So, is Trump really a Russian operative (that is the claim of the Dems) ?

CNN:
Tillerson: US to maintain Ukraine-related sanctions on Russia until Crimea is returned

Discussion: Vox, New York Magazine and Washington Free Beacon

 ******

Notes:  The discussion indicates the level of interest from other media outlets.  In this case,  almost zero interest.  Why?  Because the continuation of sanctions goes against the utter nonsense that Donald Trump is a Russian agent of some kind.   

 

I went shopping for a headline that went viral (as indicated by those media outlets listed in the "discussion").  .

 

Wall Street Journal:
Mike Flynn Offers to Testify in Exchange for Immunity

Discussion: Breitbart, Talking Points Memo, Axios, The Guardian, Politico, Vox, Daily Mail, Bloomberg, Occupy Democrats, Salon, Business Insider, NewsHounds blog, Hullabaloo, RedState, New York Times, The Daily Caller, The Hill, NBC News, Mediaite, Outside the Beltway, Raw Story, Daily Kos, Washington Post, News, Indy Week, Hot Air, The Atlantic, Just Security, IJR, RT, Shakesville, The Huffington Post, Politicus USA, CNBC, Daily Wire, The Week, New York Magazine, Heat Street, Towleroad, New York Post, Taylor Marsh, The Root, NPR, TheBlaze, Joe.My.God., Shareblue, The Slot, Mother Jones, The Last Tradition, Political Wire, Refinery29 and The Moderate Voice

 

 Now you know.

 

Total Fake News Story #177.

Michael Gerson / Washington Post: Trump's failing presidency has the GOP in a free fall  —  In the aftermath of the GOP health-care debacle came a revealing act of candor.  House Speaker Paul D. Ryan admitted that his party, which controls the House, Senate and White House, is not yet a “governing party” because it could not 

Additional notes:  "Free fall?"  And the Democrat Party is not in far worse shape? !!!    . . . .    and THAT is not the major headline, here?  

There is little reason to comment further on this "storyline."  Sadly,  the larger story,  that of the near extinction of the Democrat Party,  is a protected reality that the Democrat pundits within the corporate media want no one to know  . . . . .   so they do not report on it.  

Democrat leadership nearly hates Bernie Sanders.  Did you know that?  Hillary is definitely (at this point in time) running for the presidency in 2020.  Again,  were you aware that this is a "definite" fantasy of Hillary's?   The Democrats have not posted a single substantial point of policy since they lost the election;  Senate Democrats are not united in the opposition to Judge Gorsuch;  the Democrat party is as weak as it was 1865,  after that party lost the Civil war;  Trump won the popular voted outside of California;  the Dems have no clue as to how they lost the election;  Obama is standing in the shadows,  helping drive the Trump/Russian collusion  nonsense, and, is staying out of sight to avoid being dragged  into the debate;  the outing of General Flynn 's name by Obama personnel was/is a felony; it is beginning to appear obvious,  that Obama did surveil Trump   . . .   whether by "wiretap" or otherwise  (who really cares "how.").     And I could go on.  Virtually all of the points mentioned,  could be major headlines if treated with the same regard as the lesser GOP storyline "news" of the day.  

 

Should General Flynn seek immunity? Yes and here is why:

  "A favorite tactic of the FBI is to accuse someone of a false statement because,  to many law enforcement officers and persecutors,  an inconsistency is interpreted as lying.  That is then used as leverage to force an individual to comply in other ways,  or to be punished for crimes that perhpas cannot be proven,  regardless of the validity.  So, at this early stage  I would suggest the request for immunity is more about skillful lawyering than anything else.  That said,  the Trump Administration better hope that's all it is."  ~ Mark Zaid,  National Security expert and attorney. 

Additional notes:  Understand that the immunity Flynn is seeking is limited to the actual words of his testimony.  He is not seeking criminal immunity.  He simply does not want his words to be used against him,  and by that,  I include words that appear to him to innocent.  

Don't forget,  the Feds got a conviction against Martha Stewart for lying,  not for the charges they had brought against her.  In fact,  they could not prove their case against.  In the common vernacular,  her conviction was sheer bull-shit.  That is what Flynn wants to avoid. 

Finally,  this particular brand of immunity will not be offered to Flynn if his pre-sworn testimony is of no value to the Feds.  A refusal to give immunity to Flynn,  means that the Feds do not see his testimony as having great value.  

Madyson Update: (Lots of news tomorrow. Tonight, its developing so I leave you with Madyson.)

Update: 250  290 320 390 Share: 150 is normal..
This translate to more than 1,200 views.

• 5,001 followers

Model // Bikini Addict // Collegiate Runner Twitter + 👻: @madysonhouseman Brknimg Ambassador 📍California

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How do global warming modles supposedly work?

 . . . . .    all [mathematical] models are first tested in a process called Hindcasting. The models used to predict future global warming can accurately map past climate changes. If they get the past right, there is no reason to think their predictions would be wrong.

Where models have been running for sufficient time, they have also been proved to make accurate predictions. For example, the eruption of Mt. Pinatubo allowed modellers to test the accuracy of models by feeding in the data about the eruption. The models successfully predicted the climatic response after the eruption. Models also correctly predicted other effects subsequently confirmed by observation, including greater warming in the Arctic and over land, greater warming at night, and stratospheric cooling.
(Source: Skeptical Science,  actually a pro-waming publication.)  

Notes:  This is an insult to the objective thinker.  In practical terms,  this is what is being posited in the above:  Speculative Science takes a historical event such as a volcanic eruption,  makes note of environmental influences that existed before the eruption,  assumes these influences to be causative as relates to that eruption,  and, then pronounce these influences to be predicted.  

