Shop Deals

At Amazon, Today's Deals.

Save on Women's Keds Shoes.

Also, Shop Ray-Ban Sunglasses.

And, Savings on Kindle Books. Plus, check savings on Faye Kellerman's books in Kindle, in particular.

More, Mountain House Just In Case...Essential Bucket.

Still more, AmazonBasics Apple Certified Lightning to USB Cable - 6 Feet (1.8 Meters) - Black.

BONUS: J.M. Opal, Avenging the People: Andrew Jackson, the Rule of Law, and the American Nation.

Bernie Sanders Wants Democrats to Focus on Economic Populism, Not Social Justice Cultural Marxism (VIDEO)

Following-up from Friday, "What Defines a Democrat?"

Here's more background on the conflict, at Politico, "DNC rally with anti-abortion candidate fuels backlash." And from Melissa McEwan, at Shakesville, "Bernie Sanders, My Autonomy Is Not Negotiable." (Via Memeorandum.) (Ms. Melissa probably gives the perfect argument for the left's social just position. Economic issues just aren't as important as social issues.)

I have to admit I still get a kick out of Bernie, even though he's a doctrinaire Marxist. Frankly, I love him taking it to the radical left's social justice warriors, hammering 'em on the very things that have caused the political obliteration of the Democrats.

Here's his interview on this morning's Face the Nation:

'It is worth underlining that this is the first time in modern French history that neither of the mainstream centre-right or centre-left parties of government that have governed France since the second world war have qualified for the second round of a presidential election...'

That is well worth underlining. The mainstream political establishment is bankrupt. My only sense is that this Macron dude is also bankrupt, and he'll just bury France in the socialist dead end left over from François Hollande.

At the Guardian U.K., "French election: Emmanuel Macron and Marine Le Pen estimated through to second round – live - Independent centrist Macron estimated to have taken 23.7% of vote with Front National leader Le Pen on 21.7%; official results to follow."

And at Blazing Cat Fur, "France faces its own EU referendum as far-right leader Marine Le Pen, who supports an exit, and Europhile Emmanuel Macron split the first-round vote to go head to head in presidential elections."

President Trump's Approval Holds Steady with Base of Supporters

He's otherwise down in approval, but there a virtually imperceptible drop in support from his hardcore base.

At WaPo, via Memeorandum, "Nearing 100 days, Trump's approval at record lows but his base is holding":

Nearing 100 days, Trump’s approval 42% but his base is holding in new Post-ABC poll, by @danbalz @sfcpoll https://t.co/2oCpoaiSG7

— Post Polls (@PostPolls) April 23, 2017

President Trump nears the 100-day mark of his administration as the least popular chief executive in modern times, a president whose voters remain largely satisfied with his performance, but one whose base of support has not expanded since he took the oath of office, according to a new Washington Post-ABC News poll.

Trump’s first months in office have produced some tangible successes. Beyond the continued enthusiasm of his most loyal supporters, a small majority of Americans see him as a strong leader. A bigger majority approves of his efforts to pressure U.S. companies to keep jobs in this country. Those who say the economy is getting better outnumber those who say it’s getting worse by the biggest margin in 15 years in Post-ABC polling.

But the president’s balance sheet overall tilts toward the negative. Majorities of Americans say Trump has not accomplished much during his first months as president. Meanwhile, he shows little improvement on his temperament and honesty, and while he’s gained ground on empathy, over 6 in 10 still say he does not understand the problems of people like them.

With a week remaining before his 100th day in office, Trump has yet to achieve a major legislative accomplishment, having been dealt a major setback when Republicans in Congress decided not to proceed with a vote on a health-care bill supported by the White House. His clearest achievement is the successful nomination of Neil M. Gorsuch to the Supreme Court seat previously held by conservative Justice Antonin Scalia.

Executive actions on trade, immigration, climate and government organization have pointed the direction he wants to take the country, though his controversial proposed travel ban that affects a number of Muslim-majority nations remains blocked by the courts. Trump and others in his administration have attacked the courts, accusing them of overreach, but nearly 6 in 10 people see their actions as a legitimate role for the judicial branch.

Overseas, he has demonstrated his willingness to use military force, with targeted strikes in Syria and the use of one of the biggest non-nuclear devices in the U.S. arsenal in Afghanistan. But tensions with North Korea remain high and the administration’s policy in the Middle East remains cloudy.

