THE NEW SPACE RACE, PRIORITIES EDITION: NASA to restart Mentor-Protege program to help improve contractor diversity.
Archive for 2024
November 1, 2024
JIM TREACHER: Friday Pre-Election Grab Bag.
I haven’t seen Israel much in the news lately, probably because they’re winning the war they didn’t start. Journalists, and their fellow Democrats, really don’t like it when the Jews succeed.
Antisemitism in America is in full flourish after the October 7 attack. Just look at this crap:
If a Muslim got kicked out of a Jewish deli anywhere in America, it would be national news. But a Jew getting kicked out of a Muslim cafe for wearing a Star of David? The journos don’t care. They don’t consider it antisemitism unless it’s wearing a MAGA hat.
Meanwhile, an illegal alien Muslim terrorist just shot a Jew in Chicago while screaming “Allahu Akbar,” and public schoolteachers in Los Angeles are openly plotting to turn kids against Israel without getting fired.
Democrats still can’t shut up about what happened in Charlottesville seven years ago, yet all the antisemitism in 2024 is coming from their side.
It’s Charlottesvilles all the way down in Kamala and Joe’s America:
EVERYTHING IS GOING SWIMMINGLY: N.Y. doctors report first U.S. cases of sexually transmitted ringworm.
DON’T MESS WITH TEXAS: Texas Buys More Land To Build Border Wall. “Sometimes, if you want something done right, you just have to do it yourself. That’s Texas, faced with the lawbreaking refusal of the Biden-Harris Administration to secure the border. As such, they’re buying their own border land to build their own border wall.”
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED: Apple Watch SE (2nd Gen) [GPS 40mm] Smartwatch. #CommissionEarned I just bought this watch at the advice of my doctor to check my heart rate while exercising. So far it seems to be doing a good job and I like that I can choose the type of exercise I am doing like Barre, or Weight training and it will track calories and activity time as well.
NELLIE BOWLES: TGIF: We’re All Garbage.
The world is probably ending on Tuesday, as Democracy Dies in Darkness, so this might be the last TG ever written. Let’s make it count. Happy belated Halloween!
We’re all garbage: While Kamala Harris stood outside the White House to deliver her closing pitch to America, looking amazing and elegant in a bright white cowl neck (not sorry! She’s a 10!), Joe Biden made his own closing remarks. From a video call at the White House residence, he called Trump supporters feral trash rats. In Biden’s words: “The only garbage I see floating out there is his supporters.”
He was responding to a fairly offensive joke said at a Trump rally by a boorish comedian: “I don’t know if you guys know this, but there’s literally a floating island of garbage in the middle of the ocean right now. I think it’s called Puerto Rico.” The crowd reaction was mixed to negative. And then Biden said that the only trash is Trumpers—it was like watching the Democrats be handed a gift from Team Trump only to watch them crumple it up and hand it back.
Right on cue, America’s reporters snapped into action to deny that Biden said exactly what Biden said. He didn’t mean Trump supporters were trash, he meant that they litter, said The Washington Post.
The White House press office slightly altered the transcript—a “breach of protocol and spoilation of transcript integrity,” according to the White House stenographers—making it seem like he was talking about the supporters’ rubbish, like “Hey, don’t forget your supporters’ garbage should be separated into plastic and paper,” and Politico ran cover. My only question is: Don’t mainstream reporters ever get tired of running interference for Joe and Kamala? Don’t they ever want to just relax, drop their shoulders, and write about the words they say out loud? You can have a hundred delicately placed apostrophes in that sentence; it won’t change the fact that Biden called Trumpers “garbage.”
Hugh Hewitt, long one of the calmest conservative talk radio hosts ever, finally loses it among the Post’s Democratic Party operatives with bylines: Hugh Hewitt quits Washington Post after storming off livestream talk over dispute with liberal columnists: ‘I won’t come back.’
🚨 GANGSTER!
Hugh Hewitt rips his earpiece out and walks off set LIVE on-air while calling the Washington Post an 'election ad' for Kamala. Hugh was enraged that the segment did not fairly report on Trump's election integrity victories
Then the entire broadcast IMPLODES
WATCH pic.twitter.com/DNnM0vVwmh
— Benny Johnson (@bennyjohnson) November 1, 2024
Over to you, Jeff; as Mark Hemingway tweets, “You can bet Bezos is going to see this. This is Exhibit A for the problems he’s been talking about.“
US JOBS GROWTH PLUNGES DAYS BEFORE ELECTION:
US hiring slowed significantly last month, in what marked the weakest jobs growth reported under President Joe Biden.
Friday’s downbeat employment update, released just days before the US election, revealed just 12,000 non-farming jobs were added in October, down from 223,000 a month earlier.
