00Publius Contributor

-By Gary Krasner

In the wake of the shootings in San Bernardino CA, CBS News played an interview at 6:45 PM EST, in which President Dumdum expressed dismay over the shooting, and while admitting that we know nothing about the shooting yet, managed to claim that the cause of the shooting was the fault of insufficient safeguards against the wrong people obtaining guns.

President Dumdum then immediately stated that we have a No Fly List in which people on that list are legally able to purchase firearms, and that it must be stopped. It was a total non sequitur, since we don’t know that the San Bernardino shooters were on the No Fly Zone.

Like most liberals who have been making this argument to support more gun control, President Dumdum apparently doesn’t know the reason for a No Fly List, and how it relates to our Constitutional protections.

The No Fly List is not a list of people who are guilty of any crime. Senator Ted Kennedy was on the list, presumably by mistake. The list was intended to be an overly cautious measure to screen out or scrutinize SUSPECTS, who authorities SUSPECT may wish cause the plane to crash.

The exclusions based on the list may ultimately be found unconstitutional, but if you read the fine print in the contract you signed to purchase airline tickets, you will see that you agreed that you have no right to fly on a plane, and that you may be detained if you refuse to comply with intrusive methods to search you––which possibly includes cavity searches.

This list contains approximately 50,000 people. No one knows how they get on the list, and many are on the list erroneously.

And this is the list which Democrats and President Dumdum wants to use as a basis to deny Americans their Second Amendment rights!!
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President Dumdum Pops Off On San Bernardino”

-By Gary Krasner

Glad you asked.

He’s not a practiced politician, and it shows. at least in one respect, it’s a deficit.

We just saw a story from a mainstream organ–Politico.

The story alleged that Carson fabricated an event. which event? An event he’s discussed and wrote about in his book.

Carson has written and stated (e.g. Charlie Rose recently) that he was offered a scholarship to West Point, but that he never applied to West Point and instead went to medical school.

Instead of conveying that fact accurately, Politico falsely wrote that Carson claimed to have APPLIED to West Point, and West Point states there was no application by Carson.

THEREFORE, according to Politico, Carson lied!!!

And when contacted by Politico, Carson’s people repeated the facts as Carson wrote it.

Including that part that all who enroll at West Point do not have to pay tuition, which West Point refers to as “scholarships” on its website.
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What’s Wrong With Ben Carson?”

-By Gary Krasner

“The Opposite” is the 86th episode of the NBC sitcom Seinfeld, which was also the 22nd episode of the fifth season. It aired on May 19, 1994.

It’s also replaying again, in the presidential campaign with respect to Trump and Clinton. But first, let’s remember the storyline in that episode of Seinfeld. From Wikipedia:

George returns from the beach and decides that every decision that he has ever made has been wrong, and that his life is the exact opposite of what it should be. George tells this to Jerry in Monk’s Cafe, who convinces him that “if every instinct you have is wrong, then the opposite would have to be right”. George then resolves to start doing the complete opposite of what he would do normally. He orders the opposite of his normal lunch, and he introduces himself to a beautiful woman who happens to order exactly the same lunch, saying, “My name is George. I’m unemployed and I live with my parents.” To his surprise, she is impressed and agrees to date him.

Meanwhile, Elaine is an exec at Pendant Publishing. Starting off in a successful position, she follows her instincts, and that leads to everything going wrong for her, including the company going out of business.

You can read more at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Opposite

HOW DOES THIS EPISODE REFLECT THE CURRENT CAMPAIGN?

The instincts of every political pundit was that Trump would flame out. But day after day, with every one of Trumps noxious, blunt, or just undiplomatic utterances, these “wise” pundits thought that would be the end of Trump’s campaign. But like Costanza, Trump instead benefited. His poll numbers continued to rise. It seemed as though the more horrific were his remarks, the more popular he became.
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‘The Opposite’ Starring Trump and Hillary”

-By Gary Krasner

As I write this, Donald Trump is meeting with GOP brass today. They want him to sign a “pledge” to abstain from running as a third party candidate. The other candidates have signed it.

But other candidates didn’t meet with the GOP. Trump did. Why? Because Trump had terms. Trump doesn’t agree to something unless there are terms he favors.

The terms offered by the GOP are one-sided. They want Trump to promise to do something that benefits them. But Trump never gives up leverage without a price. He’s a businessman.