What these genius's don't tell you is this:  If you work backwards from an event,  there is no possibility for a predictive analysis.  It is just plain stupid to suggest otherwise.  

Here is a fact:  Speculative Science cannot predict any single environment event that exists in the future.  None.  Take the Ozone Hole.  It was going to increase to the point that we were all going to sunburn to death.  Well,  today,  that hole is getting measurably small and smaller.  Remember Acid Rain.  The prediction included the end of plant life as we know it.  How about "tide rise."  Specifically,  the Twin Towers Memorial foundation would be under 20 foot of sea water by 2015.  How about the aftermath of Katrine (2005).  It was billed as the beginning of the end   -  as many a 17 major hurricanes the following year.  Turns out there was exactly "zero" storms.  And there have been no more than three major storms in the Gulf in the 12 years since Katrina.  

Again,  Speculative Science cannot predict when a dog will mess in your neighbors yard or when a swarm of bees will attack ex-President Obama or what the temperature will be in D.C.,  eight months from now on a Tuesday.  

I had previously reported the "end of the Paris climate agreement." I was wrong . . kinda. . .

The Hill corrects a previous report:  

Trump on Tuesday signed an executive order undoing most of the major climate work Barack Obama pursued as president. 

The order didn’t touch the Paris agreement, an international pact on greenhouse gas emissions that Obama pursued aggressively during his second term. But it begins the process of ending the electricity-sector pollution regulation Obama said would help fulfill U.S. commitments, a decision that underlines Trump’s dismissal of the agreement. 

There is internal debate in the Trump administration about the importance of staying in the Paris deal. But Tuesday’s order — and other measures Trump has advanced during his presidency — indicates he’s ready to leave it behind, formally or not.

 I reported that the Paris agreement was not a treatise;  those drafting the agreement call it a "pledge," never a "treatise."   And, in fact,  Obama circumvented Congress in "ratifying" the agreement.  While this is true,  Trump's  Executive Order does not cancel out the pledge-proper, as I had previously reported.    The President only signaled his intentions regarding the agreement,  but his decision to vacate that agreement will take another Executive Order.
__________________
Related:
NY Times:  Over all, the goal of the Paris deal is to keep the planet from warming more than 3.6 degrees, the point at which scientists say the earth will be irrevocably locked into a future of severe droughts, floods, rising sea levels and food shortages.

Understand that the rise in temp, or the prevention thereof,  is measured over a period of 100 years.  In other words,  we will not know if this "scientific" prediction will actually become a reality for decades into the future.  "They" have been wrong on all other specific predictions, why should we believe this one?

More than this, what if global warming is what happens before global freezing?  I mean, that is the historic pattern, over the ages and million of years before mankind.    Given enough time,  maybe hundreds of years,  not thousands or millions,   Canada and most of the northern United States will be under Arctic type ice.  Now,  THAT'S a scientific fact,  and it is a certainty.  We can't stop that from happening.  Mankind is on this Earth for a season,  and,  then we die (unless we all gather at the Equator?). 

The National Review steps "in it" again, as it goes postal on Devon Nunes (one of the good guys).

National Review:

Devin Nunes Should Step Down as Chairman of the House Intelligence Committee  —  Nunes's unforced errors have undermined public faith    . . . . .    

If Nunes steps down as chairman, he can quickly transition from part of the problem to part of the solution. He can make a powerful statement that mistakes have consequences, and public officials still have the integrity to acknowledge their own shortcomings. He can clear the way for an investigation untainted by his own errors. His own power and his own position are not worth the ongoing loss in public confidence. It’s time for Nunes to go.

 

Notes:  The reader should know that the National Review remains an anti-Trump (as opposed to a "never-Trump") publication.  And,  the above referenced article is proof.  

 

The indictment against Rep. Nunes is this: He has gone from one unforced error to another  . . . . .   that is the implicit claim underlying the author's comments.  Preposterous.  

 

The only objectionable issue with Nunes was his decision to go to the WH before going to the Intel Committee.  And he did so for the most obvious of reasons:  there is nothing "bi-partisan" about the committee,  not with Adam Schiff as the minority leaders.  

 

Nunes violated protocol.  BFD.  Understand that "protocol" would have kept secret the information given to Nunes and would have prevented his intended meeting with the President.  It would have treated the President as an enemy combatant,  which is exactly how the Left is trying to frame Donald Trump.  This can never be tolerated.  Period.

 

 What we have, here,  is a National Review that is clearly anti-Trump,  and,  inadvertently siding with the European Socialists among us.  Talk about an unforced error  !!!!  

____________________

If you missed it,  Nunes made this statement, last week,  and had a private meeting with the President concerning the following:

First, I recently confirmed that on numerous occasions, the intelligence community incidentally collected information about U.S. citizens involved in the Trump transition.

Details about U.S. persons associated with the incoming administration, details with little or no apparent foreign intelligence value, were widely disseminated in intelligence community reporting.

Third, I have confirmed that additional names of Trump transition team members were unmasked.

Fourth and finally, I want to be clear. None of this surveillance was related to Russia, or the investigation of Russian activities or of the Trump team.

 

So, let's stop with these ridiculous comparisons.

This is a fairly  common statement,  from the hard Right:   "Establishment GOP are simply Democrat light."

My response: 

This line, "Establishment GOP are simply Democrat light." is sheer crap.  While GOP Establishment types are a pain,  there is a huge difference between them and the European Socialist "Establishment" of the Left.  For starters, one respects Constitutional process and the other does not.  One champions the Communist oriented Black Caucus and the other does not.  One supported Trumps election,  for the most part,  and the other does not accept any of us,  much less Trump, himself. 