This marked the slowest rate of growth since late 2020, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, as analysts blamed the impact of hurricanes and strike action at Boeing.
While hiring slowed, America’s unemployment rate remained unchanged at 4.1pc.
The closely watched report will be sure to draw scrutiny from both presidential candidates before next Thursday’s election, as Kamala Harris and Donald Trump battle to convince voters of their ability to improve the economy.
Not to mention, the media going all-in on attacking the Bad Orange Man, since they can’t use these dreadful numbers to prop up Kamala in the closing weekend: Deceptive Snakes at Kamala’s HQ Straight-Up Nuked for Editing Trump Speech to Look Like Liz Cheney Threat.
And thus, on the weekend before the election, we’ve entered some sort of bizarre hell-world in which Vox’s Zack Beauchamp is a voice of sanity:
As Jim Treacher tweets, “You know you f**ked up when Gaza Bridge Dude tells you to pump the brakes.”
At his Substack, Treacher adds: “Remember when it was cool to fantasize about a Republican politician actively fighting in a war?”
I don’t remember anybody crying about The Onion wanting to “assassinate” Bush.That was then, this is now. If it weren’t for double standards, Democrats would have none at all.
The DNC-MSM going all-in to defend the Cheneys (after begging Dubya to endorse Kamala) 20 years after the above Onion page is just astonishing to watch.
UPDATE: Hmmm:
Well, that would make the gang at the Bulwark very happy.
MILBLOGGER LAUGHING WOLF REMINDS YOU TO Brace, Brace, Brace.
I highly recommend going back and re-reading Larry Correia’s excellent takes on the 2020 elections, here and here. There are some other good ones out on that election, and 2022, but those do a very good job of establishing the patterns. Patterns we are already starting to see in Colorado (passwords, multiple other issues, trying to keep Trump off the ballot), Minnesota (multiple votes same voter ID number, etc.), Michigan (Chinese student voting), Pennsylvania (closing lines, voter intimidation, etc.), and, well, there are more.
In some cases, you will hear ‘oh, it’s just the one’ and other excuses, but keep in mind: each of these is a canary in the coal mine. Where there is one, there are usually more. Unlike 2020, the RNC and others are quick to file complaints, lawsuits, and such — but they still don’t stop many of the efforts (cough, Pennsylvania, cough). Oh, and if you watch some of the video from Pennsylvania starting with the two ‘Emergency Services’ people stopping the line. Pay particular attention to the body language of the dark-haired guy: that’s someone hoping for a fight, a chance to use force. Nor is he alone if you look at the other videos and watch the body language. Remember, mouths lie but body language rarely does. Also keep in mind that at least one person associated with a campaign has apparently been arrested in PA for telling people not to leave the line when (illegally) ordered to do so. While it will be an interesting case to follow later, it’s already succeeded in intimidation and more for now. Also remember, process is punishment.
While we are at it, don’t forget this going on in Arizona and elsewhere. Now, for non-domestic shenanigans, please pay attention to this story as this and worse are quite likely to be happening well outside the Pacific NW.
Much more to chew on at the link.
WHY JEWS MUST VOTE FOR TRUMP: The Lid’s Jeff Dunetz leaves no doubt about how he thinks his fellow Jewish American voters should vote in the presidential contest.
VANCE, LIKE TRUMP, IS COMFORTABLE IN HIS OWN SKIN: The PR Fallout of JD Vance Joining the Joe Rogan Experience: Let the Bromance Begin!
JEFFREY CARTER ON Our Feeble Jobs Report.
NEW CHIEF AT OPEN THE BOOKS: John Hart is the new Chief Executive Officer at Open the Books, succeeding founder Adam Andrzejewski, who passed away unexpectedly in August. If you missed it, check out my tribute to Adam here.
My Epoch Times profile of John this morning points to a veteran “Transparency Revolutionary” who helped give birth to the biggest database of government spending at all levels ever assembled. And now he has a vision and opportunity for marrying transparency and technology in new ways to limit government.
PROMOTED FROM O-DARK-30
ANALYSIS: TRUE. It doesn’t matter if Trump or Harris win. Europe has already lost.
As U.S. voters choose a new president, Europeans are anxiously waiting to see if the victor will be Donald Trump — a nightmare for many — or Kamala Harris, who’s seen as much better for the transatlantic relationship.
Here’s a tip from a lifelong Euro-American: Worry less about the U.S. presidency and more about how Europe can hack it alone on a dangerous global stage. The uncomfortable truth is that American interest in Europe has been dwindling for the past 30 years. And neither candidate is likely to bring back the transatlantic heyday of the early 1990s.
