benefit of putting a right-leaning entrepreneur in the White House: https://t.co/sSFVN48o9O

— Anthony Scaramucci (@Scaramucci) May 16, 2016

Here are four things that the movement from the right to stop Donald Trump is missing:

• He has empathy. Mr. Trump is both a beneficiary and victim of the soundbite generation. He has leveraged social media to run a thrifty campaign, but critics have also latched onto one-liners rather than examine the whole of his record. You couldn’t find one person who knows Donald Trump who thinks he’s a racist. While his stance on immigration has often been expressed in brutish terms, the substance of his message—securing America’s borders and pausing the Syrian refugee program—is not crazy. Mr. Trump’s empathy, when voters see it properly expressed, will lead to victory in November and to policies fortified by longstanding conservative values.

• He is a pragmatic entrepreneur. What elitists misinterpret as uneven principles, entrepreneurs understand as adaptability. Whether you like or dislike Mr. Trump personally, you have to respect the business empire and brand he has built. He has always demonstrated an ability to take punches and get up off the mat while others without his fortitude and ingenuity would have crumbled. Most of his critics have never dared to step into the entrepreneurial arena where there exists the potential of embarrassing defeat. Mr. Trump would be the greatest pragmatist and deal maker Washington has ever seen.

• He is a team builder. I have spent several hours over the past few weeks with Mr. Trump, and I came away with the feeling he has the analytical depth to excel at the job of the presidency. Mr. Trump has put his ego aside to reinforce Corey Lewandowski’s formidable campaign team with a talented group of people: Gov. Chris Christie, Sen. Scott Brown, Paul Manafort, Rick Wiley and Steven Mnuchin, to name a few. Mr. Trump has shown a willingness to welcome Republican establishment figures into his coalition. The establishment should be constructive in return. If he were elected president, like any smart entrepreneur Mr. Trump would continue to surround himself with brilliant people.

• He can win. Pundits cherry-pick polls to suit their narrative, but the reality is that Mr. Trump is already in a good position even before turning his full attention to Hillary Clinton. Skeptics point to a recent CNN poll showing her with a double-digit lead, but a Rasmussen poll showing Mr. Trump leading by two points gets less attention. The electoral map is ultimately all that matters, and a Quinnipiac University poll released May 10 showed the two candidates basically in a dead heat in three crucial swing states. All of the momentum in the general election will swing to Mr. Trump, but establishment Republicans had better realize abstention would in effect be a vote to put Hillary Clinton in the White House...

RTWT.

Denise Schaefer Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Casting Call 2017 (VIDEO)

Nice.

3 Dumb Ideas Progressives Have About Donald Trump (VIDEO)

It's Van Jones, heh.

He's just about the only leftist I've heard who's not in denial about the threat from the Notorious DJT.

Watch, on Facebook, "The only thing that can offset a "strongman" is a strong movement. WE CAN work together to make sure a Donald Trump White House is never a reality — Van Jones."

Here're the myths leftists need to reject:

Trump will self-destruct.
He’s bad on policy, so he will lose.
Demographics will save us.

Heh.

I love it.

Jackie Johnson's More Morning Clouds Forecast

Via CBS News 2 Los Angeles:

Julianna Goldman Reports on #NeverTrump Republicans' Push for Independent Challenger to Donald Trump (VIDEO)

Basically, it's mostly a bunch of BS.

Via CBS This Morning:

Should Be at Top of the Bestseller Lists: Kim R. Holmes, The Closing of the Liberal Mind

I'm still plugging this book.

It's great!

At Amazon, The Closing of the Liberal Mind.

Deal of the Day: Intex Metal Frame Pool Set

Almost summertime!

At Amazon, Intex 12ft X 30in Metal Frame Pool Set.

Also, Up to 50% Off Timberland Men's Shoes.

And, Eneloop Rechargeable Battery Set With a Charger.

More, from Katie Pavlich, Assault and Flattery: The Truth About the Left and Their War on Women.

Plus, from Mark Landler, Alter Egos: Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama, and the Twilight Struggle Over American Power.

Peter Schweizer, Clinton Cash: The Untold Story of How and Why Foreign Governments and Businesses Helped Make Bill and Hillary Rich.

