TAKE A CUE FROM CURTIS LEMAY
“Every time another mass murder occurs, the media’s coverage focuses on the memorials — piles of flowers, rows of candles and hand-drawn signs — and the calls for unity and pledges of resolve by national leaders. But all the memorials are totally meaningless. They are merely a stage for politicians to act on, professing emotion, proclaiming unity, and calling for everyone to just keep calm and carry on. Nothing else results from them,” says American Spectator columnist and former Defense Department undersecretary Jeb Babbin, who notes that President Obama’s two-year-old plan to “degrade and eventually destroy” the Islamic State have failed.
PJ Media columnist Michael Walsh agrees that the sensitive touch is not efficient when dealing with terrorists and advises those fed up with teddy bears and candles to heed the words of the late Air Force general Curtis LeMay when he said of the enemy, “If you kill enough of them, they stop fighting’.”
CLINTON MUM FOR QUITE SOME TIME
“116. That’s the number of days since Hillary Clinton has held a formal press conference. And since it’s March Madness, here’s your context on just how long 116 days is: You can play the entire NCAA tournament — 68 teams down to one win winner — nearly six times in 116 days. Or one could drive across the United States in 116 days. 29 times,” reports Mediaite analyst Joe Concha.
“The fear of Hillary’s handlers, of course, is that a majority of questions at such a presser will not focus on her plan to fight ISIS, fighting for the middle class or fighting a tireless Bernie Sanders in the primary, but instead on the FBI Primary. The L.A. Times reports that the bureau will be questioning Mrs. Clinton soon as sources tell the paper the bureau may be nearing the end of its investigation. Whether this will result in a recommendation for indictment is anyone’s guess,” Mr. Concha adds.
VOTERS: LIFE STINKS
Public complaints about life in America often fuel campaign rhetoric. But these complaints are very real. Dissatisfied, alarmed voters say life ain’t what it used to be, and it’s driving their politics. An extensive new Pew Research Center survey reveals that overall, 46 percent of registered voters say life in America today is worse than it was 50 years ago “for people like them.” The partisan divide here is epic. Among Republicans, 66 percent say life has gotten worse in this country — compared to 28 percent of Democrats.
The dissatisfaction factor also comes into play among those who support different presidential candidates. Fully three fourths of voters who support Republican frontrunner Donald Trump say life for people like them has gotten worse, compared with 63 percent of Sen. Ted Cruz supporters and 54 percent of those who back Gov. John Kasich. On the Democratic side, 34 percent of those who favor Sen. Bernie Sanders are negative compared to 22 percent of Hillary Clinton’s fans.
THE GOP IS HERE TO HELP
Required reading? Well, maybe. The Republican National Committee has just launched a helpful guide to the ins and outs, back doors, side exits and mysteries of the upcoming Republican National Convention in Cleveland, now just over 15 weeks away. You know. All this talk about “contested” and “open” and so forth and so on. Find it here: ConventionFacts.gop
MERRICKMENTUM
The nomination of federal judge Merrick Garland to the Supreme Court is picking up speed, and the mainstream media is racing right along, proclaiming that President Obama’s pick for the high court has “momentum.” How do Americans feel? Here are the numbers: 46 percent of Americans say Mr. Garland should be confirmed as a justice; 22 percent of Republicans, 19 percent of conservatives, 45 percent of independents, 70 percent of Democrats and 78 percent of liberals agree, this according to a new Pew Research Center poll.
JITTERY ABOUT POLITICS
Voters may not know it, but “psychographic profiling” has been deployed by some strategists in the presidential election, aimed at homing in on personality traits and crafting precise campaign messages to match.
The research is apt to reveal a jittery bunch. Psychology Today describes the election as so “emotionally charged that it could affect one’s immune system.” Reuters declared 2016 as “the year America went nuts,” while both psychologists and massage therapists report business is booming thanks to electoral angst among citizens torn between establishment candidates and outsider upstarts.
There’s something to all this. A new Fox News survey finds that 82 percent of registered voters say their “nervous about American politics today” — a sentiment shared equally by Republicans, Democrats and independents alike.
ADIOS, CUBA?
“Will President Obama’s visit improve Cuba’s tourism industry?” asks Travel and Tour World, a trade publication. “A really important fact is that the presidential delegation included also dozens of American businessmen in search of opportunities on this island.”
Other don’t see Mr. Obama’s recent visit to the island nation in quite such a pearly light. “See Cuba before it becomes the next Key West,” advises Go EatGive, a private agency that coordinates travel to Havana, which includes hands-on volunteer work and accommodations in “casas particulares” — private homes.
