01/31/20

The United States of Impeachment

It is Friday, a bit before 4:00 PM CST. Senator Murkowski of Alaska has announced she is opposed to seeking more witnesses in the Impeachment Trial of President Donald J Trump.

In this Senator Murkowski joins Senator Lamar Alexander, thereby leaving Cocaine Mitch and the Republicans with a worst case scenario of 51-49 which embraces the notion that Senator Mitt Romney and Senator Susan Collins (both nominally Republicans, though the disguise is no longer believable, just switch parties and get over it) will vote to seek additional witnesses.

That 51-49 total does not make any allowance for the votes of Senator Joe Manchin, Senator Doug Jones, or Senator Krysten Sinema — all Democrats thought to be considering jumping ship from their party and voting to disavow witnesses. [I predict they do not jump ship.]

While the vote is about “witnesses,” it is really a proxy for the dismissal of all charges against President Donald J Trump, thereby leaving him in office until the end of this term and on the ballot to be re-elected in November 2020.

Thus ends the impeachment and trial of President Trump. Much ado about nothing.

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01/31/20

Corona Virus — A Bad Feeling

My Spider Sense (which is stronger than 100 acres of garlic) is tingling as the world deals with the Corona Virus. Here is a depiction of the culprit. Ugly bug, no?

There is no evidence that the Corona Virus is spread by Corona Beer, though considerable research continues on this logical connection. If I were not so spooked by Mexico these days, I would take a sabbatical to study it myself.

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01/29/20

The Surprising State of American Satisfaction

 

I am a huge skeptic of polls as most of the polls are poorly constructed. The poorly designed samples doom the accuracy of the polls. The exception to that rule is Rassmussen and Gallup.

Of the two, I place more confidence in Rasmussen as it relates to political polls and in Gallup as it relates to “state of the state” type polls.

I was flabbergasted to read a recent late January 2020 poll from Gallup. Here is the data they report. It is quite surprising to me how favorably the country views the presidency of Donald J Trump. Nobody would ever have thought this based on the media. I am a policy guy, using the effectiveness of policy as my personal yardstick to evaluate satisfaction.

Take a look at this info which is take directly from the poll. See if you are as surprised as me?

Changes in Americans’ Satisfaction With Issues

Since Start of Trump Presidency

 

Jan 2017 Jan 2020 Change
Increased satisfaction
The state of the nation’s economy 46% 68% +22%
The nation’s security from terrorism 50 68 +18
The nation’s military strength and preparedness 66 81 +15
The state of race relations 22 36 +14
The nation’s policies to reduce or control crime 38 47 +9
The position of blacks and other racial minorities in the nation 37 46 +9
The way income and wealth are distributed in the U.S. 35 43 +8
The opportunity for a person in this nation to get ahead by working hard 66 72 +6
Satisfaction steady
The overall quality of life 80 84 +4
The influence of organized religion 56 59 +3
The nation’s energy policies 41 44 +3
Our system of government and how well it works 40 43 +3
Government regulation of businesses and industries 38 41 +3
The size and influence of major corporations 39 41 +2
The moral and ethical climate 31 32 +1
The quality of medical care in the nation 52 52 0
The nation’s laws or policies on guns 42 42 0
The nation’s efforts to deal with poverty and homelessness 23 22 -1
The role the U.S. plays in world affairs 45 43 -2
The size and power of the federal government 40 38 -2
The amount Americans pay in federal taxes 39 37 -2
The availability of affordable healthcare 39 37 -2
The quality of public education in the nation 37 35 -2
The acceptance of gays and lesbians in the nation 59 56 -3
The Social Security and Medicare systems 47 43 -4
Decreased satisfaction
The quality of the environment in the nation 52 46 -6
The level of immigration into the country today 41 35 -6
The nation’s policies regarding the abortion issue 39 32 -7

What do you think? Does it surprise you how high the general level of satisfaction is during the three years of the Trump admin? I am truly flabbergasted.

 

01/25/20

New Job Application

This is a copy of a letter I sent to Her Royal Highness, Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth, applying for a job at Buckingham Palace. There have been some personnel changes and she is looking outside the box for some fresh blood. Maybe I am that fresh blood?

Image result for images the queen

21 January 2020

Your Majesty,

Thank you, Ma’am, for taking my call and inviting me to present my credentials for the position we discussed. I really enjoyed chatting and think we established a rapport that may come in handy. I am confident I can represent the Royal Family in a manner that will add to the luster of you royals. [Not exactly running the high hurdles with Charles, Andrew, and Harry, eh? JK]

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01/22/20

Legacy Companies Are Not Stupid

Comes now one of my least favorite companies: Blue Apron. I have been a critic of Blue Apron for an extended period of time. Today, we talk disruption and its push back implications.

We have spoken of them thrice before:

Blue Apron Stormy Waters Ahead

Blue Apron And The Meal Kit Delivery Genie

Blue Apron V Red Apron

I will not whip up on Blue Apron as I have before. Today, I will use it for another purpose.

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01/20/20

The Impeachment

We are on the verge of the first day of the impeachment trial of President Donald J Trump and, thus, I feel the necessity to say something of portent on the subject. I will try to be evenhanded, fair, and like Nancy Pelosi, wield a big hammer.

Fancy Nancy contemplating using her gavel on President Trump’s . . . . ?

This may be harder than I thought.

The Harlem Globetrotters and The Impeachment

The Harlem Globetrotters play the Washington Generals in displays of athleticism, sport, and comedy, but the Harlem Globetrotters always, always, always win. When you go to a Globetrotters game, you know the outcome before the tip.

This is how I feel about The Impeachment. I know the outcome. The Washington Generals will not win. Again. Yawn.

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01/20/20

Persuasion

I read and listen to a lot of current events, news, sports, and I am interested in politics. There is a trend that I am concerned with — the total lack of persuasion in the message.

I see this in, of course, politics, but also such things as the climate debate and the discussion of world terrorism or Texas v North Carolina BBQ.

I found LSU’s thrashing of Clemson very persuasive.

Persuasion is that seductive, inveigling bit of cajoling that entices one to adopt a specific view of things, or a matter of policy, or an opinion. In its most pure form, it is the noble art of information. In is basest form it is a kissing cousin of propaganda.

I find persuasion to be a skill of smart people.

If you are a traditional Aristotelian devotee, you may be tempted to blurt out: ethos, logos, pathos. I am with you, brother and sister.

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