BONUS: Stanley A. Renshon, High Hopes: The Clinton Presidency and the Politics of Ambition.

Daryl Hall Tells SJWs to 'Shut the F*ck Up' (VIDEO)

I can't go for that, heh.

At Heat Street, "Daryl Hall to SJW Nutjobs: You’re ‘Out of Touch’ on Cultural Appropriaton."

Among White Men, Donald Trump Leads Hillary Clinton by Over 30 Points in Battleground States

Heh.

This is going to be great!

At Brookings:

In swing states, Donald Trump leads Hillary Clinton by over 30 points among white men: https://t.co/DZ5kPUaqkj pic.twitter.com/snY3YYcqaq

— Brookings (@BrookingsInst) May 16, 2016

B-25 Bomber Refurbished and Air-Worthy Again (VIDEO)

This great!

Can you believe it, but this is the only B-25 remaining today.

At CBS News 2 Los Angeles:

Merciless: Little Is Off Limits as Donald Trump Plans Attacks on Hillary Clinton

This is going to be the freakin' best campaign ever. The Democrats are wiggin', heh.

At NYT (via Memeorandum):

Donald J. Trump plans to throw Bill Clinton’s infidelities in Hillary Clinton’s face on live television during the presidential debates this fall, questioning whether she enabled his behavior and sought to discredit the women involved.

Mr. Trump will try to hold her accountable for security lapses at the American consulate in Benghazi, Libya, and for the death of Ambassador J. Christopher Stevens there.

And he intends to portray Mrs. Clinton as fundamentally corrupt, invoking everything from her cattle futures trades in the late 1970s to the federal investigation into her email practices as secretary of state.

Drawing on psychological warfare tactics that Mr. Trump used to defeat “Lyin’ Ted” Cruz, “Little Marco” Rubio and “Low-Energy” Jeb Bush in the Republican primaries, the Trump campaign is mapping out character attacks on the Clintons to try to increase their negative poll ratings and bait them into making political mistakes, according to interviews with Mr. Trump and his advisers.

Another goal is to win over skeptical Republicans, since nothing unites the party quite like castigating the Clintons. Attacking them could also deflect attention from Mr. Trump’s vulnerabilities, such as his treatment of women, some Trump allies say.

For Mrs. Clinton, the coming battle is something of a paradox. She has decades of experience and qualifications, but it may not be merit that wins her the presidency — it may be how she handles the humiliations inflicted by Mr. Trump...

OMG, I can't wait!

This is going to be absolutely delectable, heh.

Keep reading.

Bill Kristol, Renegade Jew

Man, David Horowitz really goes after Bill Kristol here. He just eviscerates him.

It's personal.

At Big Government, "Bill Kristol: Republican Spoiler, Renegade Jew."

Obama's Title IX Power Grab Inflames the Culture Wars

It's actually sickening.

The country's barreling toward civil war.

At Politico, "Obama transgender edict incites the right":

Obama's transgender student directive inflames culture wars https://t.co/xm388aMhoo | Getty pic.twitter.com/yZZTexyFD4

— POLITICO (@politico) May 16, 2016

While the Obama administration’s directive on bathroom access for transgender students was praised by supporters as a historic moment for civil rights, the sweeping new rules have re-energized the right — and a top lawmaker in Texas even argues that Donald Trump can use the issue as a springboard to the White House.

The right has been consistently losing culture-war fights in the courts during the Obama era, most significantly in the Supreme Court case last year that legalized gay marriage. Now, conservative governors, state officials, education advocates and parent groups have extra motivation to unify in their revolt against a federal intervention directed by a president they loathe that will affect every public school in the nation.

“I believe it is the biggest issue facing families and schools in America since prayer was taken out of public schools,” Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick declared Friday, mere hours after the Obama administration’s letter was released.

The departments of Education and Justice wrote to public school districts across America on Friday, spelling out in specific terms President Barack Obama’s interpretation that transgender students are afforded sweeping civil rights protections under Title IX, the federal law prohibiting sex-based discrimination in educational programs and activities. That includes allowing transgender students access to bathrooms, locker rooms and other school facilities that align with their gender identity — a position that social conservatives find deeply offensive.