The 100-day marker is in part an artificial measuring post for any president, but by comparison, Trump has reached this point in his presidency faring worse to much worse than other recent presidents. An electorate that was deeply divided throughout the 2016 campaign remains so today, with opposition seemingly hardened and unyielding on most questions regarding his presidency...

Trump's doing fine. You have to remember that the entire political world is stacked up against him, and that includes foreign governments and their leftist mass-media enablers.

As long as he holds the base, he'll be fine. And with the economy chugging along, and with the administration's outward support for American workers, I expect he'll be cruising into 2020 if things hold up.

Maybe Roger Simon will be a winning prognosticator.

Still more.

Jennifer Delacruz's Summer-Like Forecast

She's so lovely!

And boy, it does feel like summer out there.

Jean-Yves Camus and Nicolas Lebourg, Far-Right Politics in Europe

A quite timely book, at Amazon, Jean-Yves Camus and Nicolas Lebourg, Far-Right Politics in Europe.

In Europe today, staunchly nationalist parties such as France’s National Front and the Austrian Freedom Party are identified as far-right movements, though supporters seldom embrace that label. More often, “far right” is pejorative, used by liberals to tar these groups with the taint of Fascism, Nazism, and other discredited ideologies. Jean-Yves Camus and Nicolas Lebourg’s critical look at the far right throughout Europe―from the United Kingdom to France, Germany, Poland, Italy, and elsewhere―reveals a prehistory and politics more complex than the stereotypes suggest and warns of the challenges these movements pose to the EU’s liberal-democratic order.

The European far right represents a confluence of many ideologies: nationalism, socialism, anti-Semitism, authoritarianism. In the first half of the twentieth century, the radical far right achieved its apotheosis in the regimes of Fascist Italy and Nazi Germany. But these movements have evolved significantly since 1945, as Far-Right Politics in Europe makes clear. The 1980s marked a turning point in political fortunes, as national-populist parties began winning seats in European parliaments. Since the terrorist attacks of 9/11 in the United States, a new wave has unfurled, one that is explicitly anti-immigrant and Islamophobic in outlook.

Though Europe’s far-right parties differ in important respects, they are motivated by a common sense of mission: to save their homelands from what they view as the corrosive effects of multiculturalism and globalization by creating a closed-off, ethnically homogeneous society. Members of these movements are increasingly determined to gain power through legitimate electoral means. In democracies across Europe, they are succeeding.

Controversy Surrounds Linda Sarsour Commencement Address at City University of New York (VIDEO)

Oh for crying out loud, let her speak.

If not, conservatives are just as bad as leftists.

At the Daily Caller, "Public CUNY College Commencement Speaker Has Terror Ties."

And CBS News 2 New York:

Nebraska Liquor Stores Lose Licenses

Following-up from last month, "Whiteclay, Nebraska, Beer Portal to the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation."

At the Omaha World-Herald, "Appalled' liquor commissioners vote to deny licenses for Whiteclay beer stores."

Breaking: Nebraska Liquor Control Commission votes to deny licenses for Whiteclay beer stores https://t.co/mLLdo5Iyue

— Omaha World-Herald (@OWHnews) April 19, 2017

Video: #Whiteclay stores denied liquor licenses -> https://t.co/AobjX3NSJj #Nebraska #video pic.twitter.com/9zP0DXMtmB

— Megan Smith (@megan_kristin) April 19, 2017

And at the New York Times:

Whiteclay, Neb., is a notorious skid row of the Plains. Today a state liquor board decided its fate: https://t.co/9zOQRmhosh

— Julie Bosman (@juliebosman) April 19, 2017

The scene in Whiteclay when I was there last month: public drunkenness, no law enforcement in sight. https://t.co/XcojefEvsP

— Julie Bosman (@juliebosman) April 19, 2017

ICYMI: Paul Chaat Smith, Like a Hurricane

At Amazon, Paul Chaat Smith, Like a Hurricane: The Indian Movement from Alcatraz to Wounded Knee.

BONUS: Akim D. Reinhardt, Ruling Pine Ridge: Oglala Lakota Politics from the IRA to Wounded Knee.

Deals on Classic Turntables

I still have my vinyl record collection, amazingly. How about you?

D'you need a new record player?

At Amazon, Today's Deals.

Also, Savings on Lenovo Desktops.

Plus, Save on Children's Books.

