Category Archives: Symbols
ISIS Nuisance
John Kerry thinks terrorists might have had cause for murdering cartoonists but the attack on Paris is beyond the pale. He backpedalled his statement but here it is. At least he didn’t croon “You’ve got a friend”.
He based his presidential campaign in 2004 on the idea that Islamic jihad is just a nuisance. President Obama feels the same. He wants to close Gitmo and prosecute Islamic jihadists though the US court system.
President Holland feels differently. Freedom fries anyone?
Update:
This analysis by John Lloyd of Reuters says it’s not only an act of war, ISIS is an “existential threat”.
Trump/Sanders Dream Ticket
A 72 year old Vermont socialist from Brooklyn draws huge crowds for speeches. The Donald insults Megyn and Mexicans and still leads a strong Republican field in the polls.
Glenn Reynolds, in USA TODAY says the voters are fed up with the ruling class in both parties:
The rise — and, for that matter, the fall, if fall it is — of Trump is an indictment of the GOP establishment and, for that matter, of the American political establishment in general.
On many issues, ranging from immigration reform, which many critics view as tantamount to open borders, to bailouts for bankers, the Republican and Democratic establishments agree, while a large number (quite possibly a majority) of Americans across the political spectrum feel otherwise.
Dream Ticket
Is Trump/Sanders a third party dream ticket for frustrated voters?
They both say the government’s unemployment numbers are a “crock“. The official 5.3% rate doesn’t take into account the 90 million who have given up looking for work. Sanders says the real unemployment number is north of 10%. Trump places it at 20%. Nick Gillespie, in a Daily Beast piece titled “The Pissed Off Primary”, notes they both hate Immigration and China, but in the end they’re more demagogues than candidates.
The Donald Evolves
David Harsanyi at the Federalist thinks the first Republican debate was awesome. I agree. The field looked strong all the way down to Carly Fiorina on the JV team.
Then there’s The Donald. He refused a pledge not to pull a Ross Perot if doesn’t win the nomination. Why give up the leverage, he reasoned. Makes sense I guess. And he said he made Hillary attend his wedding by giving her money. Also believable.
When asked how he came to change his views on taxes and abortion he said he evolved.
Trump Top
Trump has moved to the top of one poll for the Republican nomination. Establishment Republicans are not happy with The Donald. Peggy Noonan’s approach is that “sometimes an ill wind feels like a breath of fresh air”.
Greek Credit Swagger
Greece is in default. On Tuesday the government missed a payment deadline on its IMF debt. On Sunday Greeks will vote in a referendum to accept terms from the IMF for more loans. The terms include tax increases and pension cuts.
Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras says he’ll step down if the referendum passes. Holman Jenkins in the WSJ says Greece has put a gun to its head saying, “Pay us ransom or the idiot gets it.”
The Greek economy is only 1.8 percent of the Eurozone. At 18 trillion in the hole, nobody has a credit swagger like Uncle Sam.
