2021 Year in Review, McLaughlin Group Style
Posted By: Hazymac, 1/1/2022 2:24:50 PM
Every year since college, my best friend Dan and I have compiled our best observations on a wide range of topics that reflect on the year that has just expired. We follow the well-established template of The McLaughlin Group program. We lost the venerable John McLaughlin in 2016, after decades of shaping how political analysis and debate programs should be done. So, you thought 2020 was insane? 2021 came in and said,”Hold my beer.” Biggest Winner of the Year The Deep State. Between the FBI inciting felonious conduct with impunity (the fake Gretchen Whitmer kidnapping, inciting the riot on January 6 to target political foes with the justice system, etc.), “public health” bureaucrats
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The Zero Covid Problem
8 replies
One of the unresolved debates of the pandemic era is whether the zero-Covid public health strategy is the correct one. This strategy can be loosely defined as driving Covid-19 as close as possible to zero through strict control measures so that community transmissions no longer appear and, should that happen, be quickly re-suppressed. Initially, even Europe and the U.S. tried this (remember two weeks to flatten the curve?) but quickly gave up with the emergence of new variants, although through 2021 a number of small, or easily isolated, countries persisted in the attempt. As 2022 dawned, however, even these were giving up.
Dinosaur vs. Ditz: Hillary vs. AOC in 2024?
22 replies
Old Joe Biden and Kamala Harris are bad enough, but according to Dick Morris, a former Clinton adviser, it’s going to get worse: Morris thinks 2024 is going to feature a showdown between Hillary Clinton and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-Mean Girls) for the 2024 Democratic presidential nomination. Grab the popcorn, and the Xanax.
As everyone knows, the incumbents are damaged goods. Nobody likes Old Joe, who will be about 120 years old if he even makes it to 2024, and Kamala Harris has failed spectacularly at one of the easiest jobs on the planet. Meanwhile, Hillary has been increasingly obvious lately in positioning herself for 2024, while the winsome Ocasio-Cortez
One of Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s (D-NY) staffers called Israel a “racist European ethnostate built on stolen land” in one of his social media posts.
Hussain Altamimi is a legislative assistant to Rep. Ocasio-Cortez, who joined the office last month. He reportedly shared a picture of himself with the Congresswoman on Instagram, adding the caption, “New beginnings,” in November.
Altamimi used his Instagram account to target Israel, a key middle eastern ally to the United States. In a Christmas Eve Instagram story, Altamimi wrote, “Israel is a racist European ethnostate built on stolen land from its indigenous population!”
Every year since college, my best friend Dan and I have compiled our best observations on a wide range of topics that reflect on the year that has just expired. We follow the well-established template of The McLaughlin Group program. We lost the venerable John McLaughlin in 2016, after decades of shaping how political analysis and debate programs should be done.
So, you thought 2020 was insane? 2021 came in and said,”Hold my beer.”
Biggest Winner of the Year
The Deep State. Between the FBI inciting felonious conduct with impunity (the fake Gretchen Whitmer kidnapping, inciting the riot on January 6 to target political foes with the justice system, etc.), “public health” bureaucrats
Many of my conservative friends are spinning their wheels with pea-shooter-gauge measures against China—kicking Chinese companies out of the U.S. stock market, for example. On Dec. 10 the U.S. government canceled an initial public offering for the Chinese AI startup SenseTime, whose facial recognition software may help Chinese authorities identify Uyghurs. Two weeks later SenseTime moved its IPO to Hong Kong; it rose 44% in the first two days of trading. China has a trade surplus, $3.2 trillion in reserves, and a 40% savings rate. It is an exporter, not an importer of capital. American capital markets are a convenience, not a necessity for Chinese companies.
Dr. Anthony Fauci is the highest paid bureaucrat in the entire federal government, and bags a bigger salary than the president of the United States. As head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), a division of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), Dr. Fauci commands a budget of more than $6 billion. Beside all that money, power and prestige, Dr. Fauci holds a strategic advantage.
Christine Grady, Dr. Fauci’s wife, is director of the NIH’s Department of Bioethics and heads the section on human subjects research. The relationship has only become known in recent years, and last February, Michelle Ruiz authored a Vogue feature headlined
Washington State Democrats Want Decreased
Penalties for Drive-By Shooters Because...
Aw, You Guessed 14 replies
Penalties for Drive-By Shooters Because...
Aw, You Guessed 14 replies
In July, 17-year-old Tay’Zauhn Burns-Miller’s life was snuffed out by a drive-by murderer. Just days before, Seattle was riven by a swarm of shootings in which six people were mowed down by shooters in one night. Four died. In October, a man escaped being killed by another drive-by shooter. And days ago, a man was critically wounded when a drive-by shooter picked him off as he sat in his car.