Update:  Finally,  we don't have anyone in the GOP vaguely similar to a Bernie Sanders,  or Elizabeth Warren,  or Maxine Waters. So, again, I say, "Let's stop with all this divisive crap rhetoric."  Or don't,  and watch the Right splinter into its silly "principled" factions and surrender this last chance to make a difference.

Trump has decided to play hardball. But, was this a wise decision?

“While the American Health Care Act, legislation to repeal and replace Obamacare, is a very good start, it does not yet get it right and therefore I cannot support it in its present form,” Mr. Young said in a statement.  In response,  “CLF will be terminating our lease because David Young has decided not to support President Trump and House leadership,” per Corry Bliss, Director of  the Congressional Leadership Fund.  Nearly 1.9 million dollars, spent in the last election cycle, will be withheld from the 2018 campaign. 

I love the way this declaration of war ended its statement:   “At this time  the Congressional Leadership Fund has no plans to spend any money for David Young this cycle  . . . . .   we wish him the best of luck.”   

 Clearly, President Trump believes he has a mandate for his agenda,  especially in Iowa,  where he won by a full 10% margin and took every county in the state except six.  Rep. Young won his election campaign with a 53.5% to 39.8% victory.  Turns out,  he might not need much luck.  Time will tell. 

_____________________________
Read more: http://dailycaller.com/2017/03/24/gop-pulls-funding-staff-from-rep-who-opposed-health-bill/#ixzz4chXScCui

Fox News has best quarter in history of cable news. MSNBC is fastest growing but still finig new jdsjfiwehfishes a distant third.

Remember Maddow's big news break?  Trump's two page tax form from 2005?  It shot her ratings into the stratosphere?  Well, looks like that was a temporary "fix." 

Fox News Channel finished the first quarter of 2017 with the highest-rated quarter ever in cable news history in 24-hour viewership, proving that the Trump era is resulting in must-see TV.

Fox News finished No. 1 among all of cable in both primetime and total day viewership.

Fox News averaged 1.7 million total day viewers, compared to 823,000 for CNN and 776,000 for MSNBC.   MSNBC showed the most growth by a significant margin, but still finishes a distant third, proof of how far in the dumpster was this Stepchild of NBC.

MSNBC grew 55 percent compared to the first quarter of 2016, while Fox News grew 27 percent and CNN grew 13 percent.
Among the key demo of adults age 25-54, Fox News averaged 359,000 while CNN averaged 265,000 and MSNBC averaged 183,000

More promises kept as job opportunities multiply.

Trump signs four executive orders reversing much of Obama's late term agenda.

First,  he got rid of the blacklisting rule. “The rule violated the due process rights of contractors by forcing them to report mere allegations of misconduct — which are often frivolous and filed with nefarious intentions by special interest groups,” said Ben Brubeck, vice president of regulatory affairs at the Associated Builders and Contractors.

Other regulations Trump overturned included the Interior Department’s land use rule, as well as the Education Department’s rules for teacher preparation and school accountability.

James Goodwin, senior regulatory policy analyst at the Center for Progressive Reform, criticized GOP lawmakers for the “orgy of Congressional Review Act resolutions” they are sending to Trump.

 

“It’s an incredibly reckless approach to congressional oversight,” Goodwin said. “We’re talking about rules that have been in the works for four, five, six, seven years. They’re lining them up for repeal, even though they probably have no idea what they do or which agency they came from.”

Kind of refreshing to realize that we are getting back to the basics of governance and moving away from the paralysis caused by the P.C. crowd. 

 __________________________

Compare http://thehill.com/regulation/325963-trump-repeals-blacklisting-rule

Coal and dairy will benefit from the next Executive Order (see the update).

President Trump will use an executive order on Tuesday to dismantle to the Obama administration’s climate change agenda. 
The order compels the EPA to review Obama's landmark climate rule for power plant emissions, the 2015 Clean Power Plan.  

Update:  According to experts, the decision to move away from the Clean Power Plan of 2015 signals the United States exit from the "Paris Climate treatise."  Of course,  it was never a "treatise,"  only an agreement among nations.  The Senate never voted its approval  which is required before something becomes a "treatise."  And, that is precisely why President Trump could end our agreement in Paris,  because it was not a treatise,  only a worthless handshake and a pat on the back. 

Nothing wrong with a plan that works for clean air,  but there is everything wrong with a plan that put's hard working people at the bottom of a list of concerns.  Barack made it clear,  time after time,  that he did not care about the working Middle Class. 

The Executive Order,  when signed by Trump,  will undo the previous administration’s climate change orders, across the board,   Besides the EPA, it will order the Interior Department to end a moratorium on new coal leasing on federal land, as well as put an end to Obama's impossible restrictions on methane emissions,  a program that would have made it impossible for the smaller diary rancher.

Nunes knew that the Dems would have tried to silience his information. It is that simple.

Austin Wright / Politico: Pelosi, Schiff call on Nunes to recuse himself from Russia probe

Notes:  You can't be more of a hypocrite than Schiff and Pelosi. There is nothing inappropriate with Nunes visiting trump,  except protocol would have had him present to the committee before the President.  At the time, that was the only criticism.  But the Dems love to major in minors while ignoring their own malfeasance,  and now they are trying to make an issue out of something that is simply a non-starter.

Update:  In case you were wondering:
The chairman of the House Intelligence Committee will not step down from the committee's investigation into Russia's interference in the United States presidential election, despite a growing chorus of Democratic lawmakers demanding he recuse himself. 
"Of course not," Nunes' communications director, Jack Langer, said when asked if the congressman would step aside. "They’re playing an absurd political game."
Nunes echoed that sentiment in an appearance on Fox News’ “The O’Reilly Factor” Monday night, saying in response to a question, “I’m sure the Democrats do want me to quit."