“With this guidance, the Education and Justice departments are making it crystal clear what schools’ obligations to transgender students are under federal law,” said James Esseks, director of the American Civil Liberties Union’s Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender & HIV Project. “It’s about time schools understand that transgender students are fully protected.”

As it has done in its legal standoff with North Carolina over that state’s law blocking protections for gay and transgender individuals, the administration threatened Friday to withhold federal education dollars from schools, districts or states that fail to heed the order. But since the administration’s directive amounts to guidance and not a legal requirement, the debate is far from settled. In fact, the real fight has only just begun, and both sides are digging in for what promises to be a long, nasty and emotional struggle of politics, policy and law — one that appears poised to ultimately land before the Supreme Court...

Keep reading.

Hillary's Weakness as a Candidate

Man, just listening to Cankles squawking on the campaign trail is enough to make you turn off the TV.

She's a terrible candidate!

At WaPo, "Even supporters agree: Clinton has weaknesses as a candidate. What can she do?":

Hillary Clinton’s declining personal image, ongoing battle to break free of the challenge from Sen. Bernie Sanders and struggle to adapt to an anti-establishment mood among voters this year have become caution signs for her campaign and the focus of new efforts to fortify her position as she prepares for a bruising general election.

More than a dozen Clinton ­allies identified weaknesses in her candidacy that may erode her prospects of defeating Donald Trump, including poor showings with young women, untrustworthiness, unlikability and a lackluster style on the stump. Supporters also worry that she is a conventional candidate in an unconventional election in which voters clearly favor renegades.

“I bring it down to one thing and one thing only, and that is likability,” said Peter Hart, a Democratic pollster who has conducted a series of focus groups for the Annenberg Public Policy Center at the University of Pennsylvania.

To counter these challenges, Clinton is relying primarily on the prospect that her likely Republican opponent’s weaknesses are even greater. But advisers also are working to soften her stiff public image by highlighting her compassion and to combat perceptions about trustworthiness and authenticity by playing up her problem-solving abilities.

“Hillary Clinton is in a stronger position than Donald Trump, but it will be competitive,” said Joel Benenson, Clinton’s senior strategist and pollster. “All these races are.”

None of these Democrats said they expected Clinton to lose — but many said she could. For the most part, it is her qualities as a candidate that keep her allies up at night, not her fitness to be president, which they categorically do not question. They also lament how exposed these flaws have become during a long primary contest against Sanders, who has profited from suspicion and dislike of Clinton among ranks she now must win over.

Although Clinton has never trailed Sanders in the delegate count and is all but assured of securing the nomination in June, she is widely expected to lose more Democratic primaries this month, which could amplify her weaknesses...

Keep reading.

I'm ready to roll in the general election, heh.

How Donald Trump Convinced the Republican Party to Revolve Around Him

At the Guardian UK, "Seemingly overnight and without much effort, majority of GOP congressmen endorse or have come to accept the presumptive nominee as the face of the party":

Donald Trump was every bit the buyer ready to walk off the lot if he couldn’t be shown a bargain.

“Does it have to be unified?” he said last Sunday, musing aloud about the need for the Republican party to come together behind his candidacy for president. “I’m very different than everybody else, perhaps, that’s ever run for office. I actually don’t think so.”

Was the author of the Art of the Deal bluffing? It does not matter now, because in the last week Trump has gotten what he professed not necessarily to want: substantial party backing for his presidential candidacy.

A series of meetings between Trump and congressional leaders in Washington on Thursday turned out to be a victory lap for the candidate. His success with House speaker Paul Ryan, previously billed as his most powerful adversary, was typical. Ryan went from being “just not ready” to back Trump one week to “totally committed to working together” the next.

Or, in Trump’s words on Twitter on Thursday afternoon: “Great day in DC with @SpeakerRyan and Republican leadership. Things working out really well!”

The Republican coalescence around Trump is indeed working out really well, for the candidate at least. By the Guardian’s latest count, 45 of 54 Republican senators either support Trump wholeheartedly or have pledged to support the nominee. Only three senators have said they will not back Trump.

Senator Susan Collins, a moderate from Maine, is one of six senators in a third category: wait-and-see. In a statement to the Guardian on Friday, she said she expects to support the Republican nominee, “but I do want to see what Donald Trump does from here on out”, including whether he will dispense with “gratuitous personal insults” and “clearly outline for us what his vision of America is beyond a slogan”.

