First post-debate polls
It seems that a poll of Republicans who watched the debate last night showed Trump and Fiorina even at 22%, Rubio at 15%, Carson at 12%, and Cruz and Bush tied at 6%. That’s not a poll of who won … Continue reading →
neo
This is why illegal immigration has become such a flash point…
…and why someone like Trump, who emphasizes it, has gained so much traction with that. People are angry at stories like this one, in which the illegal immigrant is presented as being a poor, beleaguered person (in this case a … Continue reading →
A few reflections on last night’s debate
No matter how they try to tweak the format, there are way too many people on that stage. Even if CNN were determined to be fair about air time and the content of the questions (which I don’t believe it … Continue reading →
The Republican debates
The undercard debate has started. I’ll be watching it off and on. 6:30: So far, the moderators are making it all about Trump. 6:38: They’re giving each candidate almost no time at all to answer. 7:48: Having seen most of … Continue reading →
House to McConnell: go nuclear!
The House doesn’t have to contend with cloture or the filibuster, so it’s easier for that chamber to pass legislation by a simple majority. Not so the Senate. The news that the Republican House would like the Republican Senate to … Continue reading →
Why is CNN spending so much of its coverage on Trump?
How much coverage? This much coverage: When the GOP candidates assemble on CNN’s stage Wednesday night, they will be appearing on a network that has virtually ignored most of them, while spending vast amounts of time covering the now-frontrunner, businessman … Continue reading →
“Truth”: the press, the movies, and the present-day Minitrue
The title of this post is taken from George Orwell’s dystopian masterpiece Nineteen Eighty-Four. The book’s genius is in part its nomenclature, and most definitely its insight into the political propaganda process. Thus, the Ministry of Truth, or “Minitrue” for … Continue reading →
Tonight: the second debate
I suppose I’ll bite the bullet and watch tonight’s Republican debate, which looks to have some verbal fireworks and a huge listening audience. I may even live-blog it, if I can stomach it. Those of you who read this blog … Continue reading →
This seems to be a key thought
From commenter “Eric”: The “LIV” is a conformist. To marshal the “LIV” to your agenda, set the zeitgeist to your agenda. The “LIV” will conform to it. Engineering the zeitgeist is an activist function. I would phrase it differently, but … Continue reading →
One of these things is not like the other
There was a large demonstration in Poland Saturday to protest the possibility that the government will let in many thousands of refugees from Syria—that is, people who claim to be refugees and claim to be from Syria. There was also … Continue reading →
“Frankly, Afghanistan was nothing like that train”
This is the best interview I’ve seen with the three heroes of the French train terrorist attack. It’s with Megyn Kelly, and it’s the first time I’ve heard the three tell their story in such detail. Their characters really shine, … Continue reading →
The Bergdahl plot thickens
Just when you thought the Bergdahl story couldn’t get any worse—it does. Did the White House scuttle, or at the very least ignore, a better Bergdahl prisoner exchange deal and replace it with the one we got, in order to … Continue reading →