 The Hill,  here. 

Ford to invest millions in Michigan, thanks in great part to President Trump

Ford Motor Co. will announce investments in three of its Michigan manufacturing plants Tuesday morning, according to three sources familiar with the automaker’s plans.

The Dearborn-based automaker will announce investments at its Michigan Assembly Plant in Wayne, Flat Rock Assembly Plant and its Romeo Engine Plant, according to the sources who agreed to speak only on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to release the information. It is unclear how many jobs will be created, or the total dollar amount. However, one of the sources characterized the investments as “significant.” A promised $700 million investment at the Michigan Assembly Plant was part of the 2015 Ford-United Auto Workers contract.

Tuesday’s investment announcement comes less than two weeks after President Donald Trump pushed auto executives for more U.S. jobs and new manufacturing plants in the U.S. during a stop in Ypsilanti Township.

 Source: Detroit News

Trump's low approval rating is not good, but its not a record low by any means.

President Donald Trump's job approval rating fell to 36% for the three-day period of March 24-26, following Republican House leaders' failed effort to pass a new healthcare bill that would have replaced the Affordable Care Act.
Trump's current 36% is two percentage points below Barack Obama's low point of 38%, recorded in 2011 and 2014. 

Trump has also edged below Bill Clinton's all-time low of 37%, recorded in the summer of 1993, his first year in office, as well as Gerald Ford's 37% low point in January and March 1975. John F. Kennedy's lowest approval rating was 56%; Dwight Eisenhower's was 48%.
Presidents George W. Bush (lowest approval rating: 25%), George H.W. Bush (29%), Ronald Reagan (35%), Jimmy Carter (28%), Richard Nixon (24%), Lyndon Johnson (35%) and Harry Truman (22%) all had job approval ratings lower than 36% at least once during their administrations.

Gallup,  here. 

Fake News Story #176: First he did; now he didn't

Earlier in the day: 
Daniel Politi / Slate:
Trump Reportedly Handed Merkel a $374 Billion Invoice for NATO


Later in the day:
Cynthia Kroet / Politico:

Germany didn't receive NATO invoice from Trump: government  —  There is no ‘debt account at NATO,’ says German government spokesman.  —  A spokesman for the German government on Monday denied media reports that U.S. President Donald Trump handed a multibillion-euro invoice to Chancellor Angela Merkel …

Alberto Nardelli / BuzzFeed:
The German Government Denies Reports That Trump Gave Merkel A NATO “Invoice”

Discussion: RedState, TheBlaze, Hot Air, John Hawkins' Right Wing News, The American Conservative, Politico, The Times & The Sunday Times, ThinkProgress and Mother Jones

I just bought a trailer, getting a boat, and preparing for life without a political party. Here's why:

Senator's Murkowshi (R-Alaska),  Collins (R-Main), may hold the future of the GOP and the Supreme Court.  It appears that neither Senator is willing to forego the filibuster rule.  A decision to continue the filibuster rule would kill all hope of changing the balance of power within the Court.  Nothing is certain, in this regard,  but early signs indicate their opposition,  a decision that would put the Democrats in charge of the future of the High Court. 

Add in the Freedom Caucus,  replete with it's "my way or the highway" legislative positioning,  and you have a GOP that is paralyzed and facing total extinction.   Understand that Middle America and the Rust Belt states, gave us the Trump Movement,  not the Freedom Caucus,  popular opinions aside. Trump changed all that,  and, with his victory,  moved the party away from a hardcore conservative ideology.

Time will tell, but, without more help from the non-traditional Trump wing of the party,  the warring factions of the GOP could spell the end of hope for a return to true patriotism.   The only unknown as to a conservative national future,  is Donald Trump.  It is entirely possible that the man can work through or around the Intractables (named above).  If he can't,  the commies and the Ideologues win,  and,  then we die. 

So we take a wait and see stance.  Just know that this blog is not and has never been an ideological publication.  Conservative?  Yes.  Patriotic?  Hell yes.   Republican?  No.  Democrat? Never again.  

But I just bought a trailer,  getting a boat,  and preparing for life without a political party.  







 

Fake News Story #175: As if this was ever going to happen.

Until Trump won the election,  the Dems had never even mentioned the need for reform. Still,  we have this idiot headline out of the NY Times:   Democrats, Buoyed by G.O.P. Health Defeat, See No Need to Offer Hand 

 Seriously,  did anyone wake up this morning surprised or shocked or suddenly disappointed after reading this bit of blather  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   I didn't think so.  

Clearly,  the Times had run out of real news or ad-buys,  so they put this ridiculous storyline into print, hence "#175."

'Nuff said, no?

We are watching the "normal" legislative season, not the stunning collapse of the Republican legislative agenda.

Wa/Post:   The stunning collapse of the Republican health-care bill now imperils the rest of President Trump’s ambitious congressional agenda, with few prospects for quick victory on tax reform, construction projects or a host of other issues in the months ahead despite complete GOP control of government.

NOTES:  So says the Wa/Post (and all other Left Wing minions in the media).  While there is some concern,  here,  the tone of the article is one of "panic."  I can't write "panic concern" because the Democrats are not concerned, at all.  They are gleeful,  almost giddy.  Keep in mind that the Left is now the party of European Socialism and United Nations Globalism,  when they write their opinions about the Patriotic Right.   

No one who is both objective and understanding of the legislative process, would call recent events a " . . . . .  stunning collapse of the Republican health-care bill."  For starters,  there is nothing  stunning about the legislative defeat   . . . .  about the temporary legislative defeat.   Defeat is always a possibility,  always.  I mean,  look at the passage of ObamaCare.  Talk about a "rookie mistake."  The Dems failed to pass their healthcare mess five   . . . .  count them "five times"  . .  . .   before the bill passed on with a 51 majority vote called the "nuclear option."  