So I believe Trump’s lawyers drafted a rider to the GOP contract (i.e. “pledge”). And here is what it reads (or words to that effect):

In exchange for Trump’s promise not to run as a third party candidate, the GOP promises not to select another candidate if Trump wins the majority of delegates, fair and square, from the state primary elections and caucuses.

The current rules, set up by the GOP, allows the party bigwigs to legally choose a candidate other than the one who obtained the most delegates. Mostly with the use of super delegates.

But Trump is no chump. His people know the rules of the convention’s nominating process. So that is the only way Trump would sign the contract. And it was in the interests of both parties to keep the rider secret, at least as long as possible. Trump appears like a team player and the party doesn’t lose face—and they may inherit Trump voters if a non-Bush, immigration hawk wins the nomination. If the GOP brass have brains, that would be a rational preference.

Trump is seen as the great negotiator. He wrote the Art of the Deal. He cannot be seen as a loser. So he signed that contract, but with the caveat rider attached. Trust me.

Trump’s next move? He should tout the fact that he’s a real Republican now, but that he will not actively support Jeb Bush if Jeb is nominated. This is important. Trump cannot be seen as caving in to GOP leaders. He will not be violating the contract by doing this, because the contract restricts him solely from running on a third party ticket.

Trump can’t keep repeating that Jeb is low energy. He must augment that label by saying that Jeb is not a fighter. Presidential candidate Jeb would be deferential to the black or female or minority Democrat nominee. Like McCain and Romney, Jeb would be too fearful of being labeled a misogynist or racist. It would be a replay of the losing campaigns against Obama. THAT must be Trump’s next line of attack.

And for good measure, Trump must announce that his first day’s phone call will be to accept the congratulations from Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and Speaker John Boner, and then tell them to start packing, because they’re finished as party leaders. Trump heads the party and he wants legislators leading the party to fight for the conservative agenda.

When Trump does all that, he’ll ensure his victory over the lame, incumbents who’ve betrayed the party’s base that got them elected.

-By Gary Krasner

The New York Post has a new piece by Michael Goodwin entitled ‘Pendulum Factor’ could land Trump in White House. But is Goodwin right?

Well, not exactly. Most Democrats still love Obama. Whereas Trump is popular among conservative Republicans. So there’s no “pendulum” swing for them. Conservatives NEVER liked Obama.

So Goodwin isn’t on point. Rather, the mystery is this: Why is Trump on top with conservatives, when he’s the least conservative in the field? WHY?!

ENTER “Gary Explains”:*

Republican voters turned out in droves to swing both houses of Congress into the largest majorities in history. And what did they get?

Nada. Zilch. They got Mitch McConnell and John Boner. They got leadership that wont lead. Not even to defund planned parenthood of all things.

One useless republican “leader”, Sen. Bob Corker, managed to guarantee that Iran will get a nuclear bomb! 6 years ago he was just a local yokel Tennessee businessman.

We voted into office men who loved incumbency and praise from beltway media elites, more than fighting for their country and the conservative agenda they were elected to advance.
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NY Post Columnist Michael Goodwin Says Trump is the UN-Obama. That’s Why He’s On Top”

-By Gary Krasner

Trump lost the debate. He lost it because he didn’t win it. All eyes were on him. 30 million eyes! Before the debate, he had already obtained his ceiling of supporters, many of who are not republicans, or they’re republicans who generally don’t vote in primaries. So what Trump had to do was break through that ceiling and onto a new level–to grab some of those those who doubted he was presidential material, as opposed to tabloid clown.

He didn’t do that. I suspect that’s why Roger Stone bailed. According to the article below, Stone prepared Trump for the debate, and it seems Trump ignored what he learned and went off script and into tabloid-like sound bites. That may have pleased his low-information supporters, but for someone like me, who hoped there was some substance to Trump’s political positions—whatever they are—I was left disappointed.

And the one issue he was known for–illegal immigration–he failed there too. He couldn’t provide Chris Wallace with evidence of the allegation that made him number 1 in the polls. And the sad fact is that there’s lots of evidence. The percentage of felons if federal prison who are illegals. Or the recent release of violent crime stats by Texas. I’m sure Stone prepared Trump for it, and Trump went loose cannon instead.

