Here are my observations and opinions of my selected news of the day.

PLAYING WITH THE ‘VICTIM’ DECK – Poor Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez, the Democrat’s socialist darling recently elected to the House from New York. So far, she has complained about the media misspelling her name – “Cortex” – and the cost of her moving to Washington.

Then, on Friday she played the “woman” and “racist” cards, when she wasn’t recognized. “Next time try believing women and people of color,” she spouted, after being thought a spouse and an intern during her first day in Washington.

Finally, in a move that certainly didn’t ingratiate herself with Nancy Pelosi, she participated in a climate change sit-in outside of Pelosi’s office.

FIRST LOOK AT HOME is from an old saying that suggests you look at home before criticizing others. Obviously, Michelle Obama hadn’t heard that in the upbringing she describes in her book.

While the former first lady is careful never to use the name of the president on her book tour, she takes liberal slaps at him and his policies.

We had eight years of listening to her husband, who egotiscally used the words “I” and “me” hundreds of times in a single speech, asserting that it was “he” alone who made everything happen in the White House.

Yet she had the audacity to state, “The president (Trump) isn’t the president for his own ego. The president is the president for the entire country.”

Let’s face it. She doesn’t like the president. She continues to brood over his “birther” remarks of years ago. But if she ever listened to the president, she would know that he rarely uses the word “I,” using it only when answering a personal question asked of him.

With Trump, it’s “America first.” The world knows that, and so does Michelle Obama.

“JERRY’S FIRES” – Those homeless people who have lost everything in one of the worst fires to hit California, probably have no interest in playing the blame game; they’re just interested in their future.

President Trump tweeted early that “There is no reason for those massive, deadly and costly forest fires in California except that forest management is so poor. Billions of dollars are given each year, with so many lives lost, because of gross mismanagement of the forests.”

What most of those homeless people don’t know, Gov. Jerry Brown earlier vetoed a bipartisan wildfire management bill – SB 1463 – despite unanimous approval in the legislature (75-0) and the assembly (39-0). The bill would have given local authorities say in fire prevention, according to an in-depth article by Kathy Grimes at her Your Daily Reality Check site.

In addition, Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke has cut regulations dating back to the Bill Clinton presidency, opening federal lands for logging and fire prevention clearing.

Brown claimed that the devastating fires were the “new normal” brought on by climate change. Don’t expect the incoming governor, Gavin Newsome, to improve forest management.

President Trump, who proclaimed the California areas in flames disaster areas, toured several of the devastated areas with Brown and in-coming governor Newsome, offering the full cooperation of the federal government.

TRUMP A RACIST FOR HONORING ELVIS – That’s according to the Washington Post, where Chris Richards criticized President Trump for honoring Elvis Presley posthumously with a Medal of Freedom award.

“Yes, Presley is among the most pivotal and controversial musicians of the previous century, so yes, this is another needling MAGA maneuver,” wrote Richards, “a little nod to the good old days, back when black visionaries could invent rock and roll, but only a white man could become the king.

“This overture looks ugly to anyone who feels antagonism and regression radiating from Trump’s promise to ‘make America great again.’ Does it show us how our president continues to use his brazen lack of imagination as a cultural cudgel? Yes,” Richards complains.

Do you suppose Richards is aware that Elvis was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1986, the year before B. B. King?

ARIZONA’S NEW SENATOR Krysten Sinema didn’t waste any time falling in line. She voted for Chuck Schumer to again lead the Senate’s Democrat minority after saying she would oppose him during her campaign, saying that she did so because there was no challenger.

Arizona Republic columnist Laurie Roberts wasn’t buying it, reminding her readers that it was Sinema who said she would follow the example of John McCain, “fighting for what you believe in (and) standing up for what’s right, even if you stand alone.”

“Not a great start, Senator,” wrote Roberts, “If you can’t keep this rather simple and straightforward promise, then …”

Elvia Diaz, the politically naïve editorial columnist for the left-leaning Arizona Republic writes that Sinema “won’t disappoint the extreme right or the radical left once she’s sworn into the U.S. Senate,” claiming Sinema will “likely side with conservatives on economic issues and with Democrats on social issues.”

To quote the president, “We’ll see what happens.”

Because RINO Jeff “The” Flake, Republicans didn’t support President Trump, Democrat Sinema’s vote means less. Meanwhile, we claimed new GOP votes by defeating McCaskill, Heitkamp and Nelson.

WHAT’S NEXT FOR ARIZONA? Arizona Republic columnists Laurie Roberts and E. J. Montini have taken opposing positions on who Gov. Doug Ducey should name to the seat of the late John McCain, which is being temporarily held by Jon Kyl, who came out of retirement for the party.

Roberts wrote in favor of Martha McSally, who lost to Sinema in the campaign for Flake’s seat. I agree.  A fresh face in the McCain seat would be welcome. Montini disagrees, and wants Kyl to remain in the seat because of his knowledge of Arizona’s water issue.  Like McSally wouldn’t be smart enough to consult with Kyl on water.

Regarding Ducey’s appoint of Kyl, Montini writes, “If he was right about that at the time (and he was), then he would be right to keep Kyl on the job for the next two years.”

Okay E. J., I like Jon, but he had a reason for leaving the Congress after 26 years of service in the House and Senate in 2013. He might have something to say about that.

THOSE CALIFORNIA SENATORS – Both California Senators Dianne Feinstein and Kamala Harris made fools of themselves during the Kavanaugh hearings. Last Thursday, Harris again took the spotlight while comparing ICE to the KKK during the nomination hearing for Ronald Vitiello to head that agency.

Badgering Vitiello, Harris asked him if he saw the parallels between the two organizations asking “Are you aware that there is a perception that ICE is administering its power in a way that causes fear and intimidation, particularly among immigrants and specifically among immigrants coming from Mexico and Central America?” Vitiello refused to bite.

It’s interesting that Harris would surface the KKK since it was an 1866 outgrowth of the Democrat Party that was struggling with a Republican Party formed in Southern States by blacks.   The pseudo secret group was formed to help gain control of the electorate.

The late West Virginia Democrat Senator Robert Byrd was once a “grand poobah” in the KKK.

No parallels can be drawn between the ugly history of the actions by the KKK and the Congressionally mandated mission of ICE.

LOOKING TO 2020 – They say you cannot win the presidency without Florida and Ohio. Success in the midterms gave Republicans the governorships of both states and a second GOP senator in Florida. So far so good, but there’s work to be done in Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin where Democrats did well.   

                                          May God bless the United States of America.