Come on folks,  we are 70 days into the first 557 day legislative year,  for the GOP  (I stop counting with the last day of July, 2018 and the subsequent start of the mid-term campaign season).  In that same period of time, the Dems passed two huge stimulus bills, costing the taxpayers 1.7 billion dollars and accomplishing nothing, Obama Care signed March 23 of 2010  (it took then more than a year to pass that bill into law)  and the Dodd/Frank regulatory act that has destroyed our small banking industry  . . . . .   that's it.

We are watching the "normal" legislative season,  not the stunning collapse of the Republican legislative agenda.  Now,  in time,  the latter may be true,  but we have no way of knowing that until the end of July, 2018.  

What is the difference between Trump's "wiretap" and the NSA's "incidental surveillance?

What is the difference between Trump's "wiretap" and the NSA's "incidental surveillance?"   Not one damn thing.  

So he was right in making his charge that he was being "wiretapped."  

Can he prove that this was by Obama's orders?  

Seriously,  that is the question of the hour?  Good grief.  Does anyone think that Obama did not have access to all this incidental surveillance,  and,  more importantly,  that he would use it against his perceived enemies?  If you do not know the answer to that question,  apply for a news job at Fox and take over for Shep "Yes I am gay" Smith.  He doesn't know,  either.  

Here is the good - things are getting back to normal. Seriously and after 8 years with Duffus..

After WW II and just before Barack Hussein,  "normal was aggravating,  but we did not worry that much about our borders;  Sanctuary cities were virtually non-existent;  no one even dreamed that the air we breath would be considered a poisonous gas that needed to be regulated;  that grown men would pretend to change their sex  (it really can't be done,  you know);  Great Britain was our closed European ally and France pretty much hated us  (anyone remember Charles de Gaulle?  Race was becoming an issue of the past.  And running the federal government without a budget (the Obama Administration never passed a budget) or working outside Congress were strategies never before imagined.  

More than eight years ago,  mid-summer of 2008,  I began publishing Midknight Review.  Some Left wing commie punk plagiarized my blog name and pretended to be Republican using my blog's M.O.     And Google shut the blog down,  at the end of 2009.  I was down four days,  lost my readership and close to 2,000 articles   . . . . .   gone forever.  Began publishing again,  from scratch.  the day after Xmas and have not had another problem with Google,  since.   

Nearly 3 million pageviews and 14,000 articles later,  I am still standing,  but with one big difference:  Things politically speaking,  are getting back to normal (if any dare speak of Trump in those terms).  What I mean is this:  bills are being drafted,  sent to committees,  voted on in the House and Senate,  scored by the CBO.  Our flag is respected by those in High Office  (who would have thunk it) , and besides the childish rebellion of the Democrat Party,  there  just isn't that much to write about.  

I am happy to say that this blog is going part-time.  Unless the Dems actually shoot the President,  something many of those on the Left dream of doing,  the news is "regular" news,  the kind you can read about in the papers.  This blog is not a news site.  It is about political commentary and I will continue that function,  knowing that the demand will not be that great.  

I am proud of Midknight Review.  As small as it is,  it is still the largest ad-free political blog on the Net,  seriously.  

Just wanted you all to know that I will be talking to you from time to time   . . . .   short and sweet.  We got our country back for a time.  

I have business to take care of,  in L.A., over the next 5 days.  I will write about that which is timely.  It is a new day rising.  We have much for which to be thankful.   

Fake News Story #173: Bloomberg News pretends it knows what is in the mind of Donal Trump.

Bloomberg:

White House Preparing to Blame Ryan If Health Bill Fails, Official Says  —  But Trump says ‘yes’ when asked if Ryan should remain speaker  —  Legislation advances toward crucial House vote on Friday  —  In public, President Donald Trump is standing by House Speaker Paul Ryan over the Obamacare replacement bill.

Notes:  Here is the problem with the Bloomberg headline:  In a word,  there is no reason whatsoever to believe it is true or ever mirrored the President's thinking regarding Paul Ryan's leadership abilities.  

The "blame game" is almost exclusively,  a Democrat phenom.  Always has been. 

'Nuff said.    

All relationships that are successful require these four elements:

intensity

time 

trust 

 reciprocity 

True for marriage and especially true in the political arena.  The Hard Left and the Hard

Right need to learn/accept this lesson.  

Note to Freedom Caucus: Something is better than nothing.

Note to Freedom Caucus: Something is better than nothing.  That logic is, imo, irresistible.  To think that ObamaCare is better than the reform bill is simply not defensible.  

If the GOP did nothing but  take down the individual mandate,  that would make this bill infinitly better   . . . .  and the mandate is gone.  It is gone within the bill,  but more than that,  the mandate has been gone for two months,  now.  That happened with a Presidential Order to the IRS to no longer enforce the mandate,  ask for proof of ObamaCare membership,  or collect penalties.  

This is the genius of Trump.  The ObamaCare bill will collapse of its own weight,  if for no other reason than the fact that Trump has [already] taken away the mandate.  No mandate,  no penalties,  no forced membership,  no pathway to longevity.   

Here is the more important fact:  No tax bill,  no jobs bill,  no future for the GOP.  Healthcare reform is not at the top of the list.  Trust me. 

Update:  This blog recommends that the GOP pass the current reform bill and amend it later  . . . .  before the  2018 midterms.   The Freedom Caucus argues that the GOP does not lower costs.  News Flash:  While Caucus reps were promising a a zero sum game for healthcare,  that, OF COURSE, was never a possibility.  Maybe we can tie cost to inflation,  but there will be an increasing cost factor.  That is reality. 

