Author: Eldon Kramer

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No surprise; CNBC fails miserably with GOP debate

“CNBC’s debate was a mess – and to regular viewers, a regular one.” – Slate

I am not a CNBC viewer and the performance of its moderators during last night’s GOP debate in Colorado reminded me why.

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CNBC’s debate losers – Carl Quintanilla, Becky Quick and John Harwood. (foxnews.com)

Tuning in a bit early, I got my first taste of the misinformation for which CNBC has become known, as Joe Kernen was making a comment about people who didn’t want to work longer hours. An obvious slam against Jeb Bush.

In July, Bush made the statement that growing the economy would require people to “work longer hours.” The media on the left had their “gotcha,” never mind that the interviewer followed with “To keep from taking it out of context, what you meant to say – when you say more hours you mean full-time work.” To which, Bush responded, “Yeah, absolutely.”

“Not that a full time guy or somebody working two jobs needs to be working more time,” the interviewer pressed. “Absolutely not,” Bush followed.

The interviewer from the editorial board of the New Hampshire Union Leader clarified Bush’s statement with him on the spot. Kernen failed to do his homework. Continue reading →

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The climate of corruption continues in the Obama administration as Lois Lerner skates

“Our investigation uncovered substantial evidence of mismanagement, poor judgment … but poor judgment is not a crime.” – Asst. Atty. Gen. Peter Kadzik

Secret e-mail accounts and a coincidental server crash are meaningless.

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Mismanagement and poor judgment are not a crime said a DOJ report on its investigation of Lois Lerner and the IRS targeting of conservative groups. (worldmag.com)

In his letter regarding the investigation of Lois Lerner and the IRS to the House Judiciary Committee, Kadzik stated that “What occurred is disquieting and may necessitate corrective action; and while they found mismanagement and poor judgement, (they found) no evidence that would support a criminal prosecution.”

While the work of the Select Committee on Benghazi is yet to be completed, Kadzik’s statement reminded me of one of the findings of the Accountability Review Board on Benghazi. Continue reading →

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Don’t count “Ole Joe” out just yet

“Honey, it’s gonna be okay.” – Joe Biden

That was Vice President Joe Biden near the conclusion of his statement Wednesday, during which he stated, “I will not be a candidate” (for president). He was recalling growing up in tough times, and his parents assuring him, his brother and sister that everything was going to be okay.

Was he trying to tell voters to hang in there; I’m here if Hillary goes south?

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Joe Biden gave a lengthy speech via teleprompter to say he wasn’t a candidate for president as President Obama and Jill Biden looked on. (businessinsider.com)

There he stood, between President Obama and his wife, Jill, in the White House Rose Garden, taking us through his grieving process and the closing window to a realistic campaign for president.

But this political wonk believes “Ole Joe” has left that window open a crack to answer the call of the Democrat party should Hillary Clinton’s campaign sour. Will she satisfy the Select Committee on Benghazi, and escape criminal charges by the FBI for mishandling classified documents? Continue reading →

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Should Hillary have seen the Benghazi attack coming? A question she avoided in the debate

“But American citizens did lose their lives in Benghazi.” – Anderson Cooper, CNN

During the Democrat presidential debate, Anderson Cooper addressed Hillary Clinton with, “Secretary Clinton, on the campaign trail, Senator Webb has said … the attack on the U. S. consulate in Benghazi was inevitable. Should you have seen that attack coming?”

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Avoiding the question, Clinton went into a lengthy harangue talking about Gadhafi, the Libyan people, our European allies, smart power, and the fact that we did not put a single American soldier on the ground in Libya, before Cooper was forced to interrupt.

“But American citizens did lose their lives in Benghazi,” he said.

“But let … I’ll get to that. But I think it’s important since I understand Senator Webb’s very strong feelings about this, to …” Clinton continued, with no response to the loss of lives at Benghazi. Continue reading →

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Sanders helps Clinton white-wash e-mail scandal

“I think the American people are sick and tired of hearing about your damn e-mails.” – Rep. Bernie Sanders (D-VT).

