hotair--2020-09-07--Navy cancels religious-service contracts -- leaving Catholics in the lurch

Jesus saves … but the US Navy cuts .
In a strange budget maneuver , the Navy has decided to end its contracts with outside ministries to provide religious services to its officers and enlisted personnel , relying instead entirely on its chaplain corps .
That has the material effect of curtailing access to Catholic Masses , a point noticed in San Diego by the Union-Tribune .
It appears that the policy is nationwide , however : Catholic Masses at San Diego-area Navy bases have ended because the Navy , in what it says is a cost-cutting move , has @ @ @ @ @ @ @ priests , and there are not enough Catholic chaplains on active duty to fill the void .
Protestant services on bases , which are led by active duty chaplains , will continue , said Brian O ’ Rourke , a Navy Region Southwest spokesman .
The changes to the Navy ’ s religious ministries are part of a national realignment announced on Aug. 20 .
It is unclear how many priests this will affect .
… While the Navy has an active duty component of clergy — the Chaplain Corps — the number @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , reflecting a worldwide shortage of Catholic priests .
To make up for that shortage , the service contracted with priests to lead Catholic services on U.S. bases .
Those contracts are the ones being canceled .
The net effect is that Catholics on Navy bases in the US no longer have access to on-base Mass .
( Overseas bases and ships at sea will continue to have Catholic Mass . )
That matters , Navy personnel say , because that gave them a sense of heightened community that simply going out to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The disparity between access to religious services will also undermine morale and the sense of broader community on naval bases , as Catholics will certainly see this as differential treatment .
One priest whose contract got canceled plans to raise those issues more publicly : “ One issue is discrimination ( and ) another is the violation of your right to practice your religion , ” Rev .
Jose Pimentel , a priest who has led services at Naval Base Coronado and Naval Air Station North Island for eight years , said when @ @ @ @ @ @ @ notified Aug. 19 that the Navy would not exercise the final two years of his contract , citing “ funding constraints.
” “ It ’ s hard to quantify what I do , ” Pimentel said , saying he ’ s done everything from performing weddings and baptisms to counseling families of service members who died by suicide .
“ I ’ m a 25-year veteran of the Navy and Air Force , so I can provide a certain level of support they wouldn ’ t get from the civilian side.
” The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ legally .
In terms of public relations , though , it ’ s likely to be a very effective argument .
Pimentel alone had a congregation on base that he estimated as between 250-400 people a week , who will not be served fully by the Navy ’ s chaplain corps of Protestants and other faith ministers .
It ’ s true that Catholic chaplains are tough to get , in large part because of a priest shortage in the US , but that doesn ’ t mitigate the Navy ’ s role @ @ @ @ @ @ @ its personnel in an equal manner .
Contracts with local parishes to get them to extend their already-stretched-thin priest resources to serve the Navy ’ s needs makes sense , even from a budgetary standpoint — unless the Navy thinks it ’ s cheaper to replace the Catholics who decide not to re-enlist after cutting off their access to on-base Masses .
The Navy insists that this is nothing more than a cost-saving decision .
If so , it ’ s a strange place to look for budget savings .
How much will @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ?
It looks a little bit like the Pentagon ’ s strange and now rescinded decision to save $ 15 million a year by closing Stars And Stripes — pennywise and pound foolish .
The damage to morale alone will outweigh the paltry amount that the Navy will end up saving in its nine-figure budget .
Maybe they could do better by buying three fewer hammers a year !
I kid , I kid … One has to suspect that Donald Trump might intervene in this decision , as he did with Stars @ @ @ @ @ @ @ about the Catholic vote already in this election , and Joe Biden is already trying to leverage his Catholic identity to win more swing voters .
Ordering a reversal on this policy would be an easy and nearly cost-free way of reaching out to both Catholics and the military rank and file .
Let ’ s see if the campaign is paying attention .

Jesus saves … but the US Navy cuts. In a strange budget maneuver, the Navy has decided to end its contracts with outside ministries to provide religious services to its officers and enlisted personnel, relying instead entirely on its chaplain corps. That has the material effect of curtailing access to Catholic Masses, a point noticed in San Diego by the Union-Tribune. It appears that the policy is nationwide, however:
Catholic Masses at San Diego-area Navy bases have ended because the Navy, in what it says is a cost-cutting move, has declined to renew its contracts with Catholic priests, and there are not enough Catholic chaplains on active duty to fill the void. Protestant services on bases, which are led by active duty chaplains, will continue, said Brian O’Rourke, a Navy Region Southwest spokesman. The changes to the Navy’s religious ministries are part of a national realignment announced on Aug. 20. It is unclear how many priests this will affect. … While the Navy has an active duty component of clergy — the Chaplain Corps — the number of Catholic priests among them is small, reflecting a worldwide shortage of Catholic priests. To make up for that shortage, the service contracted with priests to lead Catholic services on U.S. bases. Those contracts are the ones being canceled.
The net effect is that Catholics on Navy bases in the US no longer have access to on-base Mass. (Overseas bases and ships at sea will continue to have Catholic Mass.) That matters, Navy personnel say, because that gave them a sense of heightened community that simply going out to off-base parishes won’t provide. The disparity between access to religious services will also undermine morale and the sense of broader community on naval bases, as Catholics will certainly see this as differential treatment.
One priest whose contract got canceled plans to raise those issues more publicly:
“One issue is discrimination (and) another is the violation of your right to practice your religion,” Rev. Jose Pimentel, a priest who has led services at Naval Base Coronado and Naval Air Station North Island for eight years, said when reached by phone Friday. Pimentel was notified Aug. 19 that the Navy would not exercise the final two years of his contract, citing “funding constraints.” “It’s hard to quantify what I do,” Pimentel said, saying he’s done everything from performing weddings and baptisms to counseling families of service members who died by suicide. “I’m a 25-year veteran of the Navy and Air Force, so I can provide a certain level of support they wouldn’t get from the civilian side.”
The discrimination tack will be a hard sell legally. In terms of public relations, though, it’s likely to be a very effective argument. Pimentel alone had a congregation on base that he estimated as between 250-400 people a week, who will not be served fully by the Navy’s chaplain corps of Protestants and other faith ministers. It’s true that Catholic chaplains are tough to get, in large part because of a priest shortage in the US, but that doesn’t mitigate the Navy’s role in tending to the religious life of its personnel in an equal manner. Contracts with local parishes to get them to extend their already-stretched-thin priest resources to serve the Navy’s needs makes sense, even from a budgetary standpoint — unless the Navy thinks it’s cheaper to replace the Catholics who decide not to re-enlist after cutting off their access to on-base Masses.
The Navy insists that this is nothing more than a cost-saving decision. If so, it’s a strange place to look for budget savings. How much will the Navy save by cutting these contracts? It looks a little bit like the Pentagon’s strange and now rescinded decision to save $15 million a year by closing Stars And Stripes — pennywise and pound foolish. The damage to morale alone will outweigh the paltry amount that the Navy will end up saving in its nine-figure budget.
Maybe they could do better by buying three fewer hammers a year! I kid, I kid …
One has to suspect that Donald Trump might intervene in this decision, as he did with Stars and Stripes. The campaign is worried about the Catholic vote already in this election, and Joe Biden is already trying to leverage his Catholic identity to win more swing voters. Ordering a reversal on this policy would be an easy and nearly cost-free way of reaching out to both Catholics and the military rank and file. Let’s see if the campaign is paying attention.


hotair--2020-09-07--Rochester, New York is now trying to turn into Portland

While this story hasn ’ t garnered as much national attention as George Floyd or Jason Blake , it ’ s quickly picking up steam .
Back in March of this year , Daniel Prude , a 41-year-old Black man from Rochester , New York , died after being taken into police custody .
The fact that he was naked in the middle of a street ( obviously unarmed ) and that the police had put a bag over his head until he was apparently asphyxiated made for an ugly set of visuals .
He was pronounced brain dead at @ @ @ @ @ @ @ week later .
Recently , video of Prude ’ s arrest showed up in the media and the response since then has grown like wildfire , following a similar pattern that we ’ ve seen in Portland , Minneapolis , Kenosha and other locations .
The first night after the video went viral , a few dozen protesters showed up near a local police precinct .
By Saturday night , their numbers had grown into the thousands and the police were under direct , physical assault .
But as with so many of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the tale of Prude ’ s demise than might first meet the eye .
( NY Post ) Police fired tear gas and pepper balls at the biggest protest so far in upstate New York over the death of Daniel Prude — with at least three cops injured and nine people arrested by early Sunday .
At least 1,500 protesters took to the streets of Rochester Saturday for the fourth night of protests since disturbing video emerged of 29-year-old Prude ’ s death in March that will now be investigated by a grand @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hit with bottles and ordering the crowd to disperse , ” the force said in a statement .
Three officers were “ treated at local hospitals for injuries sustained as a result of projectiles and incendiary devices which were launched against them , ” Lt. Greg Bello told the Democrat & Chronicle .
Here ’ s some video of the protests and rioting from social media .
In trying to get to the bottom of what started all of this mayhem , we need to look more closely at what happened on the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Why was he naked in such relatively cool/cold weather ?
What drew the attention of the cops ?
We have since learned that Mr. Prude was suspected of having mental health issues and had been “ repeatedly in contact with law enforcement.
” As it turns out , Prude was heavily under the influence of PCP , and his own brother had called 911 after growing alarmed over his “ erratic behavior.
” The cops had already taken him into custody earlier the same day for a mental health evaluation “ because @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to a hospital where he stayed for a few hours for the evaluation , but then he was released on his own recognizance .
In the original video ( linked above ) , you can hear Prude spouting all manner of incomprehensible nonsense , including yelling for the police officers to “ look at ” his genitals .
He was quickly handcuffed and seemed to be under control , though he was still acting out in an unpredictable fashion .
So why did he wind up with a hood over his head ?
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ , and during the era of COVID-19 , that ’ s a safety concern , so a “ spit hood ” was placed over his head .
His face was pressed into the ground for approximately two minutes until he eventually stopped struggling .
But is that what killed him ?
When the ambulance arrives , you can hear the paramedic telling the police officers that they weren ’ t responsible , saying that “ PCP causes ‘ excited delirium ’ and I guarantee you that ’ s why he coded.
” The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s death was a homicide , but offered what seemed like conflicting factors in what caused it .
They ruled that it was caused by “ complications of asphyxia in the setting of physical restraint , excited delirium [ and ] acute phencyclidine [ PCP ] intoxication , ” So which was it ?
The hood over his head or the PCP ?
Or some combination of both ?
It ’ s going to require a full investigation to determine if the officers ’ handling of Prude during the arrest contributed to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was any malice or at least negligence involved .
In the meantime , three police officers have been hospitalized and fires and looting are breaking out around Rochester , New York after six straight nights of unrest .
As we ’ ve seen in other cities , Mayor Lovely Warren has already gone on television to promise police reforms in the face of the spiraling unrest .
She has moved the city ’ s crisis intervention team out of the police department and into the Department of Youth and Recreation Services .
She @ @ @ @ @ @ @ officers who were involved with the arrest pending a full investigation .
Stay tuned .
I have a feeling that we ’ re going to be hearing a lot more out of Rochester in the coming days and weeks .