Roger Stone is a savvy pol advisor. Very experienced. And one would have thought, a good fit for Trump in lifestyle and unorthodox political views. Stone wrote that book last year which alleged that President Johnson was the mastermind behind the JFK assassination.
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Trump Lost—A Good Opportunity”

-By Gary Krasner

Because he raised the minimum wage for fast food employees to $15 an hour.

Huh? How does that make him a racist?!

Because businesses hire the most experienced and reliable workers seeking employment. For burger flipping jobs, the free market set the rate at about 8 bucks an hour. That means that people with no skills, and are willing to flip burgers at 8 bucks an hour, will find an employer willing and able to pay that rate. It’s the free market at work.

OK, so how does that make Cuomo a racist?

Because when the government forces Burger King to pay workers $15, there are thousands of skilled workers—who are earning less than $15—who will quit their jobs and apply for work at Burger King.

What’s wrong with that? They’ll be making more money.

For THOSE workers, there’s nothing wrong with that. Indeed, Burger King would rather hire people with experience and good work histories, showing good work habits and reliability and proven learning capabilities, rather than some black kid from the hood who has no work background.

Ahh, I see. So because of liberals like Cuomo, poor black kids end up never gaining employment, because they never have the chance to grab the lowest rung of the ladder that could give them the opportunity to prove themselves.

Exactly, because Cuomo removed it.
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Why is Governor Andrew Cuomo a Racist?”

-By Gary Krasner

On August 4, 2015, The New York Times reported that, “Since the outbreak that gave Legionnaires’ disease its name nearly four decades ago, water-cooling towers have been identified as prime breeding grounds for the deadly disease.” It reported that “Mayor Bill de Blasio of New York advised the public to be on the lookout for symptoms of Legionnaires’ disease and to immediately seek treatment if symptoms start to appear.”

Old guys like me may remember the connection to water-cooling towers for air conditioners with this disease. But few of us know that the disease is not caused by any pathogen floating in the water, but rather what is leaking from the AC units which that water is used to cool.

Legionnaires’ Disease was a good illustration how illnesses from chemical toxins are erroneously attributed to infectious microbiological agents. To allege that fabricating an infectious disease epidemic is possible opens the door halfway into accepting these ‘heresies’ in theory, with respect to other phony influenza outbreaks, such as West Niles, H1N1, Swine, Avian and Spanish flus. To actually believe that the fraud occurs routinely opens the door completely.

My first inclination to believe this occurred before I had any knowledge about the fallacious contentions of infectious and communicable diseases generally. In 1979, I read a three-page article that started to change my perspective. The protagonist in “What Dr. Runsdorf Knows (And the Government Doesn’t) About Legionnaires’ Disease” (Phil Patton, New York magazine, January 29, 1979, p.30) was a Brooklyn surgeon whose independent investigation into the outbreaks of pneumonia revealed that they were not infections from a bacterium, as the CDC concluded, but rather a chemical toxin.
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What Mayor Bird Brain Doesn’t Know About Legionnaires’ Disease”

-By Gary Krasner

A week ago Friday (July 24th), Hillary Clinton gave a press conference and said, about her email scandal, “we are all accountable to the American people to get the facts right, and I will do my part.”

Huh? Who’s “we.” And she will do HER PART to be accountable? There is no “we” in this violation of law, or in concealing from the president that she conducted State Department business on her private email server. SHE must be held accountable. That is her “part” in this matter, and no one else’s.

That weekend, I was catching up on season 4 of VEEP, starring Julia Louis Dreyfus. In season 4, she ascended to the presidency after the president was forced to resign from a scandal.

I saw a very close similarity in Julia’s character portrayal of President Selina Meyer to Hillary’s persona. Their styles match in some ways. Meyers frequently huddles with staff people to conjure up a message at a press conference which is undecipherable, unfathomable, nonsensical, and appropriately ambiguous. Essentially, it’s a non-statement statement to avoid being blamed for something. It means nothing and merely gives the impression that a response was issued, so we can all move on.

THAT comment Hillary made on Friday is typical of some of her prior comments. It’s rehearsed like Meyer’s; probably poll-tested like Meyer’s, and essentially doesn’t address the issue, or misstates the issue, or obfuscates it. And like Meyer’s, you can see that smirky gaze on Hillary’s face, that seems to suggest that she thinks she got away with averting accountability, because you see, “we are all accountable.”