CARLY REINVENTED
Former GOP presidential hopeful Carly Fiorina has repurposed her old presidential campaign for a new mission: “To help conservative outsiders win in November,” she explains. Her image has changed too. Gone are the patriotic colors of her presidential wardrobe, replaced by the muted shades of someone ready to get down to business.
“It’s about defeating the Washington establishment of both parties — and electing real conservative leaders from outside the political class, who will engage citizens around the nation and lead the charge to take our country back,” says Mrs. Fiorina, who endorsed Sen. Ted Cruz for president last month and is now campaigning for him.
“These citizen leaders have the commonsense solutions and the clear-headed perspective. Instead of being concerned with party politics, they will get the job done. Instead of taking away our rights, they will defend our Constitution,” she states. “I know about outsider candidates, because I’ve been one.”
A HIDDEN TRUMP BENEFIT
“An impersonator who has been imitating billionaire Donald Trump for 12 years says he is now making $40,000 a month since he became the Republican front-runner in the race for the White House. John Di Domenico first mastered the voice and characteristics of the hotel tycoon when TV show The Apprentice started in 2004. But since Trump announced he would be standing for the US presidency, the 53-year-old has seen his bookings skyrocket and can now charge up to $10,000 for turning up at events.”
— From Jennifer Newton, a correspondent with the Daily Mail.
ROLLING THUNDER VICTORY
Rolling Thunder is known for its patriotic “Ride for Freedom” to the nation’s capital each year and an intense interest in veterans’ affairs. Now the national motorcycle club has inspired some legislation, based on the organization’s unwavering support for the “chair of honor” — a simple but effective public reminder of some 83,000 troops still missing in action or held as prisoners of war. Each chair bears the stark POW/MIA emblem and remains permanently unoccupied; currently, there are chairs of honor placed in 100 indoor and outdoor sites around the nation, including several major sports stadiums.
But Rolling Thunder officers wanted to know: Why not one for the U.S. Capitol?
They made their case two years ago to Rep. Stephen F. Lynch, Massachusetts Democrat, who introduced the “National POW/MIA Remembrance Act of 2015,” which passed unanimously on the floor of the House last week. The bill has straightforward intent, providing that an appropriate chair of honor be placed on the Capitol grounds as a solemn reminder of those who did not make it home.
A bipartisan companion bill in the Senate has also been introduced by Sens. Marco Rubio and Elizabeth Warren.
“When we pass this chair every day, we will be reminded of our commitment to our POWs, our MIAs and their families that we have not forgotten them, we will never forget them, and we will not rest until they all come home,” Mr. Lynch said, heartily crediting Rolling Thunder in his own state and elsewhere for championing the idea and pushing for the legislation.
FOXIFIED
A historic moment for the news source with audience cross-over power. “For the first time ever in FOX News Channel’s history, the network led basic cable in both primetime and total day for the entire first quarter of 2016 according to Nielsen Media Research. FNC outranked all other cable networks for the full quarter, including ESPN, TBS and AMC, and has spent the past 10 consecutive weeks as the No 1 cable channel in total day, among all viewers,” Fox News announced Tuesday.
The network marks the 14th year in a row as the most-watched cable news channel, averaging 1.6 million viewer during the daytime hours; in contrast, CNN drew 732,00, MSNBC 502,000. During primetime, the Fox audience numbers 2.4 million; 1.4 million tune into CNN, 888,000 to MSNBC. Meanwhile, Fox News also notched up the top 14 cable news programs among all viewers, and nine of the top 10 programs in the all-important 25-54 year-old age group.
“The broadcast evening newscasts aren’t seeing the same kind of viewership lift — in fact, no lift at all,” points out TV Newser analyst Chris Ariens, who notes that numbers at NBC, CBS and ABC are down by as much as 3 percent. The traditional networks still get hefty audiences, though: NBC draws and average 9.2 million nightly, ABC 9 million, CBS 7.7 million.
POLL DU JOUR
63 percent of Americans say it’s better to work with Muslim communities to identify potential terrorists than place them under intense surveillance; 52 percent of Republicans, 59 percent of independents and 73 percent of Democrats agree.
55 percent say there is discrimination against Muslim in the U.S. 28 percent of Republicans, 53 percent of independents and 73 percent of Democrats agree.
51 percent overall agree there should be a “total and complete shutdown” of Muslim entering the U.S. until the potential threat can be assessed; 62 percent of Republicans, 52 percent of independents and 32 percent of Democrats agree.
45 percent overall agree that law enforcement should patrol and secure Muslim neighborhoods “before they become radicalized”; 74 percent of Republicans, 43 percent of independents and 29 percent of Democrats agree.
Source: A YouGov poll of 119, U.S. adults conducted March 24-25.
Follow Jennifer Harper on Twitter @HarperBulletin
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