While this story hasn’t garnered as much national attention as George Floyd or Jason Blake, it’s quickly picking up steam. Back in March of this year, Daniel Prude, a 41-year-old Black man from Rochester, New York, died after being taken into police custody. The fact that he was naked in the middle of a street (obviously unarmed) and that the police had put a bag over his head until he was apparently asphyxiated made for an ugly set of visuals. He was pronounced brain dead at a local hospital and died roughly one week later.
Recently, video of Prude’s arrest showed up in the media and the response since then has grown like wildfire, following a similar pattern that we’ve seen in Portland, Minneapolis, Kenosha and other locations. The first night after the video went viral, a few dozen protesters showed up near a local police precinct. By Saturday night, their numbers had grown into the thousands and the police were under direct, physical assault. But as with so many of these stories, there is more to the tale of Prude’s demise than might first meet the eye. (NY Post)
Police fired tear gas and pepper balls at the biggest protest so far in upstate New York over the death of Daniel Prude — with at least three cops injured and nine people arrested by early Sunday. At least 1,500 protesters took to the streets of Rochester Saturday for the fourth night of protests since disturbing video emerged of 29-year-old Prude’s death in March that will now be investigated by a grand jury… “Officers remained steadfast while being hit with bottles and ordering the crowd to disperse,” the force said in a statement. Three officers were “treated at local hospitals for injuries sustained as a result of projectiles and incendiary devices which were launched against them,” Lt. Greg Bello told the Democrat & Chronicle.
Here’s some video of the protests and rioting from social media.
Oh my God, Rochester right now. Demanding justice for Daniel Prude. https://t.co/5K6KAZ2Vof — Joshua Potash (@JoshuaPotash) September 5, 2020
Protesters in Rochester have become organized within just a few days. Here they practice with their shields before approaching the police barricade. #rochester #rochesterprotests #DanielPrude pic.twitter.com/MfjANM0FUZ — Maranie R. Staab (@MaranieRae) September 7, 2020
In trying to get to the bottom of what started all of this mayhem, we need to look more closely at what happened on the night that Prude encountered the Rochester police. Why was he naked in such relatively cool/cold weather? What drew the attention of the cops? We have since learned that Mr. Prude was suspected of having mental health issues and had been “repeatedly in contact with law enforcement.”
As it turns out, Prude was heavily under the influence of PCP, and his own brother had called 911 after growing alarmed over his “erratic behavior.” The cops had already taken him into custody earlier the same day for a mental health evaluation “because of suicidal thoughts.” Prude was taken to a hospital where he stayed for a few hours for the evaluation, but then he was released on his own recognizance.
In the original video (linked above), you can hear Prude spouting all manner of incomprehensible nonsense, including yelling for the police officers to “look at” his genitals. He was quickly handcuffed and seemed to be under control, though he was still acting out in an unpredictable fashion.
So why did he wind up with a hood over his head? Because he began spitting at the cops, and during the era of COVID-19, that’s a safety concern, so a “spit hood” was placed over his head. His face was pressed into the ground for approximately two minutes until he eventually stopped struggling. But is that what killed him? When the ambulance arrives, you can hear the paramedic telling the police officers that they weren’t responsible, saying that “PCP causes ‘excited delirium’ and I guarantee you that’s why he coded.”
The medical examiner would eventually determine that Prude’s death was a homicide, but offered what seemed like conflicting factors in what caused it. They ruled that it was caused by “complications of asphyxia in the setting of physical restraint, excited delirium [and] acute phencyclidine [PCP] intoxication,” So which was it? The hood over his head or the PCP? Or some combination of both?
It’s going to require a full investigation to determine if the officers’ handling of Prude during the arrest contributed to his death and whether or not there was any malice or at least negligence involved. In the meantime, three police officers have been hospitalized and fires and looting are breaking out around Rochester, New York after six straight nights of unrest. As we’ve seen in other cities, Mayor Lovely Warren has already gone on television to promise police reforms in the face of the spiraling unrest. She has moved the city’s crisis intervention team out of the police department and into the Department of Youth and Recreation Services. She also suspended all seven of the police officers who were involved with the arrest pending a full investigation.
Stay tuned. I have a feeling that we’re going to be hearing a lot more out of Rochester in the coming days and weeks.


hotair--2020-09-08--Lefty group secretly prepares for "post-Election Day political apocalypse"

No , it ’ s not a resurrection of the Journolist .
It ’ s not even an offshoot of the so-called Decency Collective .
This is something different , with less official MSM membership and more groups of liberal activists preparing for the coming “ political apocalypse ” if November 3rd results in anything other than a massive landslide win for Joe Biden .
Over at the Daily Beast , Sam Stein ( I know… ) looks at a recent virtual meeting of a secretive group of liberal activist leaders going by the moniker of the Fight Back Table @ @ @ @ @ @ @ adopted the lofty name of the “ Democracy Defense Nerve Center.
” The meeting was described as “ serious with a modestly panicked undertone , ” and the participants were working out plans for what to do in the aftermath of the election .
Most of you with a more normal grasp of reality are probably wondering what the big deal is .
After all , even if it takes a few weeks to count all of the mail-in ballots , we ’ ll eventually come up with a winner .
Either Trump @ @ @ @ @ @ @ will be sworn in next January .
One side will go away depressed and disappointed while the other takes a victory lap , right ?
Not so in the world of the Fight Back Table .
They ’ re convinced that Trump will refuse to leave office if the vote is even remotely close and his rabid , right-wing supporters will take to the streets with their “ assault weapons ” to tear down what little remains of the fabric of civil society .
“ I don ’ t know what the strategy @ @ @ @ @ @ @ up in polling places , ” the same source said .
“ This [ Kyle ] Rittenhouse guy is being lionized on the right , right now .
If it is being unleashed that you can shoot people and be a hero , I don ’ t know what preparation we can possibly do for that.
” Those involved in the conversation say this wide an array of groups has never coordinated so closely on these matters before .
And the fact that they were sitting down some two months in advance of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ how seriously they take the complications and threats Election Day poses .
“ It is very obvious that Trump is laying the groundwork for claiming victory no matter what , ” said Rahna Epting , executive director of MoveOn , and a participant in the FBT call .
“ Progressive groups at the end of the day believe in our democracy and , while it is not perfect , believe in building upon it and strengthening it .
And we will fight to protect it from what we truly see as a president @ @ @ @ @ @ @ taking this country down an authoritarian fascist path.
” This would almost be humorous if they clearly weren ’ t taking all of this so seriously .
But the questions raised during the call regarding what they should specifically do on election day and in the weeks to follow give us a bit of a glimpse into their thinking .
“ How you “ occupy s**t , hold space , and shut things down , not just on Election Day but for weeks ?
” They picture Trump doing everything from invoking the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ process and summoning his armed legions of conservative militant groups to clear the streets of righteously outraged liberals .
Actual evidence supporting this hypothetical scenario of massive conservative violence in the streets is slim at best , though the liberal activists have sadly been given a couple of tidbits to work with .
The shooting involving Kyle Rittenhouse is the one ace in the hole they ’ re desperately clinging to now , despite mounting evidence that Rittenhouse only fired when his own life was in danger .
There are also some incidents @ @ @ @ @ @ @ mixing things up with Antifa , but even that is some seriously weak tea .
At the same time , these liberal thought-leaders seem oblivious to the real destruction and mayhem that follows nearly everywhere the Black Lives Matter movement spurs their followers into the streets by the thousands and “ occupies ” blocks of real estate in major cities .
The looting , the arson , the assaults… it ’ s the same violent script playing out over and over again .
And yet , the elite of the socialist movement are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ over an armed conservative overthrow of the government ?
For what it ’ s worth , if Democrats manage to convince as many people to vote by mail as is currently anticipated , I see no way that we have a projected winner on the night of November 3rd .
And as the days drag by , I fully expect President Trump to do what he always does… mix it up on social media and demand a fair count with investigations into possible incidents of voter fraud .
And if he manages to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he ’ ll probably be issuing a sigh of relief on the inside as he peacefully relinquishes the office .
With the army of liberal media elites and deranged Democrats attacking him on a daily basis while fighting tooth and claw to thwart every element of his agenda , would anyone really want to keep doing that for another four years ?
Oh , he ’ ll do it if he wins .
I have no doubt about that .
But it doesn ’ t mean he ’ s always going to enjoy @ @