After the Nunes' revelations, Krauthammer puts it all in context. But, know this, the Dems are back on the defensive.

Charles Krauthammer cautioned Fox News viewers Wednesday against jumping to conclusions after House Intelligence Committee Chairman Devin Nunes revealed President Trump’s personal communications may have been incidentally collected by the intelligence community during the 2016 campaign [and the surveillance did not involve the Russians]. 

“Well, we don’t know,” the Fox News analyst admitted in response to questioning from “Special Report” guest host James Rosen. “There’s so much about this Nunes report that we don’t know.”

“There appears to have been for sure illegal, if not illegal improper, unmasking of Americans,” the conservative pundit added. “We know that’s so because of the Flynn the unmasking.”

“What we didn’t know until today was, did it apply to others? Did it involve wiretaps that did not involve the Russians?” “We now know that is a yes,”

He continued. “But we don’t know if this is listening in on Trump operatives, on Trump himself, or whether it’s chatter by others about the Trump transition.”
“Until we know about those questions, we are in the dark, the same way the leading Democrat on the committee is in the dark.”

[No matter what,  we do know that Trump was surveilled  ~ editor]  

Read more: http://dailycaller.com/2017/03/23/krauthammer-hesitates-to-say-nunes-revelations-vindicate-trump-we-are-in-the-dark-video/#ixzz4cDq3VZiV

Adam Schiff, Rep. Nunes' "other half" on the House Inel Committee, just did EXACTLY what he criticized Nunes of doing . . . . . exactly.

Washington (CNN)    The top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee is claiming that he has been presented with new information on collusion between associates of President Donald Trump and Russia, suggesting "it's the kind of evidence" that a grand jury investigation would want to consider.

Notes:  Did this clown of a man include Nunes,  before he made his  announcement?   Did he present his revelation  to the committee for discussion before going public?  Did he decide to practice what he preached all day long?  

Will he apologize?   Of course not.  He is a Dimocrat. 

And while  he says "it's the kind of evidence" that a grand jury investigation would want to consider,"  he goes on to admit that it does not rise to the kind of evidence that would convict,  in a court of law.  

Clearly,  this is political hype,  being that it comes the day following Nunes' revelation and is the same type of "news" as that of Devon Nunes.    Schiff's  revelation is too coincidental to be anything other than a desperate lie designed to balance the scales.   Problem:  we will know soon enough which man is laying.  Guess who I have put my money on.  

I will talk to you all later.  I am going into the back bath and throw up for awhile. 

Hannity and Dobbs need to give it a rest. This is NOT an embarrassment at all. Rather, it IS the legislative process.

Dan Balz / Washington Post: A postponed health-care vote, a big GOP embarrassment and no good options ahead ......  So says the Wa/Post. 

Lets not forget that the GOP has been hard at it for 60 some odd days.  It took the Dims a year and two months to pass their health care/insurance reform bill and,  even then,  they had to give up on a 60 vote path to victory in the Senate in order to get it done   . . . . . . .  and what a stinking mess it has become. 
 
If you are a conservative,  you may be quick to point out that the GOP had eight years to get ready for this moment in history,  but that is besides my point.  Ready or not,  the Dims had nothing in hand when they began to work on their bill, and again,  it took them 14 to build a plan from scratch.  Ditto the GOP.

And,   who in the hell thought they were going to win the election, anyway?  Had Hillary won,  we were probably looking at 8 more years of ObamaCare,  and a transition away from that law would have been impossible   . . . . .   it nearly is now.  

So Hannity and Dobbs need to give it a rest.  This is NOT an embarrassment at all. Rather,  it IS the legislative process.   If they don't get the reform bill passed tomorrow,  Trump apparently wants to move to tax reform, and,  come back to health care in the summer.  

Obama Care will happen,  but Dobbs and Hannity and whoever else is screaming "The sky is falling,  the sky is falling" need to stop talking.  

I trust Trump and believe in his ability to succeed against the odds.  So lets just see how good and effective this man is.  I believe we are looking at our most effective President in modern times.  Could be wrong,  but I am willing to take a wait and see stance.   And you ?

Here is the Nunes bombshell:

We Cannot Rule Out That Sr. Obama Officials Were Involved in Trump Surveillance

 And what is the Democrat response to this news?  To object that Nunes did not go to the committee first!!   Never mind the report itself.  

And had he gone to the committee first,  then what?  Immediate leaks complete with propaganda rationalization  . . .   that's what. How do I know?  Because that is exactly what the Dems are doing as I write this post.    None of this blow changes the fact that Trump is vindicated in principle.  

Hail to the Chief !

Mady Rose update: An aspiring model attempting to survive in a very competitive world.

Madson Houseman

4873 followers.

News Flash: There will not be a vote today. Question: Why the panic on the GOP side? Kind of silly, I think.

Why the panic on the GOP side?  Kind of silly,  I think.  Yes,  just plain silly.  And here is why:  A "no" vote today simply means that the GOP will have to have more than one vote for approval.  The Dims canceled 5 scheduled votes before switching to the nuclear option and its 51 majority to pass Obama Care.  

Everyone knows that this about the future of the GOP.  It has to pass and,  like it or not,  the Freedom Caucus has to teach its base the value and inescapable need for com promise,  knowing that a compromised passage can be amended in the future,  and I am talking about the 2018 future.  

Schumer seems determined to commit suicide when it comes to party politics. Good for him.

Chuck Schumer:  “After careful deliberation I have concluded that I cannot support Judge Neil Gorsuch’s nomination to the Supreme Court,” 

Truns out that Schumer is now saying that Gorsuch's selection to the High Court would change the balance of power on the court.  Keep in mind that this moron apparently has forgotten that Gorsuch is a replacement for Justice Scalia.  There is simply no genuine way Gorsuch changes the balance of power.  