In fact, it was Hillary’s remark that day, followed by that smirky smile, and that look of accomplishment after uttering such vague and ambiguous nonsense, which prompted me to see the similarity with Selina Meyer. Watch that HBO series and you will see our future if Clinton is elected president.

On the same weekend, one of the channels was playing Easy Money (1983), starring Rodney Dangerfield and Joe Pecsi.

Rodney plays baby photographer Montgomery “Monty” Capuletti, living in middle-class Staten Island. His mother-in-law, Mrs. Monahan, is willing to him her great fortune and high class Manhattan department store, but only if Monty gives up smoking and drinking.

Her scheming, smarmy right-hand man Clive Barlow (played by character actor Jeffrey Jones) does his best to undermine Monty’s resolve so the money and department store can instead be left to him. Jeffrey Jones, you’ll recall, was the school principal vainly hunting for Ferris Bueler, played by Matthew Broderick, in that legendary role as a truant high schooler.

Barlow looks down his nose at Monty. He views Monty to be a rube who can’t speak correctly or dress correctly, and that’s sufficient to try to exclude Monty from high society and from owning the store. But Rodney has a breakthrough, by coming out with a popular clothing line, with bowling shirts and baggy pants–“the Regular Guy look, it’s called.

That’s when it hit me: Donald Trump is Monty! The Republican Party and mainstream political pundits find Trump’s manner and speech low class–which only the common people appreciate. Trump is direct, blunt, undiplomatic, unsophisticated, and sometimes crude, like Monty is. And the regulars in the party, represented by Clive Barlow in the movie, want to keep Trump out, despite his popularity with the common folk.

So Trump is the regular guy trying to enter the exclusive republican club. But unlike Monty, he already has his fortune. And that will make all the difference.

-By Gary Krasner

Why must we work? That was the question my cousin Bob asked me over 10 years ago.

Bob was a retired teacher. A brilliant teacher, in fact. Won lots of awards. When I visited him upstate, he got into this rant about having had to work all his life to live comfortably. I was dumbstruck. He was supposed to be the smart guy in the family. How could he not know the answer?

I didn’t understand as much about economics then, as I do now. But even then I couldn’t comprehend his idea that people shouldn’t have to work. Had he asked me that today, I would have used Greece as an example. Or Eddie.

People must work. They must produce something of value. They must invest or sell their labor. They must do this work for income. My neighbor Eddie for 25 yrs lived with his mom all that time and never worked. Never, unless he needed to spend money. Never saved money. Not a dime. I warned him plenty, but he never listened to me. Then 2 years ago his mom died and he was forced onto the streets. But saved eventually by the welfare system he used to be on with mom, but this time they’re making him work for the booty.
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Greek Tragedy”

-By Gary Krasner

After watching Hugh Hewitt on the guest panel of pundits for three outings on Meet the Press so far this year, it’s looking like he’s content on joining the ranks of David Brooks and Michael Gerson in being considered just part of the scenery for liberal media programs.

Admittedly, the token conservatives who get invited to Sunday Morning news shows do not get many opportunities to chime in. Which means that they can’t afford to waste their shot with a neutral, squishy comment. Editor of National Review Rich Lowery, for example, ably gets in some good conservative jabs when it’s his turn to speak. He gets invited back to Meet the Press and Face the Nation, because he’s had enough skill and poise to slip the knife in without much blood spatter. It’s a skill that Jason Riley, editorialist for the Wall Street Journal and senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute, didn’t exhibit when he appeared on Meet the Press last August.

After making stinging comments against Obama on Iraq–which was fine by Andrea Mitchell who supports Hillary–something unexpected happened. What happened was that Jason Riley spoke up, without prompting by moderation manager Mitchell (David Gregory was out), and hauled off on the Ferguson shooting that was under discussion, saying how blacks own violent crime, statistically.

That sent alarm bells ringing in the control room. You can see moderation manager Mitchell starting to squirm in her chair, and tried to interrupt Riley, a man with unmistakably black skin. But not before Riley–ignoring the nonverbal signals to pipe down–segued into attacking Al Sharpton, saying that 40 black kids got shot in Chicago by other blacks during the Ferguson affair. But said that instead of going to Chicago to protest, Sharpie went to Ferguson to exploit his grievance agenda.
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Hewitt Strikes Out on Meet The Press”

-By Gary Krasner

Hear me out, before you get outraged. That’s been the problem with this and similar incidents far too often. Everyone’s on a hair trigger to condemn anything that seems “racist”, or anyone who doesn’t agree that something is racist.