No, it’s not a resurrection of the Journolist. It’s not even an offshoot of the so-called Decency Collective. This is something different, with less official MSM membership and more groups of liberal activists preparing for the coming “political apocalypse” if November 3rd results in anything other than a massive landslide win for Joe Biden. Over at the Daily Beast, Sam Stein (I know…) looks at a recent virtual meeting of a secretive group of liberal activist leaders going by the moniker of the Fight Back Table. (But this particular assembly also adopted the lofty name of the “Democracy Defense Nerve Center.”
The meeting was described as “serious with a modestly panicked undertone,” and the participants were working out plans for what to do in the aftermath of the election. Most of you with a more normal grasp of reality are probably wondering what the big deal is. After all, even if it takes a few weeks to count all of the mail-in ballots, we’ll eventually come up with a winner. Either Trump will win a second term or Biden will be sworn in next January. One side will go away depressed and disappointed while the other takes a victory lap, right?
Not so in the world of the Fight Back Table. They’re convinced that Trump will refuse to leave office if the vote is even remotely close and his rabid, right-wing supporters will take to the streets with their “assault weapons” to tear down what little remains of the fabric of civil society.
“I don’t know what the strategy is when armed right-wing militia dudes show up in polling places,” the same source said. “This [Kyle] Rittenhouse guy is being lionized on the right, right now. If it is being unleashed that you can shoot people and be a hero, I don’t know what preparation we can possibly do for that.” Those involved in the conversation say this wide an array of groups has never coordinated so closely on these matters before. And the fact that they were sitting down some two months in advance of the election, was a testament to how seriously they take the complications and threats Election Day poses. “It is very obvious that Trump is laying the groundwork for claiming victory no matter what,” said Rahna Epting, executive director of MoveOn, and a participant in the FBT call. “Progressive groups at the end of the day believe in our democracy and, while it is not perfect, believe in building upon it and strengthening it. And we will fight to protect it from what we truly see as a president who has gone off the rails and taking this country down an authoritarian fascist path.”
This would almost be humorous if they clearly weren’t taking all of this so seriously. But the questions raised during the call regarding what they should specifically do on election day and in the weeks to follow give us a bit of a glimpse into their thinking. “How you “occupy s**t, hold space, and shut things down, not just on Election Day but for weeks?” They picture Trump doing everything from invoking the Insurrection Act to shutting down the vote-counting process and summoning his armed legions of conservative militant groups to clear the streets of righteously outraged liberals.
Actual evidence supporting this hypothetical scenario of massive conservative violence in the streets is slim at best, though the liberal activists have sadly been given a couple of tidbits to work with. The shooting involving Kyle Rittenhouse is the one ace in the hole they’re desperately clinging to now, despite mounting evidence that Rittenhouse only fired when his own life was in danger. There are also some incidents of the Proud Boys showing up and mixing things up with Antifa, but even that is some seriously weak tea.
At the same time, these liberal thought-leaders seem oblivious to the real destruction and mayhem that follows nearly everywhere the Black Lives Matter movement spurs their followers into the streets by the thousands and “occupies” blocks of real estate in major cities. The looting, the arson, the assaults… it’s the same violent script playing out over and over again. And yet, the elite of the socialist movement are sitting around during this conference call fretting over an armed conservative overthrow of the government?
For what it’s worth, if Democrats manage to convince as many people to vote by mail as is currently anticipated, I see no way that we have a projected winner on the night of November 3rd. And as the days drag by, I fully expect President Trump to do what he always does… mix it up on social media and demand a fair count with investigations into possible incidents of voter fraud. And if he manages to come out on the losing end, he’ll probably be issuing a sigh of relief on the inside as he peacefully relinquishes the office. With the army of liberal media elites and deranged Democrats attacking him on a daily basis while fighting tooth and claw to thwart every element of his agenda, would anyone really want to keep doing that for another four years? Oh, he’ll do it if he wins. I have no doubt about that. But it doesn’t mean he’s always going to enjoy it.


hotair--2020-09-08--McCain questions Sarah Sanders over Trump's words on military veterans

Sarah Huckabee Sanders has a book out now and is doing interviews to promote it , as authors do .
The former White House press secretary sat down with George Stephanopolous on Good Morning America and with the ladies of The View on Tuesday morning .
Before she did those first interviews , though , she released a video on her personal Twitter account .
The topic is the phony story of Trump ’ s disparaging words against the military and veterans .
She describes the story as “ malicious lies ” and a disgrace to journalism .
It ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ delivers a clear message .
Naturally , the trolls were quick to do their thing .
For example , a former Republican consultant who didn ’ t receive a position she interviewed for during the Trump transition in 2016 called Sarah a liar .
Oh , how original !
The woman who made her livelihood off Republican politics for several decades has been broken by Donald Trump .
Most notably , though , is a nasty reply from Joe Lockhart , Bill Clinton ’ s White House press secretary .
I mean , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it ’ s a Clinton administration – or insults to public service , amirite ?
This morning Sarah told ABC News chief anchor George Stephanopoulos that the anonymous sources for the story and negative comments from others are “ disgruntled employees ” who have “ have tried to push their own agenda.
” Stephanopoulos asked why former Trump administration Chief of Staff John Kelly , a retired general , has remained silent .
Her response was , “ That ’ s a question you ’ d have to ask General Kelly.
” She @ @ @ @ @ @ @ true of negative stories coming from the book written by Michael Cohen , Trump ’ s former personal attorney .
Sarah also was interviewed by the ladies of The View Tuesday morning .
Meghan McCain led off and Sarah provided a strong yet respectful response to Meghan ’ s questioning of what Sarah had to say about Trump ’ s remarks .
McCain mentioned she is not a fan of anonymous sources .
After explaining that her “ first instinct ” was to question the anonymous sources who told The Atlantic ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ losers ” and “ suckers ” —and complained that her family “ deserved a heads-up ” about the article—McCain said : “ The problem as I said before is the president has a pattern of saying incendiary things about people like my father , about people like the Khan family , about people like Col. Vindman.
” “ I think if this charge had been leveled anonymously against any other politician , I think people would second-guess it , ” she continued .
“ But because it ’ s about someone who @ @ @ @ @ @ @ veterans , people tend to believe it , which is why I think it has legs .
So I just want your perspective on it and I want to know if you understand my and other people ’ s perspective on it.
” Sarah said she was with the president during his trips around the world and often in the room as he made phone calls to families of fallen soldiers .
As she has done before , Huckabee Sanders insisted that she has never witnessed President Trump be anything but respectful towards @ @ @ @ @ @ @ every single day for two-and-a-half years with the president I can tell you I witnessed firsthand the president ’ s respect and admiration for the men and women of our armed forces.
” In regards to the allegations in The Atlantic article , the ex-flack—who once admitted to investigators that she lied to journalists about FBI agents supposedly cheering James Comey ’ s firing—added , “ I was one of the few in the room .
I ’ m not an anonymous source .
I ’ m going on the record and I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ t happen .
That ’ s not who this president is and that ’ s not how he feels about the men and women in our military.
” After Joy Behar asked Sarah specifically if she was standing next to Gen. Kelly at his son ’ s grave as Trump allegedly said , “ I don ’ t get it .
What was in it for them ?
” , Sarah said she was not .
Then Meghan took the interview back for more quizzing over her hurt feelings about Trump ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ It led to quite a lecture from Meghan , who is full of herself .
“ The problem is , Sarah , you were serving in the White House when President Trump decided to not have the flags raised when my father passed , which had very great outrage , ” McCain said .
“ You also probably know that I have spoken with President Trump on the phone in the past about issues like this .
I think he ’ s aware that there has been serious damage done by the criticism @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it ’ s not just about my family , but like I said , about the Khans and Col. Vindman.
” “ The problem with the story is it seems like something he would do , ” she continued .
“ And I don ’ t doubt that you ’ ve had experiences and I ’ ve seen videos with President Trump and troops and his family .
But this has not been my experience .
For me and my brothers who serve , we do not feel respected .
We ’ re @ @ @ @ @ @ @ feel respected by this president.
” “ I understand you have to do a job because you are his surrogate and you are his supporter , ” McCain concluded .
“ But at least concede that it has to be very uncomfortable to have this kind of conversation with me right now.
” Sarah acknowledged that “ There ’ s no denying the fact that not only did Donald Trump dislike your father , your father disliked the president ” but she went on to say that despite their heated discussions , Trump @ @ @ @ @ @ @ last word as the interview concluded .
“ And I can say from my experience having watched him over and over and over , I totally disagree with you , ” she replied .
Whoopi lives in a very liberal bubble so her remark is on point with her normal opinions .
None of the women on the show are Trump supporters and I hand it to Sarah for giving them an interview .