There stood Sanders, looking like an angry curmudgeon, who has said he wants to stop the corruption in government; defending Hillary Clinton’s e-mail scandal as a mere nuisance people are tired of hearing in the campaign.… read more

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University professor compares Malthusian population explosion scare to climate change extremists

“Reducing our consumption of fossil fuels will not make bad weather and extreme natural events go away.” – Pierre Desrochers, author and academic

Faithful readers of this blog know my position on climate change. Yes, it is taking place; it’s cyclical. And, yes, we have experienced a very slight warming, but we cannot do anything to change that trend.

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University of Toronto professor Pierre Desrochers compares climate change extremists to Malthusians. (montrealgazette.com)

In an interesting writing by University of Toronto associate professor of geography Pierre Desrochers, recently excerpted in the Wall Street Journal’s regular Notable & Quotable column, I found his observation of those who believed that the means of human subsistence (Malthusians) were so similar to climate change dooms day catastrophists.

Thomas Robert Malthus (1766-1834) argued that human population would increase to the maximum extent permitted by human fertility, that the means of subsistence wouldn’t keep up, and that the unavoidable result would be poverty, starvation, war, diseases and population crashes. Continue reading →

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GSA and VA team to waste money on artwork

“These artworks enhance the civic meaning of federal architecture and showcase the vibrancy of American visual arts.” – GSA website.

Just when you think you have heard everything about the Department of Veterans Affairs hospitals with the mishandling of cases involving our warriors who put their lives on the line for us, new scandals have surfaced.

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This sculpture, “Aggregate,” by Phillip K. Smith, was purchased for $483,000 for the courtyard of the VA hospital in Palo Alto, California. (Rep. Jeff Miller/Wash. Post)

Thanks to Rep. Jeff Miller(R-FL), the story of rampant wasteful spending on artwork for VA facilities, has been uncovered.

A $483,000 rock sculpture, meant to evoke “a sense of transformation, rebuilding and self-investigation,” has become part of a $1.3 million courtyard at the VA’s Palo Alto, Calif. Hospital.

At least $6.3 million has been spent on art and consulting services in the Palo Alto Health Care System, including $4, 190, 356 at the Palo Alto Medical Center, $1, 879,521 at the Monterey Health Care Center, and $280, 000 in other budgeted projects. Continue reading →

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Democrats still want to kill Gowdy’s Select Committee on Benghazi

How often have you heard a Democrat exclaim that there have already been six (or more) hearings on Benghazi and in each case former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has been exonerated? It’s usually followed by a statement decrying the millions of dollars that have been spent to pin it all on Hillary Clinton.

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For insight on Rep. Trey Gowdy and his Select Committee on Benghazi, read the Wall Street Journal article referenced in this blog. (rickwells.us)

“It is true that other panels conducted Benghazi inquiries. It is equally true they failed to interview dozens of key witnesses, failed to access all information and inexcusably missed Clinton’s exclusive use of private email on her personal server for official business,” wrote Rep. Trey Gowdy, Chairman of the Select Committee on Benghazi, in a USA Today op-ed yesterday. His committee has reviewed some 50,000 documents not seen in the other investigations. Continue reading →

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U.S. pulls the plug on ill-advised rebel training program

In my Sept. 25, post, “Our military on “hold” until January 2017,” I wrote about the Obama administration’s continued failures in foreign policy, and called your attention to the embarrassing testimony of Gen. Lloyd Austin. He was forced to report that just four or five trainees were active as a result of our Syrian rebel training program.

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The Defense Department has pulled the plug on its fawed Syrian rebel training program. (defenseone.com)

I have to give him credit for his appearance before the Senate Armed Services Committee. As the head of U. S. Central Command, he could have ordered someone in his command to draw the short straw. Continue reading →

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One of the best quotes of the day

Fox’s “The Five,” featured a clip from Tuesday’s White House press conference, during which spokesman Josh Earnest was asked if Russia was playing checkers or chess with its strategy in Syria. Earnest said, checkers, followed by an incoherent explanation. During a discussion among the show’s co-hosts, the quick-witted Greg Gutfeld jumped in with, “Russia’s playing chess and we’re playing Yahtzee.”