WELL, THAT HARSHES THE NARRATIVE: New numbers suggest that maybe neoliberalism worked, after all. “Easterly doesn’t actually try to establish causality, which is hard to do in almost any study, but is especially difficult here because good cross-country data on privatization, deregulation, tax reform, trade liberalization and so on don’t exist. Instead he looks at whether obvious economic pathologies such as high inflation, deeply negative real interest rates, high premiums in currency black markets, and so on have become more or less common. And he then looks for any correlation with changes in economic growth rates. Not to destroy the suspense but it turns out that all these pathologies are now much rarer than they used to be. That’s good news worth celebrating all on its own. But it’s also true that countries where the pathologies are down have seen increases in the growth rate of per capita real income of a per cent and a half on average. Now it could be that growth eliminated the pathologies rather than vice versa — there probably is a virtuous circle in such things — but the timing is also consistent with Washington consensus policies having had more of an effect than economists thought.”

Remember, the leftist definition of “broken” is “not giving us more power.”

PRIVACY: Schools Are Using an App to Track Students While They Pee.

HUH: Women killed in Mexican cartel murders had alleged ties to sex cult Nxivm.

DON’T GET COCKY: The latest battleground poll tells us Democrats are over-correcting for 2020 — and they can’t beat Trump that way.

The three key states, based on the 2016 results, are Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, and Michigan. Trump became the first Republican since 1984 to win Wisconsin and the first since 1988 to win Pennsylvania and Michigan. The narrow margin of around 70,000 votes in all three states was enough to win the electoral college and sweep Trump into office.

Democrats must win those states to defeat Trump, who doesn’t care if he doesn’t win the popular vote. The problem, however, is voters in those states may not want to go all in with Sanders’ or Warren’s big spending plans, which include Medicare-for-All.

On Medicare-for-All, it is not difficult to see the message from the GOP and Trump as the campaign moves into 2020. While PA, MI, and WI are no longer the manufacturing powerhouses they were 40 or 50 years ago, they still employ a decent number of union workers who have great healthcare benefits through their employers. How will they react to getting presented with a proposal that will take away their private plan and put in the hands of the federal government?

For many people, even those inclined to vote for Democrats, words that still make them cringe are, “I’m from the government, and I’m here to help.”

Whether people want to credit Trump or not, the reality in politics is that the person in the Oval Office gets the credit or blame for the economy. With the unemployment rate at 3.6 per cent, low interest rates, no inflation, and a stock market that is humming along, Democrats have to convince voters Trump doesn’t deserve another term as re-election races are almost always a referendum on the incumbent.

Another Trump advantage: He always looks like he’s having fun on the campaign trail. Every single one of the Democratic contenders is a real eat-your-peas type.

ANOTHER DUD OF A NOBEL PEACE PRIZE WINNER: Desmond Tutu calls for anti-apartheid style boycott of fossil fuel industry. Tutu never mentions nuclear, so he’s not serious.

GROSS: ‘Even on My Worst Days, I’M KILLING IT,’ Prominent Abortionist’s Plaque Reads.

FLASHBACK: Americans Strongly Dislike PC Culture. And yet Democrats have doubled down on it.

USUALLY QUITE THE OPPOSITE:  Dear millennials: Your fancy education is not helping you get ahead.

I DRAW THE LINE AT IMPUTING EMOTIONAL STATES TO PLANTS:  This is why you keep killing your plants – they’re scared of water.

WHEN YOU CURTAIL THE ABILITY TO FIGHT BACK WITH WORDS, YOU CAN ONLY FIGHT BACK VIOLENTLY:  Without Free Speech, All Speech Becomes Government Speech.

ON THE CONTRARY. IT DISPELS DOUBT WONDERFULLY. JUST NOT THE WAY THE GOVERNMENT WOULD LIKE:  New Filing in Flynn Prosecution Casts Further Doubt on the Government’s Case.

SETTING THE OLD DINGY “LADY” STRAIGHT:  Crusade.

I HOPE THE COURTS SLAP THEM AGAIN, HARDER:  Ted Koppel: Despite verdict, Oberlin College President still “makes allusions to a pattern of racist behavior” by Gibson’s Bakery.

ACTUALLY THEY MEAN “OBVIOUSLY NOT QUALIFIED.” BUT THEN THAT DIDN’T STOP THEM SUPPORTING OBAMA, DID IT?  Buttigieg ‘Not Obviously Qualified’ to Be President, Says MSNBC Analyst .

THAT’S HOW THEY FLIPPED COLORADO, AND THEN INSTITUTED FRAUD VOTE BY MAIL:  Dems Ride Big Money to Full Control of Virginia Legislature.

I WISH I COULD BELIEVE THIS WAS A JOKE:  Greenies are coming for your inhaler. No, really. They are.

The sad thing is that when everything is a joke, nothing is.

DUH:  Iran Never Intended To Comply With Iran Nuclear Deal.

MISSISSIPPI VOTERS PROMOTE GOP LT. GOV. TATE REEVES TO GOVERNOR.

I GOT THIS FROM MY FRIEND ROBERT BIDINOTTO:  America’s Revolutionary Mind: A Moral History of the American Revolution and the Declaration That Defined It.

And from Robert Bidinotto in his own words: I edited this book in manuscript, and let me tell you: It’s THE book our country needs right now, to counter the anti-American narratives that have been poisoning generations. THIS is the rationale for, and defense of, America that we have all been waiting for — and that we so desperately need in our time. If you are upset with how the history, principles, and Founders of America have been vilified and vandalized, then you absolutely, positively must get “AMERICA’S REVOLUTIONARY MIND” by Clemson historian C Bradley Thompson. I am thrilled to have helped edit this magnificent examination of America’s founding, revealed through Prof. Thompson’s deep and eloquent exploration of the ideas of the Declaration of Independence — as they were debated and championed by the people of that era. It is a rich work that will enrich your mind and spirit. Buy it today — and spread the word.

VIRGINIA CLOWN SHOW UPDATE: Democrats Take Control Of Virginia State Legislature For The First Time In Decades.

UPDATE: And speaking of clown shows: Virginia cyclist who flipped off Trump’s motorcade appears to have won race for local office.

DON’T MESS WITH TEXAS: Texas Voters Approve Constitutional Amendment Banning State Income Tax.

AT AMAZON, Deal of the Day: Save on Stanley Lunchboxes, Thermoses, and Cookware.

#JOURNALISM:

OPEN THREAD: It’s for you.