Sarah Huckabee Sanders has a book out now and is doing interviews to promote it, as authors do. The former White House press secretary sat down with George Stephanopolous on Good Morning America and with the ladies of The View on Tuesday morning.
Before she did those first interviews, though, she released a video on her personal Twitter account. The topic is the phony story of Trump’s disparaging words against the military and veterans. She describes the story as “malicious lies” and a disgrace to journalism. It’s just 44 seconds long but she delivers a clear message.
The malicious lies about @realDonaldTrump from anonymous sources in the Atlantic are disgusting. This story is an insult to journalism. I would know, because I was there-> pic.twitter.com/pt7rDfwr8x — Sarah Huckabee Sanders (@SarahHuckabee) September 6, 2020
Naturally, the trolls were quick to do their thing. For example, a former Republican consultant who didn’t receive a position she interviewed for during the Trump transition in 2016 called Sarah a liar. Oh, how original! The woman who made her livelihood off Republican politics for several decades has been broken by Donald Trump.
You're a liar, Sarah. No one believes a word you say. — Cheri Jacobus (@CheriJacobus) September 7, 2020
Most notably, though, is a nasty reply from Joe Lockhart, Bill Clinton’s White House press secretary. I mean, if any administration knows about lying, it’s a Clinton administration – or insults to public service, amirite?
ok, we've entered the comical stage of the suckers and liars story. Next we'll have @seanspicer do an interpretive dance denying the story. This much push back means it's true. And btw, @SarahHuckabee you are an insult to public servants. https://t.co/rjbbzN0thJ — Joe Lockhart (@joelockhart) September 7, 2020
This morning Sarah told ABC News chief anchor George Stephanopoulos that the anonymous sources for the story and negative comments from others are “disgruntled employees” who have “have tried to push their own agenda.”
Sanders, whose memoir was published Tuesday, told ABC News chief anchor George Stephanopoulos that the cacophony of negative comments from former officials — including former National Security Adviser John Bolton, former Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, and former Defense Secretary Jim Mattis — contrasted sharply with her own account because hers was “honest.” “It’s really simple,” Sanders said. “I think mine is actually the honest account. You’re looking at people who have left as disgruntled employees, people who have tried to push their own agenda.”
Stephanopoulos asked why former Trump administration Chief of Staff John Kelly, a retired general, has remained silent. Her response was, “That’s a question you’d have to ask General Kelly.” She went on to say the same is true of negative stories coming from the book written by Michael Cohen, Trump’s former personal attorney.
Sanders said she was present on the day Trump reportedly called fallen service members “losers” and “suckers” and that “those comments didn’t happen.” ABC News has not confirmed The Atlantic’s account. “Having a difference of opinion is not a bad thing,” Sanders said. “I think that’s one of the reasons the president has been successful. He’s willing to listen to those people.”
Sarah also was interviewed by the ladies of The View Tuesday morning. Meghan McCain led off and Sarah provided a strong yet respectful response to Meghan’s questioning of what Sarah had to say about Trump’s remarks. McCain mentioned she is not a fan of anonymous sources.
After explaining that her “first instinct” was to question the anonymous sources who told The Atlantic’s Jeffrey Goldberg that Trump called U.S. troops “losers” and “suckers”—and complained that her family “deserved a heads-up” about the article—McCain said: “The problem as I said before is the president has a pattern of saying incendiary things about people like my father, about people like the Khan family, about people like Col. Vindman.” “I think if this charge had been leveled anonymously against any other politician, I think people would second-guess it,” she continued. “But because it’s about someone who has this kind of record of insulting veterans, people tend to believe it, which is why I think it has legs. So I just want your perspective on it and I want to know if you understand my and other people’s perspective on it.”
Sarah said she was with the president during his trips around the world and often in the room as he made phone calls to families of fallen soldiers.
As she has done before, Huckabee Sanders insisted that she has never witnessed President Trump be anything but respectful towards the military. “After spending nearly every single day for two-and-a-half years with the president I can tell you I witnessed firsthand the president’s respect and admiration for the men and women of our armed forces.” In regards to the allegations in The Atlantic article, the ex-flack—who once admitted to investigators that she lied to journalists about FBI agents supposedly cheering James Comey’s firing—added, “I was one of the few in the room. I’m not an anonymous source. I’m going on the record and I’m telling you it didn’t happen. That’s not who this president is and that’s not how he feels about the men and women in our military.”
After Joy Behar asked Sarah specifically if she was standing next to Gen. Kelly at his son’s grave as Trump allegedly said, “I don’t get it. What was in it for them?”, Sarah said she was not. Then Meghan took the interview back for more quizzing over her hurt feelings about Trump’s remarks on her father and others. It led to quite a lecture from Meghan, who is full of herself.
“The problem is, Sarah, you were serving in the White House when President Trump decided to not have the flags raised when my father passed, which had very great outrage,” McCain said. “You also probably know that I have spoken with President Trump on the phone in the past about issues like this. I think he’s aware that there has been serious damage done by the criticism not only by my family, because it’s not just about my family, but like I said, about the Khans and Col. Vindman.” “The problem with the story is it seems like something he would do,” she continued. “And I don’t doubt that you’ve had experiences and I’ve seen videos with President Trump and troops and his family. But this has not been my experience. For me and my brothers who serve, we do not feel respected. We’re a military family that doesn’t feel respected by this president.” “I understand you have to do a job because you are his surrogate and you are his supporter,” McCain concluded. “But at least concede that it has to be very uncomfortable to have this kind of conversation with me right now.”
Sarah acknowledged that “There’s no denying the fact that not only did Donald Trump dislike your father, your father disliked the president” but she went on to say that despite their heated discussions, Trump respected McCain. Whoopi Goldberg got the last word as the interview concluded. “And I can say from my experience having watched him over and over and over, I totally disagree with you,” she replied. Whoopi lives in a very liberal bubble so her remark is on point with her normal opinions. None of the women on the show are Trump supporters and I hand it to Sarah for giving them an interview.
.@SarahHuckabee Sanders responds to ‘Atlantic’ article alleging Pres. Trump made offensive comments about the military, saying “it didn’t happen”: “I witnessed first hand the president’s respect and admiration for the men and women of our Armed Forces.” https://t.co/6IHe5TAWUs pic.twitter.com/krm3tPKcKV — The View (@TheView) September 8, 2020
.@MeghanMcCain responds to Pres. Trump’s denial of mocking fallen American soldiers: “It’s familiar language that President Trump has used publicly.” “I do believe President Trump probably said this.” https://t.co/1091s9WYqN pic.twitter.com/QaRmME01u2 — The View (@TheView) September 8, 2020


hotair--2020-09-08--Strib: 2020 election about to break records -- for firearm and ammunition sales

Earlier today , Jazz noted a plaintive plea from liberal columnist Bill Scher , wondering why Democrats aren ’ t talking more about gun control in this election cycle .
Perhaps it ’ s because they ’ re too busy buying guns and ammunition .
The Star Tribune reported earlier today that the US finds itself short of both firearms and ammunition , thanks to a massive spike in demand .
Sales are about to break the election-year record set in 2016 , in fact .
The biggest segment for that demand comes from first-time purchasers , which leads to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ over COVID-19 , civil unrest and an increasingly fractious presidential race , ammunition is proving to be in short supply across Minnesota and around the country as gun owners stock up and more people buy guns for the first time .
“ Manufacturers can ’ t keep up with the demand anymore , ” said Dave Bean , owner of Get Guns Now , an Oakdale gun shop .
“ The industry ’ s never been hit this hard before.
” Ask yourself this : are first-time firearms buyers more likely to be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Republican owns a firearm , of course , so some might still be first-timers in the market , but many of those ended up buying a firearm during the Obama administration in response to gun-control proposals .
The phenomenon became a kind of protest gesture , which meant that Democrats who supported Barack Obama were not likely to be a significant part of those sales .
If this tsunami of demand comprised only Republican first-timers , this kind of amplitude would be very unlikely : The FBI ’ s National Instant Crime Background @ @ @ @ @ @ @ background checks associated with firearm sales , which is a way to measure the number of people buying guns since background checks are required with every retail gun sale .
It ’ s the largest monthly total since record keeping began , Oliva said .
The previous presidential election year , 2016 , also saw record gun sales , with 15 million background checks conducted .
So far this year there have already been 13.7 million checks , with four months left to go .
“ We are well on pace to surpass @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Oliva said .
And by the way , Minnesota isn ’ t exactly a GOP redoubt , and yet background checks in August jumped 59 % over the same month a year earlier .
Those aren ’ t exclusively first-timers , of course , and not exclusively Democrats .
However , the demand does appear to be coming from those who worry about defunding and abolishing the police , which would tend to mean those who live in the Twin Cities and its suburban environs — normally a progressive bastion : “ [ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ enforcement is not always going to be there to protect them , ” said Kevin Vick , executive vice president of Stock & Barrel Gun Club , a gun shop and range with clubs in Chanhassen and Eagan .
Dave Amon , an agent at Gunstop of Minnetonka , said demand shows no signs of slowing — especially as the national conversation around the changing role of law enforcement rages on .
“ I ’ ve seen a lot more single moms that are scared and need something to protect them , ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ scared when people talk about defunding the police.
” Worth noting : those three suburbs are in two congressional districts that Democrats successfully flipped in 2018 , MN-02 and MN-03 .
Will those districts be enthusiastic about given those first-termers a return on the idea of gun control ?
The sudden progressive urge to defund and/or abolish the police has completely undercut the argument for gun control .
That argument explicitly relied on police as a reason why people didn ’ t need access to lethal means of self-defense .
For decades , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ police response as the proper way to deal with crime and threats rather than individual action .
Now that the same progressives want to either reduce or eliminate police response , what are people to do ?
Pretty much what they ’ re doing now — stocking up on lethal force in anticipation of fewer police resources to defend the community .
Progressives are learning that you can ’ t eat your police-abolition cake and have gun control , too .
Democrats are apparently smart enough to avoid trying that in 2020 .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ away with it .

Earlier today, Jazz noted a plaintive plea from liberal columnist Bill Scher, wondering why Democrats aren’t talking more about gun control in this election cycle. Perhaps it’s because they’re too busy buying guns and ammunition. The Star Tribune reported earlier today that the US finds itself short of both firearms and ammunition, thanks to a massive spike in demand. Sales are about to break the election-year record set in 2016, in fact.
The biggest segment for that demand comes from first-time purchasers, which leads to an interesting question:
As anxiety surges over COVID-19, civil unrest and an increasingly fractious presidential race, ammunition is proving to be in short supply across Minnesota and around the country as gun owners stock up and more people buy guns for the first time. “Manufacturers can’t keep up with the demand anymore,” said Dave Bean, owner of Get Guns Now, an Oakdale gun shop. “The industry’s never been hit this hard before.”
Ask yourself this: are first-time firearms buyers more likely to be Republicans, or Democrats? Not every Republican owns a firearm, of course, so some might still be first-timers in the market, but many of those ended up buying a firearm during the Obama administration in response to gun-control proposals. The phenomenon became a kind of protest gesture, which meant that Democrats who supported Barack Obama were not likely to be a significant part of those sales.
If this tsunami of demand comprised only Republican first-timers, this kind of amplitude would be very unlikely:
The FBI’s National Instant Crime Background Check System in March tallied 2.3 million background checks associated with firearm sales, which is a way to measure the number of people buying guns since background checks are required with every retail gun sale. It’s the largest monthly total since record keeping began, Oliva said. The previous presidential election year, 2016, also saw record gun sales, with 15 million background checks conducted. So far this year there have already been 13.7 million checks, with four months left to go. “We are well on pace to surpass that [2016] record,” Oliva said.
And by the way, Minnesota isn’t exactly a GOP redoubt, and yet background checks in August jumped 59% over the same month a year earlier. Those aren’t exclusively first-timers, of course, and not exclusively Democrats. However, the demand does appear to be coming from those who worry about defunding and abolishing the police, which would tend to mean those who live in the Twin Cities and its suburban environs — normally a progressive bastion:
“[People] have seen firsthand that law enforcement is not always going to be there to protect them,” said Kevin Vick, executive vice president of Stock & Barrel Gun Club, a gun shop and range with clubs in Chanhassen and Eagan. Dave Amon, an agent at Gunstop of Minnetonka, said demand shows no signs of slowing — especially as the national conversation around the changing role of law enforcement rages on. “I’ve seen a lot more single moms that are scared and need something to protect them,” he said. “They’re scared when people talk about defunding the police.”
Worth noting: those three suburbs are in two congressional districts that Democrats successfully flipped in 2018, MN-02 and MN-03. Will those districts be enthusiastic about given those first-termers a return on the idea of gun control?
The sudden progressive urge to defund and/or abolish the police has completely undercut the argument for gun control. That argument explicitly relied on police as a reason why people didn’t need access to lethal means of self-defense. For decades, gun control advocates have lectured us on police response as the proper way to deal with crime and threats rather than individual action. Now that the same progressives want to either reduce or eliminate police response, what are people to do?
Pretty much what they’re doing now — stocking up on lethal force in anticipation of fewer police resources to defend the community. Progressives are learning that you can’t eat your police-abolition cake and have gun control, too. Democrats are apparently smart enough to avoid trying that in 2020. Republicans shouldn’t let them get away with it.