Collins said she would not make a decision until the national convention in July.

In the House of Representatives, the break towards Trump has not been quite so clean. Some members clung to “#NeverTrump” sympathies even after his run on the Hill. Republican governors presiding over states where Trump’s name is mud with moderates, such as Charlie Baker of Massachusetts, or with important constituencies, such as Susana Martinez of New Mexico, likewise have withheld their support.

A significant opposition remains among the party’s passé ruling class and current donor class. Both former presidents Bush have said they will sit out the 2016 campaign, as has former presidential candidate Jeb Bush. The 2012 nominee, Mitt Romney, said on Wednesday that Trump’s refusal to release his tax returns was “disqualifying”. Important mega-donors including Paul Singer and the brothers Koch have not visibly moved to back Trump.

But many Republican senators who once expressed misgivings about Trump have set those feelings aside, as a rallying cry goes up to join forces in an attempt to defeat the likely Democratic nominee, Hillary Clinton...

Still more.

Kendall Jenner Leads the Glamour at Cannes Afterparty

She takes a lot of flak, but I think she's a fine lady.

At London's Daily Mail, "Kendall Jenner draws attention in navy wrap dress as she leads the glamour at star-studded afterparty during Cannes Film Festival."

American Law Institute Transforms the Criminal Definition of Sexual Assault

From Stuart Taylor, Jr., at RCP, "Legal Group Weighs Radical Expansion of Sex Crimes":

My Real Clear Politics piece, "Legal Group Weighs Radical Expansion of Sex Crimes": https://t.co/ngV67KEAO2

— Stuart Taylor (@staylor5448) May 14, 2016

Imagine the following case: Two recent college grads meet in a bar, talk, begin kissing, and go to her apartment. After a little more talking, they resume kissing there. He undresses her and initiates sexual intercourse. She neither objects nor resists. He leaves, and they have no further contact. A month later, she files a criminal complaint with police, complaining that this was rape because she never expressed verbal consent and was physically passive.

Under the law as it has been from time immemorial, the woman's complaint would be rejected because her failure to say no or resist would be considered consent.

But under proposals that will be put to a vote on May 17 at the annual meeting of the American Law Institute, the nation's most prestigious drafter of model laws, the man could be charged with of a felony punishable by up to five years in prison. Under the letter of the proposed new law, his defense -- "she never said no, or stop, or I don't want this, and she never tried to push me away" -- would not save him from being convicted and imprisoned even if the jury and judge believed him.

These proposals, by a powerful faction of the American Law Institute, are deeply offensive to prominent civil libertarians, feminists, scholars and practicing lawyers, and have provoked a controversy that has deeply divided the ALI.

The proposals have also alarmed the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (NACDL), which assailed them in a March 2016 statement as "an unconstitutional shifting of the burden of proof requiring the accused to prove that consent was affirmatively given."

The battle within the ALI matters because the radical new proposals would be a giant step toward states prosecuting and imprisoning people for sexual activities that they had reason to believe were consensual.

This comes after more than five years of the Obama administration effectively ordering U.S. colleges and universities to use guilt-presuming procedures to expel scores of young men for similar conduct and a wide range of other sexual activities...

Keep reading.

Deal of the Day: Hayward Variable-Speed Pool Pumps

At Amazon, Hayward SP2302VSP Max-Flo VS Variable-Speed Pool Pump Energy Star Certified, and Hayward SP3400VSP EcoStar VS Variable-Speed Pool Pump Energy Star Certified.

More, Save on Hayward Variable-Speed Pool Pumps.

Also, BLACK AND DECKER LST136W 40V Max Lithium String Trimmer.

Plus, Save on Sawyer Outdoor Products. And, Sawyer Products Premium Permethrin Clothing Insect Repellent Trigger Spray.

Still more, Up to 40% Off Merrell Shoes. And, Merrell Men's Realm Lace.

Now, from Edward Lucas, Cyberphobia: Identity, Trust, Security and the Internet.

Fred Kaplan, Dark Territory: The Secret History of Cyber War.

Adam Segal, The Hacked World Order: How Nations Fight, Trade, Maneuver, and Manipulate in the Digital Age.

BONUS: Henry Kissinger, World Order.