But I am fine with this.  We have assurances form McConnell  that Gorsuch "will be approved" making it likely that the filibuster will be taken off the table.  

One would think that the Dems would wait until the second justice replacement  . . . .   one that would, indeed,  change the balance of power of the Supreme Court.  

Mitch McConnell would be less tempted to refuse to honor the filibuster for following nominees if the filibuster is not used in the Gorsuch case.  Most conservatives know that McConnell is unwilling to change Senate tradition,  but,  in this case,  he really has no choice.  And if he pursues that demand,  the likelihood to make the 51 vote a new standard for the Senate is greatly increased.

One final thought:  I believe that if Schumer came to McConnell, today,  and said,  "Let's make a deal.  We will not use the filibuster against Gorsuch if you promise to leave the filibuster in place for all future nominees,"  Mitch McConnell would agree.  But he cannot agree if Schumer is serious about using the filibuster to defeat Gorsuch.  THAT would change the balance of power as it has been judicially defined over the years, and Mitch McConnell does not want his name attached to that calamity. 

Fake News item #172: Trump is an operative of the Russian governmnet.

US officials: Info suggests Trump associates may have coordinated with Russians  -  a CNN headline. 

The propaganda machine is running 24/7/365 at CNN.  Now,  in spite of the fact that more intel agents disagree with this report than agree,  still,  CNN feels it has no choice, as an operative of the Progressive European Socialist Party,  but to do what it can to counter the real news of the day,  that the Obama Administration had implicitly involved itself in the unmasking of a number of GOP personnel.  

 It no longer takes an investigative genius to prove Obama's leadership in the Russian/Trump story.  He declassified secret documents and assign the task of placing these documents  in common files,  easily accessible to his operatives.  He took down the wall between the several intelligence agencies making is more probable that this "incriminating" evidence be shared on a wide scale,  and leaked  (illegally) to the Marxist Media.  He did all that.  We know,  because none of this could have happened without his approval as President   . . . . .   period.  

Besides,  who is really working with the Russians?  I mean,  did you know that the Russians are in this country mining our Uranium thanks to Obama/Hillary giving the Russians 20% of our Uranium reserves?  From my perspective,  this is an act of treason.  Did you know that Barack cancelled the missile defense systems to be built in Poland and the New Czech Republic because Putin was upset with this Bush era treatise?  The decision was unilateral and against the will of those two countries.   

Who leaned forward to tell the President of Russia,  "Tell Putin I will be more flexible after the elections 2012)?  Of course,  it was Barack.  

Who came up with the Russian reset?  Barack/Hillary.  Who laughed out loud when Romney suggested that our most profound modern day enemy is/was Russia?  

With all this in mind,  it is more than laughable that the Dems would dare to pretend that they are anti-Russian.  

Now you know the truth.  

Breaking News: Trump was right about being surveilled . . . . and it just be a rather involved bit of sedition.

Chairman Nunes speaking this afternoon around 1 pm pt, in a hastily scheduled presser:  

Nunes:   Today I was  briefed the President on the concerns I had about incidental collections and how it relates to President elect Trump and his transition team   . . . .   will be more information on Friday  . . . .  the NSA is cooperating very very well  . . . .  the reports that I was able to see did not have anything to do with Russia or the Russian investigation or ties to the Trump team.

Why do you think your announce is appropriate in view of Trump's alleged involvement?    

Answer: Because what I saw has nothing to do with Russia and nothing to do with the Russian investigation  . . .  has everything to do with possible surveillance activity and the President needs to know that these intelligence reports are out there and I have a duty to tell him that.

Were these investigations under FISA orders?

It appears so.  I don't want to get too much into those details,  but these were intelligence reports  and it brings up a lot of concerns about whether things were properly minimalized  or not , but I will tell you I have only seen some,  they are in the dozens  . . . .  and we do not know who ordered the unmasking of additional names.

Are you suggesting that this was for political purposes? 

What I have read bothers me and should and I think should bother the President himself and his team because I think some of it seems to be inappropriate . . . .

Does this go beyond the surveillance of General Flynn?

Well,  it definitely goes beyond what happened to General Flynn.  Now, of course,  we don't actually know yet what officially happened to General Flynn.  We just know that his name leaked out.    But we don't know how it was picked up yet.  That is one of the things we asked about in our March 15 letter was for the NIA, CIA and FBI to get us all the unmasking that was done.  The NSA is being cooperative but so far,  the FBI has not told us whether or not they are going to respond to our March 15 letter,  which is now a couple of weeks old.  

Does this go to what the President was talking.
What I have read seems to me to be some level of surveillance activity, perhaps legal,  but I don't know if it is right and I don't know if the American people would be comfortable with what I've read , but let us get all the reports  . . .
Does this mean that the President was correct in what he charges?

It is possible.  (!!!!!!!!!!!) 

Was Trump's phone wiretapped, then?

No.

Did Obama order any order any kind of surveillance of trum? 

We don't know who sent the taskings, if the taskings were changed into what went into these intelligence reports.  But we are going to try to find that out   . . . . .  incidental collections about where the President himself and others in the Trump transition team were clearly put into intelligence reports that ended up at this White House and across a whole bunch of other agencies.  And I thought it was important that the President should know this.  






 Note:  I recorded the general questions but took pains to reproduce Chairman Nunes answers word for word ~ editor.   