hotair--2020-09-08--Rochester police chief and his command staff resign in wake of video of Daniel Prude's death

Today Rochester Police Chief La ’ Ron Singletary and his command staff resigned their positions citing fallout from the death of Daniel Prude .
Rochester Police Chief La ’ Ron Singletary and his entire command staff announced their retirement Tuesday , stunning leadership in City Hall and giving new urgency to the calls for justice after the death of Daniel Prude in March .
Mayor Warren announced the news to Rochester City Council during a scheduled briefing Tuesday .
The city council was actually waiting for the police chief to log in to the call when the mayor came on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ mayor Warren , Chief Singletary was not asked to give his resignation but was leaving because he felt his integrity was being challenged unfairly .
Video of the mayor ’ s announcement is posted below .
Seven police officers involved in Prude ’ s death have been suspended .
Saturday the state attorney general , Letitia James , announced she was setting up a grand jury to investigate and potentially bring charges in the case : “ The Prude family and the Rochester community have been through great pain and anguish , ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Saturday .
“ My office will immediately move to empanel a grand jury as part of our exhaustive investigation into this matter.
” … Mr. Prude ’ s brother , Joe Prude , had accused local authorities this week of failing to investigate the case in order to protect the police .
On Saturday night , Mr. Prude said he was pleased by the attorney general ’ s announcement… The Rochester police chief has denied that the department covered up Mr. Prude ’ s death .
The seven officers found to be involved @ @ @ @ @ @ @ suspended this week after the release of the videos .
Even before the grand jury announcement , there was an argument between Chief Singletary and Mayor Warren over whether or not this had been covered up .
Warren claimed she was told Prude had died of an overdose and that she didn ’ t see video of the encounter until early August .
The death of Prude became a public issue when video body cam video was released last week .
Chief Singletary put out a press release about his resignation : Today @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to the Rochester Police Department and the Rochester Community , I announce my retirement from the Rochester Police Department .
For the past two decades , I have served this community with honor , pride , and the highest integrity .
As a man of integrity , I will not sit idly by while outside entities attempt to destroy my character .
The events over the past week are an attempt to destroy my character and integrity .
The members of the Rochester Police Department and the Greater Rochester Community know my reputation @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The mischaracterization and the politicization of the actions that I took after being informed of Mr. Prude ’ s death is not based on facts , and is not what I stand for .
I would like to thank the men and women of the Rochester Police Department , as well as the Rochester Community for allowing me the honor of serving as your chief and fulfilling a lifelong dream .
I look forward to continuing to serve our community in my next chapter .
Finally , here ’ s video of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was a livestream , you may need to scroll back in order to view this .
Below that is a local news report on the resignation and the conflict between the mayor and the police chief .

Today Rochester Police Chief La’Ron Singletary and his command staff resigned their positions citing fallout from the death of Daniel Prude.
Rochester Police Chief La’Ron Singletary and his entire command staff announced their retirement Tuesday, stunning leadership in City Hall and giving new urgency to the calls for justice after the death of Daniel Prude in March. Mayor Warren announced the news to Rochester City Council during a scheduled briefing Tuesday.
The city council was actually waiting for the police chief to log in to the call when the mayor came on and announced the resignations. According to mayor Warren, Chief Singletary was not asked to give his resignation but was leaving because he felt his integrity was being challenged unfairly. Video of the mayor’s announcement is posted below.
Seven police officers involved in Prude’s death have been suspended. Saturday the state attorney general, Letitia James, announced she was setting up a grand jury to investigate and potentially bring charges in the case:
“The Prude family and the Rochester community have been through great pain and anguish,” Ms. James said in a statement on Saturday. “My office will immediately move to empanel a grand jury as part of our exhaustive investigation into this matter.”… Mr. Prude’s brother, Joe Prude, had accused local authorities this week of failing to investigate the case in order to protect the police. On Saturday night, Mr. Prude said he was pleased by the attorney general’s announcement… The Rochester police chief has denied that the department covered up Mr. Prude’s death. The seven officers found to be involved in the encounter with Mr. Prude were suspended this week after the release of the videos.
Even before the grand jury announcement, there was an argument between Chief Singletary and Mayor Warren over whether or not this had been covered up. Warren claimed she was told Prude had died of an overdose and that she didn’t see video of the encounter until early August. The death of Prude became a public issue when video body cam video was released last week.
Chief Singletary put out a press release about his resignation:
Today, after 20 years of dedicated service to the Rochester Police Department and the Rochester Community, I announce my retirement from the Rochester Police Department. For the past two decades, I have served this community with honor, pride, and the highest integrity. As a man of integrity, I will not sit idly by while outside entities attempt to destroy my character. The events over the past week are an attempt to destroy my character and integrity. The members of the Rochester Police Department and the Greater Rochester Community know my reputation and know what I stand for. The mischaracterization and the politicization of the actions that I took after being informed of Mr. Prude’s death is not based on facts, and is not what I stand for. I would like to thank the men and women of the Rochester Police Department, as well as the Rochester Community for allowing me the honor of serving as your chief and fulfilling a lifelong dream. I look forward to continuing to serve our community in my next chapter.
Finally, here’s video of the announcement by the mayor. Because this was a livestream, you may need to scroll back in order to view this. Below that is a local news report on the resignation and the conflict between the mayor and the police chief.


hotair--2020-09-08--Only latte liberals want to defund the police, says ... Al Sharpton

This isn ’ t strictly true .
Remember that rally in Minneapolis in early June , not long after George Floyd ’ s death , when the mayor showed up to express solidarity and then had to do the walk of shame after he refused to pledge that he ’ d abolish the police ?
The activists who made that demand of him didn ’ t look like “ latte liberals ” to me .
But Sharpton has a point .
As of mid-August , a majority of Minneapolis voters supported redistributing some of PD ’ s money to other @ @ @ @ @ @ @ health .
But even in the city where Floyd was killed , a plurality of 44 percent opposed reducing the police force .
And black voters were more reluctant to do so than whites were : A Gallup poll taken in late June and early July , amid national protests against racism and police brutality , found just 19 percent of black Americans wanted police to spend less time in the area where they live .
Less than a month ago , the Times noted that various minority lawmakers on the New York @ @ @ @ @ @ @ area strongly opposed defunding the police .
Some of them used language to describe their disagreement with white progressives that was reminiscent of Sharpton ’ s in the clip below : Laurie Cumbo , a Black councilwoman from Brooklyn who is majority leader , compared calls to defund the police to “ colonization ” pushed by white progressives .
Robert Cornegy Jr. , a Black councilman also from Brooklyn , called the movement “ political gentrification.
” … Mayor Ras Baraka of Newark , N.J. , called defunding the police a “ bourgeois @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ You can ’ t just say , imagine if half the police force was gone , ” [ Councilman Carlos ] Menchaca said .
“ You have to think about the things you get because of that.
” Lotta privilege involved in these “ defund the police ” calculations by the woke white left , to borrow one of their favorite terms .
In fact , Sharpton got off on this tangent on “ Morning Joe ” today because co-host Willie Geist claimed that he didn ’ t “ feel ” that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ this year despite the crime data that says otherwise .
Right , said Sharpton , but that ’ s because you ’ re not stuck living in poorer neighborhoods like many black New Yorkers are .
A certain racial and economic myopia is blinding the political and media classes to the growing threat , including members whose job it is to take this sort of thing seriously : Their interest in securing a Biden victory this fall is also leading them to downplay the problem .
Karol Markowicz has watched with horror on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ there ’ s no violence outside their windows in their well-to-do urban neighborhoods despite the footage from Portland , Chicago , and elsewhere this summer .
“ I went for a belated NYC run this morning and am sorry to report that I saw very few black-clad anarchists , ” New York Times columnist Paul Krugman sarcastically wrote in a multi-part tweet thread .
He added : “ Also , the city is not yet in flames.
” Because you see , Krugman ’ s anecdotal claims trump what you see on the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of control in Gotham .
A two-week window this summer saw 205 percent more gunfire incidents than the same period last year .
With four months left to go , the city has already surpassed last year ’ s shootings total… CNN correspondent Josh Campbell tweeted about eating his breakfast burrito in “ wonderful Portland , where the city is not under siege , and buildings are not burning to the ground.
” It didn ’ t help that the night before a riot was declared in Portland after a mob marched on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a fire to a nearby building .
Don ’ t believe your lying eyes , though : Josh Campbell is doing just fine .
As long as the local Starbucks is serving up those lattes , how much of a crisis can there really be , right ?
God help us but this tool is now officially ( if temporarily ) a voice of reason .
You ’ re the worst , 2020 .