Seattle, Washington’s most populous city, had a record number of drive-by shootings in 2021. By July, the city’s drive-by shootings had doubled over the year before.
It’s a problem.
So why are Washington Democrats offering up a bill
Xi Jinping has been doing a great deal of saber rattling of late, threatening both Australia and Taiwan. China has also been building islands in the South China Sea, flying hypersonic weapons, stealing and illegally buying vast amounts of military technology, and overtly working to make its military more manly, even as the U.S. military deals with maternity flight suits and the needs of the so-called transgender troops. Nevertheless, when all is said and done, a military is only as good as the people doing the fighting, and there are indications that China has a problem in this area.
The Epoch Times recently published an article entitled
Biden’s Approval Ratings Are Inflated
13 replies
There has been a lot of publicity around Joe Biden’s poor approval ratings, but I think his actual standing with the electorate is worse than they indicate. Take, for example, the Rasmussen survey, which I think is valuable because 1) unlike other polls, it samples likely voters, and 2) it polls constantly, publishing a three-day rolling average. Thus, whether the numbers are “right” or not, they are a good indicator of trends.
In Joe Biden’s case, the trend has been obvious: his approval rating quickly dropped to around 42%, and there it sits. But I don’t believe that 40+% of voters, surveying the wreckage of the last year, actually think
Nobody Likes Joe
13 replies
Based on his abysmal job performance, Joe Biden's been unpopular with a lot of voting groups lately, and I'm not talking about just conservatives.
He's managed to alienate Latinos, suburban voters, independents, young people... He's lost a noticeable chunk of black men voters. He's losing with women.
Inflation, violent crime, job competition from illegals, and the monstrous Afghanistan pullout are taking their toll on old Joe's presidental approval ratings.
Now we learn that the rot has spread to the core: Even Progressives can't stand Joe Biden. (Snip) So now even the progressives can't stand him.
Which in a way, is quite an expression of ingratitude. Joe threw blacks, women, independents, Latinos,
A USA Swimming official who resigned in protest of transgender swimmer Lia Thomas told Fox News on Monday that she can't stand by and watch as girls are "thrown under the bus" by "biological" male competitors.
Cynthia Millen stepped down last week after officiating USA Swimming meets for over three decades. Her decision came days before the U.S. Paralympics Swimming National Championships in Greensboro, N.C.
"The fact is that swimming is a sport in which bodies compete against bodies. Identities do not compete against identities," Millen said in an appearance on "Tucker Carlson Tonight." "Men are different from women, men swimmers are different from women,
The leading intellectual light behind the Critical Race Theory that has already severely damaged racial harmony in the United States and is corroding American society itself, Ibram X. Kendi, has discovered the fundamental truth of our absurd age: the quickest path to elite status and highly lucrative remuneration is to be oppressed, victimized, and marginalized. Kendi has mastered the art of parlaying his alleged oppression into big bucks, fawning coverage from the establishment media, and respect and influence in the academic world. Many others have done this, but none with the breathtaking audacity and extraordinary success of Ibram X. Kendi.
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US President Joe Biden and his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky spoke by phone on Sunday amid growing fears that a Russian military buildup near the border with its pro-Western neighbor heralds an invasion. The show of US support for Ukraine comes days after Biden warned Russian President Vladimir Putin of severe consequences if Moscow invades the former Soviet country in a separate phone call earlier last week.'President Biden made clear that the United States and its allies and partners will respond decisively if Russia further invades Ukraine,'
Dem Rep. Thompson: Trump Did Nothing as
We Came ‘Perilously Close to Losing
Our Democracy’ 51 replies
We Came ‘Perilously Close to Losing
Our Democracy’ 51 replies
Representative Bennie Thompson (D-MS) said Sunday on CNN’s “State of the Union” that former President Donald Trump “did nothing” to stop the January 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol as we came “perilously close to losing our democracy.”Thompson said, “Let me say that what we have been able to ascertain is that we came perilously close to losing our democracy as we come to learn it. Had those insurrectionists been successful, we are not certain what we would have had, had it not been for the brave men and women who protected the Capitol in spite of being woefully outnumbered.
Michelle Obama shared an adorable New Year's Eve picture of herself and her 'boo' Barack wearing 2022 glasses as she wished everyone a happy New Year's.The fun post came one day after the former first lady posted a tribute to actress Betty White who passed away that same day.Michelle, 57, posted a tribute of the late Golden Girls actress on her Instagram page which featured White with the family dog Bo who had passed away in May 2021.The photo featured the smiling actress holding the family's Portuguese Water Dog in 2012 while she was on a visit to the White House.