Need I mention, as an example, the liberal riot called “Ferguson”? All that death and destruction from a rush to judgment, based on a pack of lies, which the media was eager to believe over more credible witness testimony to the contrary. In fact, it was because there were threats against anyone to might testify to the truth which discouraged them from coming forward to the media much sooner, which could have stemmed the fomentation. The looters in Ferguson painted the words “snitches get stitches” on the convenience store that the “Gentle Giant” had robbed.

So give me the patience that’s required for rational, analytical thought.

OK Gary, didn’t you see the frat boys singing that racist song?! Let’s begin with what I saw. I saw a bunch of kids acting giddy over a song that, by any standard, is considered taboo, because it’s racially insensitive. Racism is the new pedophilia today. Kids know it. Kids like do things that are stupid and outrageous, because they’re stupid and outrageous. Just to trigger that reaction. What they do is intended to shock people, or just to one-up each other in such adolescent exercises.
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SAE Frat Video is Neither Racist Nor Offensive”

-By Gary Krasner

Gov. Chris Christie is an anti-vaccine conspiracy nut?!

Any observer of politics can only sit back and marvel at the irony of this event. The fact that this is another instance of political demagoguery tainting a complicated science issue is nothing to celebrate. So don’t get me wrong. It’s unpleasant to watch. But it’s so educational about the disgusting dumbing-down of any issue that’s not of Micky-Mouse simplicity.

But just look at what’s happened.

Up until yesterday, Chris Christie was the top sound bite winner of all time. He used his power as governor to hog the spotlight and shout down voices of dissent. He was a “debate ender”. He never fostered thoughtful commentary which departed from his views. Why permit dissenting views when you command all the attention, by way of being governor?

He defended, for example, judicial rulings that were in accord with sharia law. And he nominated a pro sharia lawyer to judgeship. Thoughtful criticism was published. But Christie lashed back with intolerance and didn’t address the criticism on-point. He just issued the usual demagoguery and strawman arguments in sound bite format against dissenters. he called them Islamophobes.

OK, you get the point.
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An Epidemic of ‘Stupid’”

-By Gary Krasner

Good morning class. Today you liberals will learn how to recognize coded language. And we will use the Ferguson incident as a case example.

GARY: Did you all watch the president’s comments last night?

Naive, mushy-headed young liberal: Yes, he called for calm following the grand jury verdict.

GARY: But why did he wait until AFTER the verdict was rendered?

Naive, mushy-headed young liberal: Why does it matter?

GARY: It matters because the rioters were already assembled on the streets. It was a little late at that point, to get them to disband.

Naive, mushy-headed young liberal: I suppose, but so what?

GARY: The reason Obama waited for the verdict was to editorialize about it. Had he given a news conference BEFORE the verdict, the only thing he could have said was that we’re a nation of laws, and juries hear the evidence and we have to accept the verdict.

Naive, mushy-headed young liberal: But isn’t that essentially what Obama said last night?

GARY: No. He said a lot more. He said, for example, that it’s “understandable” why people may be angry about the verdict.

Naive, mushy-headed young liberal: what’s wrong with that?
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Gary’s Liberal Deprogramming Workshop”

-By Gary Krasner

It only took a couple of days for Hillary Clinton’s “people” to walk back her gaff in a speech she delivered last week while campaigning in Massachusetts with Senator Elizabeth Warren. In trying to best Warren for leftwing support, Hillary said, “Don’t let anybody tell you that corporations and businesses create jobs.” Whatever the hell she really believes on this issue, and it’s anyone’s guess what that might be, given the Clinton’s extraordinary political expediency, I feel there’s a need to educate liberals on this issue.

The reason Sen. Warren, and now Clinton, tell businesses “you didn’t build your business” is two fold.

Their reason is to get elected from resentful losers—-democrats. They covet the rich. (But they don’t hate George Clooney or Oprah’s wealth.)

But the reason Democrat voters like the message is because they dont understand or want to accept, that they don’t’ understand economics. what exactly?

The FACT that 100 percent of the revenue that builds roads and pays for fire and police services comes from businesses.

But not all kinds of business transactions. Lets review:
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You DID Build That Business!”