This isn’t strictly true. Remember that rally in Minneapolis in early June, not long after George Floyd’s death, when the mayor showed up to express solidarity and then had to do the walk of shame after he refused to pledge that he’d abolish the police?
The activists who made that demand of him didn’t look like “latte liberals” to me.
But Sharpton has a point. As of mid-August, a majority of Minneapolis voters supported redistributing some of PD’s money to other agencies to handle non-criminal duties like mental health. But even in the city where Floyd was killed, a plurality of 44 percent opposed reducing the police force. And black voters were more reluctant to do so than whites were:
A Gallup poll taken in late June and early July, amid national protests against racism and police brutality, found just 19 percent of black Americans wanted police to spend less time in the area where they live. Less than a month ago, the Times noted that various minority lawmakers on the New York City Council and elsewhere in the tri-state area strongly opposed defunding the police. Some of them used language to describe their disagreement with white progressives that was reminiscent of Sharpton’s in the clip below:
Laurie Cumbo, a Black councilwoman from Brooklyn who is majority leader, compared calls to defund the police to “colonization” pushed by white progressives. Robert Cornegy Jr., a Black councilman also from Brooklyn, called the movement “political gentrification.”… Mayor Ras Baraka of Newark, N.J., called defunding the police a “bourgeois liberal” solution for addressing systemic racism… “You can’t just say, imagine if half the police force was gone,” [Councilman Carlos] Menchaca said. “You have to think about the things you get because of that.”
Lotta privilege involved in these “defund the police” calculations by the woke white left, to borrow one of their favorite terms. In fact, Sharpton got off on this tangent on “Morning Joe” today because co-host Willie Geist claimed that he didn’t “feel” that New York City had grown more dangerous this year despite the crime data that says otherwise. Right, said Sharpton, but that’s because you’re not stuck living in poorer neighborhoods like many black New Yorkers are. A certain racial and economic myopia is blinding the political and media classes to the growing threat, including members whose job it is to take this sort of thing seriously:
https://twitter.com/SohrabAhmari/status/1303414489031860231
Their interest in securing a Biden victory this fall is also leading them to downplay the problem. Karol Markowicz has watched with horror on social media as reporters glibly tweet that there’s no violence outside their windows in their well-to-do urban neighborhoods despite the footage from Portland, Chicago, and elsewhere this summer.
“I went for a belated NYC run this morning and am sorry to report that I saw very few black-clad anarchists,” New York Times columnist Paul Krugman sarcastically wrote in a multi-part tweet thread. He added: “Also, the city is not yet in flames.” Because you see, Krugman’s anecdotal claims trump what you see on the news every night. Crime is out of control in Gotham. A two-week window this summer saw 205 percent more gunfire incidents than the same period last year. With four months left to go, the city has already surpassed last year’s shootings total… CNN correspondent Josh Campbell tweeted about eating his breakfast burrito in “wonderful Portland, where the city is not under siege, and buildings are not burning to the ground.” It didn’t help that the night before a riot was declared in Portland after a mob marched on the mayor’s home and set a fire to a nearby building. Don’t believe your lying eyes, though: Josh Campbell is doing just fine.
As long as the local Starbucks is serving up those lattes, how much of a crisis can there really be, right?
God help us but this tool is now officially (if temporarily) a voice of reason. You’re the worst, 2020.


hotair--2020-09-08--After rolling blackouts, California regulators voted to let gas powered plants stay open a few more

After rolling blackouts, California regulators voted to let gas powered plants stay open a few more years

There were rolling blackouts in California last month on two consecutive days .
The reason for the blackouts wasn ’ t a mystery .
There was a heatwave across the region and as the sun went down and California ’ s solar generation started to fade , the California Independent System Operator ( Cal ISO ) simply couldn ’ t find enough power from other sources to meet the demand .
The blackouts were ordered to prevent the entire grid from entering a brownout .
Several outlets including NPR and the Wall Street Journal made the point that California ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ responsible for the situation .
In fact , as the LA Times pointed out , the California Public Utilities Commission had been warning about this exact scenario since last year .
Staff at the California Public Utilities Commission recommended this month that four natural gas plants in Southern California , which are now required to shut down in 2020 , be allowed to keep operating up to three additional years .
Without the gas plants , PUC staff said , the state may face power shortfalls as soon as summer 2021 — specifically @ @ @ @ @ @ @ high after the sun goes down and solar farms stop generating electricity… But at the time , critics of extending the life of natural gas plants denied there was any danger of blackouts : Loretta Lynch , a former president of the Public Utilities Commission , thinks the whole exercise would be a waste of ratepayer money .
Lynch said extending the coastal gas plants and requiring energy providers to buy thousands of megawatts of new power — purchases that could include additional natural gas — would be “ diametrically opposed to state @ @ @ @ @ @ @ zero evidence ” of a need for new power , she said… “ Everybody knows we ’ re got plenty of power , ” she said… Shelley Luce , president of the environmental nonprofit Heal the Bay , said she wants to see the four coastal gas plants shut down and replaced with renewable energy .
Oops !
Not only did the rolling blackouts happen , they happened a full year earlier than anticipated .
Perhaps recalling what rolling blackouts did for the career of former governor Gray Davis , current governor Gavin @ @ @ @ @ @ @ say that the situation was unacceptable and wouldn ’ t happen again .
In light of the fact that the Public Utilities Commission had been proven right , the State Water Resources Control Board voted to keep several natural gas plants in southern California operating for a few extra years : State officials threw a lifeline to four fossil fueled power plants along the Southern California coast , deciding the facilities are still needed to provide reliable electricity even as they contribute to the climate crisis… Energy regulators are still investigating the causes @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said allowing the coastal gas plants to stay open a few more years would help prevent more outages as California continues its transition to cleaner energy sources — an ironic solution given that climate change almost certainly exacerbated the recent heat wave .
The four facilities were supposed to shut down by Dec. 31 , 2020 under a regulation requiring coastal power plants to stop using ocean water for cooling , a process that kills fish and other marine life .
But Tuesday ’ s decision granted a three-year extension to natural gas @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and Oxnard , and a one-year extension to a Redondo Beach plant .
I think there ’ s a pretty clear lesson here about rushing toward 100 % renewable energy with a system that can ’ t quite handle current energy requirements .
The mayor of California ’ s largest city issued another FlexAlter on Sunday asking people to turn off lights and appliances : In case you ’ re wondering , Los Angeles hit a high of 109 degrees on Sunday around noon .
It was still around 105 degrees at 3 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ ll use a fan so we aren ’ t forced into rolling blackouts again .
Here ’ s Rep. Crenshaw ’ s reaction : Note : The photo above shows a newly built gas power plant in Huntington Beach .
The plant was approved in 2017 and went online in February of 2020 .
One of the plants whose life has been extended is the older one on the same site which was built in the 1960s .
It ’ s just visible on the right side of the image .

There were rolling blackouts in California last month on two consecutive days. The reason for the blackouts wasn’t a mystery. There was a heatwave across the region and as the sun went down and California’s solar generation started to fade, the California Independent System Operator (Cal ISO) simply couldn’t find enough power from other sources to meet the demand. The blackouts were ordered to prevent the entire grid from entering a brownout.
Several outlets including NPR and the Wall Street Journal made the point that California’s push for green energy was partly responsible for the situation. In fact, as the LA Times pointed out, the California Public Utilities Commission had been warning about this exact scenario since last year.
Staff at the California Public Utilities Commission recommended this month that four natural gas plants in Southern California, which are now required to shut down in 2020, be allowed to keep operating up to three additional years. Without the gas plants, PUC staff said, the state may face power shortfalls as soon as summer 2021 — specifically on hot days when energy demand remains high after the sun goes down and solar farms stop generating electricity…
But at the time, critics of extending the life of natural gas plants denied there was any danger of blackouts:
Loretta Lynch, a former president of the Public Utilities Commission, thinks the whole exercise would be a waste of ratepayer money. Lynch said extending the coastal gas plants and requiring energy providers to buy thousands of megawatts of new power — purchases that could include additional natural gas — would be “diametrically opposed to state goals.” The PUC has presented “zero evidence” of a need for new power, she said… “Everybody knows we’re got plenty of power,” she said… Shelley Luce, president of the environmental nonprofit Heal the Bay, said she wants to see the four coastal gas plants shut down and replaced with renewable energy.
Oops! Not only did the rolling blackouts happen, they happened a full year earlier than anticipated.
Perhaps recalling what rolling blackouts did for the career of former governor Gray Davis, current governor Gavin Newsom quickly held a press conference to say that the situation was unacceptable and wouldn’t happen again.
In light of the fact that the Public Utilities Commission had been proven right, the State Water Resources Control Board voted to keep several natural gas plants in southern California operating for a few extra years:
State officials threw a lifeline to four fossil fueled power plants along the Southern California coast, deciding the facilities are still needed to provide reliable electricity even as they contribute to the climate crisis… Energy regulators are still investigating the causes of the power shortage. But they said allowing the coastal gas plants to stay open a few more years would help prevent more outages as California continues its transition to cleaner energy sources — an ironic solution given that climate change almost certainly exacerbated the recent heat wave. The four facilities were supposed to shut down by Dec. 31, 2020 under a regulation requiring coastal power plants to stop using ocean water for cooling, a process that kills fish and other marine life. But Tuesday’s decision granted a three-year extension to natural gas plants in Huntington Beach, Long Beach and Oxnard, and a one-year extension to a Redondo Beach plant.
I think there’s a pretty clear lesson here about rushing toward 100% renewable energy with a system that can’t quite handle current energy requirements. The mayor of California’s largest city issued another FlexAlter on Sunday asking people to turn off lights and appliances:
It’s almost 3 p.m. Time to turn off major appliances, set the thermostat to 78 degrees (or use a fan instead), turn off excess lights and unplug any appliances you’re not using. We need every Californian to help conserve energy. Please do your part. #FlexAlert — MayorOfLA (@MayorOfLA) September 6, 2020
In case you’re wondering, Los Angeles hit a high of 109 degrees on Sunday around noon. It was still around 105 degrees at 3 pm and the mayor is hoping you’ll use a fan so we aren’t forced into rolling blackouts again. Here’s Rep. Crenshaw’s reaction:
Alexa, show me what happens when you let Democrats control energy policy. https://t.co/PLtgofajlg — Dan Crenshaw (@DanCrenshawTX) September 8, 2020
Note: The photo above shows a newly built gas power plant in Huntington Beach. The plant was approved in 2017 and went online in February of 2020. One of the plants whose life has been extended is the older one on the same site which was built in the 1960s. It’s just visible on the right side of the image.