Update:  Keep in mind that on March 1, of 2017,  we learned that Obama left a trail in formation concerning Trump and Russia in unclassified files across several intel agencies. Why?  Axios.com has this answer:  "Why they did it: to 'leave a clear trail' for investigators, and preserve intelligence that might otherwise have been swept aside once Trump took office."      Combine this with the Jan 16, 2017 Executive Memo that allowed sharing between federal agencies more easily done,  and you have increased the opportunity to smear President Trump   . . . .   which is exactly what has happened. 
_____________________
Related article:

Next: Obama administration signs off on wider data-sharing for NSA

https://nakedsecurity.sophos.com/.../obama-administration-signs-off-on-wider-data-sh...

Jan 16, 2017 - Obama administration signs off on wider data-sharing for NSA ... The new rules mean that the FBI, the CIA, the DEA, and intelligence agencies of the US military's branches and more, will be able to ... switches abroad, as well as messages between people abroad that cross domestic network switches.

It may turn out that President Trump is kinda right when he charges his offices were "wiretapped."

BREAKING NEWS: Republican intelligence committee chairman says Obama administration surveillance collected 'incidental' info on Trump's transition team – but isn't prepared to call it 'spying'

• Devin Nunes stunned Washington by suggesting that President Donald Trump was right – sort of – when he claimed he was 'wiretapped' by Obama
• Intelligence collected on his transition team was 'incidental,' meaning Trump's insiders weren't targeted
• But 'dozens of reports' from inside the U.S. Intelligence Community confirm that the Obama administration's surveillance swept up Trump's people in its net
• Nunes said there were names 'unmasked' by the intel reports, which are supposed to black out names of Americans who are not investigative targets

The U.S. Intelligence Community collected 'incidental' information about President Donald Trump's transition team – and possibly about Trump himself – during the three months following the 2016 election, according to House Intelligence Committee chairman Devin Nunes.

Nones told reporters that the information collected was 'legally collected' pursuant to a warrant issued by a FISA judge in a federal court, and concerned 'foreign' surveillance.

But that 'did not involve Russia or any discussions with Russians,' Nunes said, adding that he was 'alarmed' to learn what he did.

Trump has insisted in recent weeks that his predecessor Barack Obama 'wire tapped' him inside Trump Tower last year, promising that new information would be forthcoming.

Based on Nunes' evaluation, the surveillance would have occurred while Obama was still president. Nunes said he has seen no evidence that Trump Tower was surveilled, which was one of Trump's contentions. 

This week Nunes' Committee, along with its counterpart in the U.S. Senate, concluded that no evidence existed to support Trump's allegation.

FBI Director James Comey said much the same thing.

But Nunes said Wednesday that U.S. intelligence reports brought to him by unnamed sources include 'significant information' about Trump and his transition team.

Nunes has briefed House Speaker Paul Ryan, CIA Director Mike Pompeo and NSA Director Mike Rogers. He said will soon share his findings with Comey and the White House.

'I've seen dozens of reports,' Nunes said. 'I don't know if there are more than that ... I'm going to go to the White House and tell them what I've seen.'

'If they don't have it,' he added, 'they need to see it.'

'It's all classified information,' he said, and 'has nothing to do with any criminal investigation. This is normal incidental collection, at least from what I was able to read.' 

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4339602/There-gov-t-surveillance-Trump-s-transition-team.html#ixzz4c4zFus2H
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Fake News #171 (and this is a real laugher).

Blair Miller / TheDenverChannel.com:

Former Colorado GOP chairman Steven Curtis charged with voter fraud  —  WELD COUNTY, Colo. - The former chairman of the Colorado Republican Party is charged with forgery and voter fraud for allegedly forging his wife's mail-in ballot from last year's election, according to court records and sources.

 

Notes:  Good grief.  The man forged his wife's signature on a mail-in ballot.  Good for him.  It proves the man has a successful marriage.  This is only a headline.  Does anyone think the man is up for 15 years in prison?  What we have,  here,  is borderline mental retardation when it comes Democrat politics   . . . .    and these clowns think they are the superior intellectual cabal in our nation.  Like I said,  "Good grief."  

The Tinfoil Caps crowd has takeover the Democrat Party.

Associated Press:

AP Exclusive: Manafort had plan to benefit Putin government  —  WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump's former campaign chairman, Paul Manafort, secretly worked for a Russian billionaire to advance the interests of Russian President Vladimir Putin a decade ago and proposed … 

 

Notes:  Key word in the above headline is the past tense "had."  In other words,  the  AP is admitting that the "plan" did not continue (as in "it failed").   

 

The notion that Manafort was a Russian operative working for the interests of Vladimir Putin is counter to the provable fact that Manafort was a business magnet working in Russia to advance his own personal wealth interests,  that benefiting Putin was incidental to that fact.  Never mind the fact that Trump fired him precisely because he (Manafort) could not untangle himself from his Russian business entanglements.  Never mind that he worked with the Trump campaign for just three months.  Never mind the fact that the two men (Trump/Manafort) were not friends before his selection as Manager, and,  did not continue a relationship after the dismissal.  

 

Understand that in Trump,  we have the first successful, international,  business man as President,  in our national history.  Virtually everyone he knows is a successful international business type.   The Chuck Schumer/Bernie Sanders/Elizabeth Warren/Barack Obama/Hillary Clinton's of the world,  have no clue as to successful big business management  . . . .   emphasis on "no clue."  That is why they went into politics   . . .   to "get rich" when they couldn't do so in the private arena.  

 

Of course the Left will argue that these folks went into politics to "save the world" from the evil "for profit"   business "slave masters."   The problem with this argument is obvious:  They all became rich after entering politics AND because of politics   . . . . .   so,  of course,  their entry into politics was ultimately for the purpose self aggrandizement.   

 

The tide is already turning.  The Dems are wearing this Russian Connection charge into the ground as Trump's popularity is beginning to rise   . . . . .   evidence that the public is growing weary of all this baseless hysteria. 

 

Now you know.