A couple of thoughts. One is that “the transatlantic heyday” was little more than a post-Cold War sugar high that allowed deeply unserious leadership (I’m looking at you, Bill Clinton) to begin frittering away our economic, social, and military capital.
The other is that Europe matters less to us because Europe matters less, period. The EU turned into an innovation- and growth-crushing mistake at a time when much of the rest of the world was booming.
THIS IS CNN:
Disgusting. CNN mocks JD Vance's mom, who struggled with drug addiction.pic.twitter.com/cFh2fefynX
— End Wokeness (@EndWokeness) November 1, 2024
CNN is a garbage outfit made worse because, unlike MSNBC, they pretend to be news.
UNEXPECTEDLY!
The is insane. RIP our economy. ⚰️ pic.twitter.com/WeWEzyzvGa
— End Wokeness (@EndWokeness) November 1, 2024
UPDATE: Republicans pounce!
Trump Campaign Statement on Kamala’s Job Losses
“This jobs report is a catastrophe and definitively reveals how badly Kamala Harris broke our economy. In a single month, Kamala’s failed economic agenda wiped out nearly 30,000 private sector jobs and nearly 50,000 manufacturing jobs. Working families are being ripped off by the Harris-Biden economic agenda. Kamala broke the economy. President Trump will fix it.” — Karoline Leavitt, Trump Campaign National Press Secretary.
Based on past experience, this number is more likely to be revised down than up:
In last 21 months, jobs numbers have been revised down twice as often (14 times for -754,000) as revised up (7 times for +205,000). https://t.co/1zZdUPmhG6
— Tom Bevan (@TomBevanRCP) November 1, 2024
A REVIEW OF FORMER AAUP PRESIDENT CARY NELSON’S ‘HATE SPEECH AND ACADEMIC FREEDOM.’ If Nelson is indeed suggesting that maybe we should have a campus culture where people actually have to logically defend their stances on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, rather than just call for one another’s blood, that’s great.
THIS DOESN’T LOOK GOOD: The Internet Is Getting Flushed Down Orwell’s Memory Hole.
IT’S PAYBACK TIME, JEFF: SELL THE WAPO TO ELON. WaPo Journalists Do Hit Pieces on Bezos.
Or, you know, act like you actually own the paper and fire them, and their editors, yourself.
I HATE TO SAY I TOLD YOU SO…: Why sanctions on Russia are literally backfiring.
The U.S. and its allies have relied on sanctions as one of the primary tools for curtailing Russia’s military operations in Ukraine.
Running the gamut from individual limits against Russian leaders and businesses, to comprehensive restrictions on key sectors like Russian oil and natural gas, these sanctions are intended to impose unacceptable economic costs that directly hinder Russia’s war effort and indirectly incentivize Russia to end its campaign.
However, experts have been debating whether and how well they have worked. Some argue that the comprehensive sanctions, and in particular the widespread restrictions against its oil and gas revenue, are bringing Russia’s economy — and therefore its military campaign — to its knees. Others concede that sanctions may not successfully end the war outright, but contend they at least offer an inexpensive and low-risk way to slow Russian advances and take a public stand against the invasion. And yet, after nearly three years, the war still rages, Russia’s economy has rebounded, and Russian domestic support for Putin and the Kremlin are at an all-time high.
The problem with this solely economic debate is that it overlooks the risk for more serious counterproductive consequences. Sanctions are not just failing to end the war in Ukraine or weaken the Kremlin’s warfighting currency, they’ve also backfired, inadvertently strengthening Moscow’s hardline position, undermining the utility of alternative strategies, and shoring up the Kremlin against future international coercion. As a result, the fallback position that sanctions are at least better than nothing ignores their long-term perverse consequences for regional peace and international stability.
VodkaPundit, two-and-a-half years ago: “When it comes to natural resources, Russia lacks for nothing. It’s impossible to sanction a country with Russia’s resources into submission.”
So the sanctions regime has turned out even worse than I imagined, and I started off as a pessimist.
BILL WHITTLE: Garbage In / Garbage Out. “It’s not being called ‘garbage’ that should enflame half the country… it’s being called NAZIS and FASCISTS that are the real fightin’ words. Bill breaks down the origin of the words ‘Nazi’ and ‘Fascist,’ shows how it’s the DEMOCRATS who share the same characteristics on his patented ‘Garbage Matrix,’ and reminds us of who the REAL victims of this ten-cent cheap shot really are.”
KRUISER’S MORNING BRIEFING: A Pessimist’s Election Weekend Wish — Godspeed to the Trump Train. “If Trump does win, he should send President LOLEightyonemillion a couple of Lego sets to play with as thanks. Maybe Melania can tell DOCTOR Jill where to buy clothes that don’t look like recycled upholstery.”