hotair--2020-09-08--NYC Mayor's wife botching statue project as expected

Even if you ’ re not from the greater New York City area , you ’ re probably familiar with its current mayor , Bill de Blasio , if only because of his hilariously failed presidential bid .
( Or his penchant for murdering rodents on Groundhog ’ s Day . )
You may not be quite as familiar , however , with the “ co-mayor ” of Gotham .
That would be Bill ’ s wife , Chirlane McCray , the proud mother of their children .
She ’ s referred to as the co-mayor because she somehow keeps @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the running of the city .
Despite the fact that she didn ’ t run for any office and not a single person cast a vote for her for anything , McCray was previously put in charge of a mental health initiative named ThriveNYC back in 2015 .
Several years later , the project was canceled without any clear indication that a single objective of the program had been achieved in any meaningful way .
But not before she managed to make nearly a billion dollars in taxpayer funds disappear down the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , in 2018 , the Mayor ’ s wife was put in charge of another project called She Built NYC .
The purpose of this effort was to alleviate the disparity between the number of statues of men and of women in the Big Apple ’ s various parks and other public spaces .
( The current tally stands at 142 statues of men compared to 8 statues of women . )
This was another project that was going to soak up some taxpayer money , but polling indicated that a majority of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , so off she went .
Sadly , more than two years later , not only hasn ’ t there been a single statue of a woman erected , but the committee in charge of the project has only agreed on a single subject ( Shirley Chisholm ) with an artist signed on to create it , but work on the finished object isn ’ t even scheduled to begin yet .
This is being described by some observers as either a “ debacle ” or a “ monumental failure.
” ( Pun @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Chirlane McCray ’ s pet project to erect more city statues to women is a monumental failure , critics say .
Mayor Bill de Blasio ’ s wife started the effort two years ago — yet has chosen only one artist for a single monument so far… “ There is no leadership , there is [ no ] follow-through .
There ’ s no one at the helm , ” City Councilman Mark Gjonaj ( D-Bronx ) , a member of the body ’ s Committee on Cultural Affairs , griped to The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is the only project for which an artist has been selected , and we anticipate that it will be installed next year , ” the McCray rep said regarding She Built NYC .
The excuse being offered by McCray ’ s office ( yes , she has an office with staffers on the city payroll ) is that progress has been delayed because of the coronavirus .
There are two problems with that , however .
First of all , she had more than a year and a half to get moving on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ town .
And second , the restrictions on construction projects below a certain size and maximum number of workers were lifted at the end of June .
Except for the transportation of the raw materials and establishing a concrete base , this is pretty much a one-person job so it would be fine .
She ’ s had plenty of time to get things back into gear .
And yet nothing has happened .
Presumably based on her spectacular success with ThriveNYC and She Built NYC , Hizzoner tasked her with yet another @ @ @ @ @ @ @ McCray is in charge of a committee known as the Racial Justice Taskforce that will review statues of “ problematic ” historical figures associated with slavery such as George Washington and Thomas Jefferson to determine their fate .
Given her remarkable ability to get things done on past assignments , I think George and Tom can probably rest easy for a while longer .
The problem is , the Mayor ’ s wife keeps ending up being put in charge of these projects despite having no official position with the municipal government .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ always invokes when this issue is brought up is that “ the first lady is not paid for her work on either project and uses existing city employees for them.
” But that really doesn ’ t address the issue , does it ?
Sure , she may not be drawing a paycheck directly , but the people assigned under her are city employees who already had other jobs .
They are paid by the taxpayers and they are not doing those other jobs when they are working on McCray ’ s pet @ @ @ @ @ @ @ up significant amounts of funding that she is empowered to spend and , from the looks of things , there is very little oversight of the money and sufficient recordkeeping is not taking place .
How is this allowable ?
This is all too reminiscent of when Hillary Clinton somehow wound up involved in developing a new national healthcare scheme when she was the First Lady .
Being married to a chief executive does not make you qualified or entitled to take on some sort of official role , particularly when actually taxpayer @ @ @ @ @ @ @ considered .
If my sink is broken , I ’ ll call a plumber , not someone who is married to a plumber .
And if we don ’ t like the “ job ” they are doing , there is no mechanism for the voters to remove a First Spouse from “ office .
”

Even if you’re not from the greater New York City area, you’re probably familiar with its current mayor, Bill de Blasio, if only because of his hilariously failed presidential bid. (Or his penchant for murdering rodents on Groundhog’s Day.) You may not be quite as familiar, however, with the “co-mayor” of Gotham. That would be Bill’s wife, Chirlane McCray, the proud mother of their children. She’s referred to as the co-mayor because she somehow keeps winding up having “jobs” involved in the running of the city.
Despite the fact that she didn’t run for any office and not a single person cast a vote for her for anything, McCray was previously put in charge of a mental health initiative named ThriveNYC back in 2015. Several years later, the project was canceled without any clear indication that a single objective of the program had been achieved in any meaningful way. But not before she managed to make nearly a billion dollars in taxpayer funds disappear down the rabbit hole of that project.
Then, in 2018, the Mayor’s wife was put in charge of another project called She Built NYC. The purpose of this effort was to alleviate the disparity between the number of statues of men and of women in the Big Apple’s various parks and other public spaces. (The current tally stands at 142 statues of men compared to 8 statues of women.) This was another project that was going to soak up some taxpayer money, but polling indicated that a majority of people thought it was a nice idea, so off she went. Sadly, more than two years later, not only hasn’t there been a single statue of a woman erected, but the committee in charge of the project has only agreed on a single subject (Shirley Chisholm) with an artist signed on to create it, but work on the finished object isn’t even scheduled to begin yet. This is being described by some observers as either a “debacle” or a “monumental failure.” (Pun intended… New York Post)
First lady Chirlane McCray’s pet project to erect more city statues to women is a monumental failure, critics say. Mayor Bill de Blasio’s wife started the effort two years ago — yet has chosen only one artist for a single monument so far… “There is no leadership, there is [no] follow-through. There’s no one at the helm,” City Councilman Mark Gjonaj (D-Bronx), a member of the body’s Committee on Cultural Affairs, griped to The Post. “The Shirley Chisholm monument is the only project for which an artist has been selected, and we anticipate that it will be installed next year,” the McCray rep said regarding She Built NYC.
The excuse being offered by McCray’s office (yes, she has an office with staffers on the city payroll) is that progress has been delayed because of the coronavirus. There are two problems with that, however. First of all, she had more than a year and a half to get moving on this effort before the pandemic blew into town. And second, the restrictions on construction projects below a certain size and maximum number of workers were lifted at the end of June. Except for the transportation of the raw materials and establishing a concrete base, this is pretty much a one-person job so it would be fine. She’s had plenty of time to get things back into gear. And yet nothing has happened.
Presumably based on her spectacular success with ThriveNYC and She Built NYC, Hizzoner tasked her with yet another project to supervise earlier this summer. McCray is in charge of a committee known as the Racial Justice Taskforce that will review statues of “problematic” historical figures associated with slavery such as George Washington and Thomas Jefferson to determine their fate. Given her remarkable ability to get things done on past assignments, I think George and Tom can probably rest easy for a while longer.
The problem is, the Mayor’s wife keeps ending up being put in charge of these projects despite having no official position with the municipal government. The excuse the Mayor’s office always invokes when this issue is brought up is that “the first lady is not paid for her work on either project and uses existing city employees for them.”
But that really doesn’t address the issue, does it? Sure, she may not be drawing a paycheck directly, but the people assigned under her are city employees who already had other jobs. They are paid by the taxpayers and they are not doing those other jobs when they are working on McCray’s pet projects. Also, these projects soak up significant amounts of funding that she is empowered to spend and, from the looks of things, there is very little oversight of the money and sufficient recordkeeping is not taking place. How is this allowable?
This is all too reminiscent of when Hillary Clinton somehow wound up involved in developing a new national healthcare scheme when she was the First Lady. Being married to a chief executive does not make you qualified or entitled to take on some sort of official role, particularly when actually taxpayer money is involved or legislation is being considered. If my sink is broken, I’ll call a plumber, not someone who is married to a plumber. And if we don’t like the “job” they are doing, there is no mechanism for the voters to remove a First Spouse from “office.”