Retired General Steven M. Anderson warned of Donald Trump supporters in the military while calling them a threat from within, and advised them to stop listening to 'The Pillow Guy' - Trump ally and MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell. Gen. Anderson, who spoke to CNN about the upcoming 2024 elections and the threat of another possible insurrection, called Lindell a major source of misinformation while adding that Trump supporters must get educated on civics and political discourse. 'There's a threat within,' the retired general told the network. 'We've got some people that just haven’t been educated. They haven't been found out, and they've grown in power,
President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris will deliver remarks at the US Capitol on Thursday to mark the first anniversary of January 6th insurrection. The pair will speak in one part of a series of events organized by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and other Democrats in 'solemn observance' for the officers who died protecting the Capitol from the rioters.Although it is unknown what the pair will say Thursday, Biden has repeatedly condemned the rioters who breached the Capitol while Congress was certifying the 2020 presidential election and has referred to the insurrection as a 'dark day' in American history.
Ghislaine Maxwell is a convicted sex offender and disgraced British socialite —- but she’s no rat, her brother tells The Sunday Times of London.“Prosecution confirmed no plea bargain offers were made or received” before the trial, Ian Maxwell said. “I expect that position to be maintained.”Maxwell, in other words, will not trade names for the prospect of a lighter sentence.Her refusal to cooperate with prosecutors could come as a relief to alleged co-conspirators, including four women employed by Maxwell and partner in crime Jeffery Epstein, and to others linked to the tawdry couple, such as
Ousted Democratic county executive warns
her party faces 'bloodbath' in 2022, conveys 'weakness' 34 replies
her party faces 'bloodbath' in 2022, conveys 'weakness' 34 replies
Recently ousted Democratic Nassau County (N.Y.) Executive Laura Curran told "Watters' World" on Saturday that her party is conveying weakness and faces a "bloodbath" in the 2022 midterms if it doesn't step up.
LAURA CURRAN: Unfortunately, my party, the Democratic Party, just conveys weakness right now. It almost feels like elder abuse with what's going on with President Biden. He has a hard time putting a sentence together. I think everyone gets nervous listening to him talk, he's going to mess up. What we need always, and especially now, is someone who exudes confidence and competence. Someone who sets a reassuring tone.
Should Donald Trump run in 2024?
33 replies
With the turn of the calendar to 2022, Republicans are not only looking to the 2022 midterm elections but to the prospect of Donald Trump running in 2024. Trump is hugely popular with the party’s base and that popularity freezes the plans of other possible candidates for the 2024 nomination. Trump’s hold on that nomination is brittle, however, because of his age. On election day in 2024 Donald Trump will be 78 years old. That is one year older than Ronald Reagan’s age when he left office in 1988.Looking at the 2024 contest from the other side of the race, there is no reason to expect that Joe Biden
Alec Baldwin has said Halyna Hutchins' death is 'the worst situation' he has 'ever been involved with'. The actor, 63, accidentally fatally shot the cinematographer on the set of the Western film Rust last year, and in a lengthy video, reflected on 2021 and how thankful he is to have gotten 'so much goodwill from people'. He said: 'I've had more people who have been kind and thoughtful and generous of spirit than I've had people who are malignant about the death of Halyna Hutchins.
The head of OneAmerica insurance said the death rate is up a stunning 40% from pre-pandemic levels among working-age people. “We are seeing, right now, the highest death rates we have seen in the history of this business – not just at OneAmerica,” the company’s CEO Scott Davison said during an online news conference this week. “The data is consistent across every player in that business.” (Snip)
Davison said the increase in deaths represents “huge, huge numbers,” and that’s it’s not elderly people who are dying, but “primarily working-age people 18 to 64” who are the employees of companies that have group life insurance plans
WASHINGTON— Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said Sunday he has tested positive for COVID-19 and was experiencing mild symptoms while quarantining at home.In a statement Sunday night, Austin said he plans to attend key meetings and discussions virtually in the coming week “to the degree possible.” He said Deputy Secretary Kathleen Hicks would represent him in appropriate matters.“I have informed my leadership team of my positive test result, as well as the President,” Austin said. “My staff has begun contact tracing and testing of all those with whom I have come into contact over the last week.”Austin, 68, said he was fully vaccinated and received a booster in October.
Airline executives are sounding louder alarms about the impending rollout of 5G service, warning that the cellphone frequencies could lead to 350,000 delays each year by jamming their in-flight systems. The ultra-fast so-called C-Band service is set to roll out nationally in big cities on Jan. 5, meaning any rules to limit its strength to address airline safety concerns need to happen soon.