More, Mountain House Just In Case...Classic Assortment Bucket.

And, KIND Breakfast Bars, Peanut Butter, Gluten Free, 1.8 Ounce, 32 Count.

BONUS: Vine Deloria, Jr., God is Red: A Native View of Religion, 30th Anniversary Edition.

Alessandra Ambrosio Spring Break (VIDEO)

Very sexy!

For LOVE Magazine:

Marine Promises to 'take her country back': French Presidential Candidate Marine Le Pen and Europe's 'Far-Right' Movement (VIDEO)

Following-up from earlier this morning, "French Presidential Election's a Battle of Left-Right Extremes."

That's Terry Moran at the video, who interviews National Front candidate Marine Le Pen, for ABC News Nightline:

You Want a Civil War?

At the Liberty Zone, "You want a civil war? Because that’s how you get a civil war."

Also, "Filthy Antifa Whore Lies":

Normally, I wouldn’t call someone a Filthy Antifa Whore (FAW). However, since Moldylocks, who was shown getting punched out at this weekend’s Berkeley protests by some dude everyone claims is a fascist/racist/neo-nazi/somethingorother, is a nasty, unwashed, slovenly sow, and since she did, in fact, demonstrate riot, throw bottles, and assault people at a rally for a President whom she apparently does not like, and since there are photos of said skank on the Internet baring her unshaven, unwashed, beaver and sprocket, that probably reek of week-old garbage and decaying pork, wide for the world – and presumably her parents – to see, I think FAW is appropriate.

No, I’m not giving you a link, pervs. When I ran across it while doing an image search on the protests the other day, I’m pretty sure I developed a severe case of post-traumatic stress, and I may or may not have gone blind for an unspecified period of time, while desperately stumbling around my house trying to find enough brain bleach to erase that image from my mind forever. Suffice it to say that cum-gurgling sausage junkie gives the term “bearded clam” an entire new meaning.

Her mommy and daddy must be so proud!

Keep reading (via Blazing Cat Fur).

The "FAW" is of course "Emily Rose Mitchell."

See, "Leftism 'Weaponized' Berkeley Antifa Girl Emily Rose Mitchell (VIDEO)."

Lisbeth Haas, Saints and Citizens

As promised, I've been posting on California's Indians, and so far I've been able to offer some balanced takes. I'm holding off on the so-called California "genocide" studies, but it's only a matter of time now. I'm reading around myself, so I'll be better able to evaluate the claims of radical scholars and offer refutations.

Meanwhile, here's Professor Lisbeth Haas, Saints and Citizens: Indigenous Histories of Colonial Missions and Mexican California.

BONUS: Albert L. Hurtado, Indian Survival on the California Frontier, and James J. Rawls, Indians of California: The Changing Image.

Last Elk Crosses the Road (VIDEO)

This is great!

Watch, "Massive Herd of Elk in Montana."

Via Sabateur365, "Have a Laugh GIF: The Last Elk."

Harvard Feminist Nian Hu: Men 'Will Always Be Oppressors'

Radical feminists should be institutionalized in mass.

Through in the transgender rights lobby and we'll be half way toward restoring sanity in this country. Sheesh.

At the Other McCain, "Harvard Feminist @Nian_Hu Hates Men, Who ‘Will Always Be Oppressors’."

The woman wrote a piece at the Harvard Crimson called "Beware the Male Feminist," but click through at the link for all the details.

Jeffrey Ostler, The Plains Sioux and U.S. Colonialism from Lewis and Clark to Wounded Knee

I'm getting very deep into this literature now. But I'm teaching a new course in the fall semester --- new for me, "Introduction to Political Science" --- and over the summer I'll be needing to do some considerable reading in political ideologies in preparation. More on that later.

Meanwhile, at Amazon, Jeffrey Ostler, The Plains Sioux and U.S. Colonialism from Lewis and Clark to Wounded Knee.

French Presidential Election's a Battle of Left-Right Extremes

Actually, I don't think right-wing nationalist populism is extreme.

But the French National Front harks back to some darker ideological currents in French postwar politics, especially with its founder Jean-Marie Le Pen.

He's long gone now, though, and everything I've seen about Marine indicates she wants a modern party completely divorced of the stains from Europe's Nazi past (and her father's legacy). It's leftist who cling to such ideas, as a way to hang onto power. Notice how the left-wing extreme, hardcore communism, never comes under the same microscopic scrutiny as the right. You just have to hate leftists for such bastardization of decency, fairness, and common sense.