hotair--2020-09-08--Wow: Another Florida poll shows Trump leading with Latinos

One of the most arresting polls of the campaign , all the more so because it jibes with the data from Miami-Dade that Ed wrote about earlier .
This isn ’ t some freakish outlier .
Latino voters really do seem to be in play in Florida .
A paradox of this election is that it ’ s typically viewed as a battle of the bases .
Can Democrats turn out more Trump-hating lefties than Republicans turn out Trump-loving righties ?
But the hidden story of the race is that each candidate is poaching key groups from the other party @ @ @ @ @ @ @ group .
In Florida four years ago , Trump crushed Hillary 57/40 among them — the difference in his narrow win statewide .
This year Biden has been surprisingly competitive among seniors , even leading in that demographic in many polls .
Including here : NBC/Marist has him up 49/48 in Florida among the 65+ group .
If Trump were duplicating his 2016 margins with seniors , he ’ d be leading in Florida .
So how is it that Marist has the state tied overall at 48 percent apiece ?
Simple : @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s base too .
Four years ago he lost Latinos in Florida to Clinton by 27 points .
Today ?
He ’ s up four .
A 31-point turnaround !
Biden ’ s biggest advantages in the tied Florida race are among Black likely voters ( he leads them 83 percent to 11 percent ) , women ( 57 percent to 40 percent ) and independents ( 51 percent to 40 percent ) .
Trump , meanwhile , leads among men ( 58 percent to 38 percent ) , white voters ( 56 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ without college degrees ( 63 percent to 35 percent ) .
Yet in a significant break from four years ago , Trump holds the narrow edge over Biden among likely Latino voters , 50 percent to 46 percent — with Trump leading sizably among Latinos of Cuban descent , and with Biden just slightly ahead among all other Latinos in the state .
( The Cuban-versus-non-Cuban Latino split in the poll is too small to report the actual numbers . )
The gender split there is almost as interesting as the split among @ @ @ @ @ @ @ men while Biden leads enormously among women , an imbalance that favors the Democrat .
That ’ s not what we see here , though ; Trump ’ s margins among male voters exceed Biden ’ s among females .
And meanwhile Latinos aren ’ t the only minority that are a bit more open to Trump than they were four years ago : Trump ’ s cutting into Democrats ’ margins among blacks and younger voters while Biden ’ s cutting into Republicans ’ margins with whites and seniors .
Whoever carves @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s base is likely the next president .
As for the Latino vote , theories are flying : Right , but Trump ’ s been tossing bombs at Biden and the Democrats for being socialists since the primaries .
Didn ’ t do him much good until now , with Sleepy Joe enjoying big leads in the state over the summer .
On July 25 , FiveThirtyEight had him ahead by an average of 7.6 points in its poll tracker .
Today ?
An obvious possibility : As the pandemic has slowed down @ @ @ @ @ @ @ less consumed with assessing Trump ’ s performance on containing the virus and more focused on news coverage of left-wing violence in cities .
If that ’ s right then the presidency may boil down to how mild or severe the “ second wave ” of infections this fall is in the state .
This is worth keeping in mind too : Biden ’ s outperforming Clinton among whites and whites remain the key in the “ blue wall ” states that turned red four years ago .
If Joe were to hold @ @ @ @ @ @ @ which is a big if given how tight Minnesota is right now ) and flipped those three , he ’ s the next president no matter what happens in Florida .
On the other hand , the polling in Pennsylvania doesn ’ t look so hot lately for Biden either : In the current survey , available at www.susquehannapolling.com , and attached to this release , Biden ’ s lead has been cut from 6 points in April ( 48:42 margin ) , to 5 points in June ( 46:41 ) , to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Donald Trump in the current poll seems to be the result of a surge in voters who believe “ restoring law and order ” to U.S. cities facing looting , rioting and violent protests should be a top priority for federal lawmakers .
For instance , when voters are asked to choose the top two issues ( from a list of 7 ) they want federal lawmakers to concentrate on , “ restoring law and order to cities and communities ” is chosen by 37 % , ranking this issue in third place @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ improving access and affordability to health care ” ( at 38 % ) and “ strengthening the economy and job creation ” , ranking highest at 40 % .
Perhaps most significantly , not only does restoring law and order to U.S. cities outrank concern among those who believe improving race relations in the country should be a top priority ( tied for 4th place at 21 % ) , but “ law and order ” voters prefer Donald Trump over Joe Biden by a 74 % to 16 % margin .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ violent protests and rioting across the USA are hurting Biden ’ s chances in a must-win state like Pennsylvania .
Conversely , voters who believe “ improving race relations ” should be a top priority are voting for Biden over Trump by a 78:11 margin .
Is that a fluke result ?
Not really .
Quinnipiac found Biden comfortably ahead in Pennsylvania at the end of August but all other polls taken there recently have been tighter .
Monmouth and Change Research each had the Democrat leading by three and Rasmussen had the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ FiveThirtyEight poll averages of the state have Trump down just four points .
An interesting footnote in the news today : Biden is beefing up his staff in Georgia , not a state you ’ d expect to see him focused on as the polls tighten in Florida and Pennsylvania .
It ’ s hard to believe he ’ d have a chance there if other swing states are starting to tilt against him .
( The latest poll taken of Georgia had Trump up seven . )
My guess is that he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in August to try to force Trump to play defense there at a moment when Republicans ’ money advantage has disappeared .
Every dollar he can make Republicans spend across the border in Georgia is a dollar they ’ re not spending in Florida .
It can ’ t be that Biden is trying to expand the map , though , at a moment when his advantage in more winnable swing states is shrinking .
Not unless his polling of those states looks a lot different from the public polling .

One of the most arresting polls of the campaign, all the more so because it jibes with the data from Miami-Dade that Ed wrote about earlier. This isn’t some freakish outlier. Latino voters really do seem to be in play in Florida.
A paradox of this election is that it’s typically viewed as a battle of the bases. Can Democrats turn out more Trump-hating lefties than Republicans turn out Trump-loving righties? But the hidden story of the race is that each candidate is poaching key groups from the other party. Typically senior citizens are a Republican group. In Florida four years ago, Trump crushed Hillary 57/40 among them — the difference in his narrow win statewide. This year Biden has been surprisingly competitive among seniors, even leading in that demographic in many polls. Including here: NBC/Marist has him up 49/48 in Florida among the 65+ group. If Trump were duplicating his 2016 margins with seniors, he’d be leading in Florida.
So how is it that Marist has the state tied overall at 48 percent apiece? Simple: Trump is stealing votes from Biden’s base too. Four years ago he lost Latinos in Florida to Clinton by 27 points. Today? He’s up four. A 31-point turnaround!
Biden’s biggest advantages in the tied Florida race are among Black likely voters (he leads them 83 percent to 11 percent), women (57 percent to 40 percent) and independents (51 percent to 40 percent). Trump, meanwhile, leads among men (58 percent to 38 percent), white voters (56 percent to 41 percent) and whites without college degrees (63 percent to 35 percent). Yet in a significant break from four years ago, Trump holds the narrow edge over Biden among likely Latino voters, 50 percent to 46 percent — with Trump leading sizably among Latinos of Cuban descent, and with Biden just slightly ahead among all other Latinos in the state. (The Cuban-versus-non-Cuban Latino split in the poll is too small to report the actual numbers.)
The gender split there is almost as interesting as the split among Latinos. Typically Trump leads comfortably among men while Biden leads enormously among women, an imbalance that favors the Democrat. That’s not what we see here, though; Trump’s margins among male voters exceed Biden’s among females. And meanwhile Latinos aren’t the only minority that are a bit more open to Trump than they were four years ago:
Be careful of the small sample sizes, but this is a pretty consistent picture we're seeing in plenty of polling… This is from FL comparing Marist's final poll in 2016 and their new 2020 poll. pic.twitter.com/tmIMPNjlpz — (((Harry Enten))) (@ForecasterEnten) September 8, 2020
Trump’s cutting into Democrats’ margins among blacks and younger voters while Biden’s cutting into Republicans’ margins with whites and seniors. Whoever carves off more of the other guy’s base is likely the next president.
As for the Latino vote, theories are flying:
Pure conjecture: Seems possible that Trump’s anti-socialist messaging is particularly persuasive among older Cubans in Florida. — Derek Thompson (@DKThomp) September 8, 2020
Right, but Trump’s been tossing bombs at Biden and the Democrats for being socialists since the primaries. Didn’t do him much good until now, with Sleepy Joe enjoying big leads in the state over the summer. On July 25, FiveThirtyEight had him ahead by an average of 7.6 points in its poll tracker. Today?
An obvious possibility: As the pandemic has slowed down in Florida, voters there have been less consumed with assessing Trump’s performance on containing the virus and more focused on news coverage of left-wing violence in cities. If that’s right then the presidency may boil down to how mild or severe the “second wave” of infections this fall is in the state.
This is worth keeping in mind too:
Here's the problem with overly focusing on Hispanics instead of the white working-class voters… While it improves Trump's chances of keeping FL, TX, AZ, it makes it harder in PA, MI, WI, OH, NC, and NH https://t.co/WYlYMassmX — Ryan James Girdusky (@RyanGirdusky) September 8, 2020
Biden’s outperforming Clinton among whites and whites remain the key in the “blue wall” states that turned red four years ago. If Joe were to hold all of Hillary’s states (which is a big if given how tight Minnesota is right now) and flipped those three, he’s the next president no matter what happens in Florida. On the other hand, the polling in Pennsylvania doesn’t look so hot lately for Biden either:
In the current survey, available at www.susquehannapolling.com, and attached to this release, Biden’s lead has been cut from 6 points in April (48:42 margin), to 5 points in June (46:41), to now a 2-point margin. Momentum for Donald Trump in the current poll seems to be the result of a surge in voters who believe “restoring law and order” to U.S. cities facing looting, rioting and violent protests should be a top priority for federal lawmakers. For instance, when voters are asked to choose the top two issues (from a list of 7) they want federal lawmakers to concentrate on, “restoring law and order to cities and communities” is chosen by 37%, ranking this issue in third place among all issues and nearly tied with “improving access and affordability to health care” (at 38%) and “strengthening the economy and job creation”, ranking highest at 40%. Perhaps most significantly, not only does restoring law and order to U.S. cities outrank concern among those who believe improving race relations in the country should be a top priority (tied for 4th place at 21%), but “law and order” voters prefer Donald Trump over Joe Biden by a 74% to 16% margin. This is the clearest evidence yet that violent protests and rioting across the USA are hurting Biden’s chances in a must-win state like Pennsylvania. Conversely, voters who believe “improving race relations” should be a top priority are voting for Biden over Trump by a 78:11 margin.
Is that a fluke result? Not really. Quinnipiac found Biden comfortably ahead in Pennsylvania at the end of August but all other polls taken there recently have been tighter. Monmouth and Change Research each had the Democrat leading by three and Rasmussen had the race tied. Both the RCP and FiveThirtyEight poll averages of the state have Trump down just four points.
An interesting footnote in the news today: Biden is beefing up his staff in Georgia, not a state you’d expect to see him focused on as the polls tighten in Florida and Pennsylvania. It’s hard to believe he’d have a chance there if other swing states are starting to tilt against him. (The latest poll taken of Georgia had Trump up seven.) My guess is that he’s leveraging his gigantic fundraising windfall in August to try to force Trump to play defense there at a moment when Republicans’ money advantage has disappeared. Every dollar he can make Republicans spend across the border in Georgia is a dollar they’re not spending in Florida. It can’t be that Biden is trying to expand the map, though, at a moment when his advantage in more winnable swing states is shrinking. Not unless his polling of those states looks a lot different from the public polling.