At Der Spiegel, "A Complete Breakdown: Extremists on Left and Right Push France to the Brink":

A Complete Breakdown: Extremists on Left and Right Push France to the Brink https://t.co/oUOOxREP1F pic.twitter.com/k6Ptc67cvL

— SPIEGEL English (@SPIEGEL_English) April 20, 2017

With only a few days to go before the first round of voting, a systemic crisis is dominating the campaign in France. It is no longer inconceivable that a Euroskeptic radical leftist or a far-right populist could become the country's next president. This bodes poorly for the French, but also their neighbors in Europe.

It sounds like a political parody -- or like a badly overwritten European take on "West Wing." A right-wing populist party has spent months at the top of the polls, neck-and-neck with the former rising star of an entrenched party who decided to bolt and found his own political movement. Right on their heels is the far-left candidate who is experiencing a late surge and outpolling the centrist establishment. Meanwhile, the incumbent, having governed his way to historically low public opinion ratings, has decided not to run for re-election and his party is dead in the water. And the center-right candidate, who looked strong out of the gate, has become embroiled in multiple embarrassing affairs involving greed, his wife and more greed. But he has remained in the race anyway and still has a shot.

It is, of course, a completely unrealistic scenario, but it is the thrilling truth in France in April 2017. The main players are Marine Le Pen, Emmanuel Macron, Jean-Luc Mélenchon, François Hollande and François Fillon -- and together, they are illustrating a complete breakdown of established politics in France.

Like elsewhere in Europe, France has seen the erosion in stature in recent years of its two main political parties, which once set the course in the country but have diminished considerably compared to the prominence they enjoyed for decades. Populists on the far-right and far-left are gaining in popularity, offering voters the illusion of collective withdrawal: from Europe, from NATO, from globalization, from "the system" and, if they had their way, from the foreigners in our midst.

General Incompetence

If you add together the poll numbers of the French candidates who are calling for such forms of withdrawal in various combinations and manifestations, you would end up with a majority, sufficient for a coalition government united in its aversion to the status quo.

The presidential election in France is becoming yet another end game over Europe's political future. And the poll numbers are currently bouncing back and forth, much as they did in Britain before the Brexit vote and in the United States before Donald Trump's election as president. For weeks, the likely outcome of the first round of voting on April 23 had seemed relatively clear. But now that the election, with 11 candidates in the running, is getting closer, poll numbers are beginning to shift. There is no longer a clear forecast, neither for the first round nor for the second round on May 7, in which the two top candidates from the first round enter a runoff election.

According to pollsters, 40 percent of eligible voters are still undecided, meaning that all possible combinations are possible at the moment, and even nightmares cannot be ruled out. Will the runoff be a duel between radical leftist Mélenchon and right-winger Le Pen, two politicians who believe European unification is a plague, who both see Germany as a threat and whose platforms sound like Christmas wish lists?

And how is it even possible that such questions are seriously being raised? How did extremists become front-runners? How did outsiders become candidates? Where are the forces of compromise? Where is the political center? Those looking for answers are well advised to step off the dizzying election-campaign carousel...

This is written from the establishment perspective, the same perspective that dissed the British majority that voted for Brexit, and the same establishment stateside that dissed the MAGA coalition of voters that put President Trump in the White House. These people are the hardest hit. And frankly, if one of these so-called "extreme" candidates doesn't win the French presidency, things are only going to get worse. We'll have more of the same "consensus" politics over there that's resulted in a permanent state of siege across the continent, not to mention the complete discrediting of Europe's supranational integration program.

In any case, still more.

'Communism for Kids'

Well, this had to be published sooner or later, since our culture is so totally FUBAR.

At Amazon, Communism for Kids.

You see, Marxist-Leninist totalitarianism's just a fairly tale.

“Communism for Kids” is coming to a bookstore near you. https://t.co/T9IZuWsYKR pic.twitter.com/IRIVZTjmnk

— The Daily Signal (@DailySignal) April 22, 2017

Hat Tip: The Daily Signal, "‘Communism for Kids’ Turns Deadly Ideology Into a Fairy Tale."

Charles F. Wilkinson, Blood Struggle

*BUMPED.*

At Amazon, Charles F. Wilkinson, Blood Struggle: The Rise of Modern Indian Nations.