Building Walls In Europe

Angela Merkel is not on a path to go back-to-back on Person of the Year:

Balkan Nations Shut Down March of Migrants

LONDON — The route that more than one million migrants have used to traverse southeastern Europe was effectively shut down Wednesday, when four Balkan nations stopped waving the migrants through on their journey northward.

The four countries — Slovenia, Serbia, Croatia and Macedonia — have closed their borders to new migrants with the implicit backing of the European Union, which announced an agreement with Turkey on Tuesday to slow the flow of migrants.

...

The European Union has given tacit approval to the actions of these countries as it strives to restore order to the asylum-seeking process and to restore the integrity of the Schengen area, the 26-nation passport-free travel zone that is one of the bloc’s most tangible accomplishments.

The Times editors recently bleated about things that aren't going to happen as Europe responds to the refugee/immigrant crisis:

Europe must move now to end the ad hoc anti-refugee alliances and forge a common and humane policy, including urgent help for Greece. And the United States must become an active partner in this effort. The pleas of people seeking safety are a challenge not just to Europe but to all countries with a conscience.

Pretty words.

Comments

[Jeff Dobbs]

"Ms. Merkel, build up this wall."

[NK]

Pretty words? Perhaps, instead I would say the NYT editors should go fuck themselves. I'll go to confession for that.

[pagar a bacon, country ham and sausage supporter]

Here's the biggest clue!

http://news.nationalpost.com/news/world/how-many-syrian-refugees-have-the-arab-worlds-six-wealthiest-nations-resettled-close-to-zero

IMO, you are looking at invaders.

[narciso]

Redacted for lent, nk.

Foldberg is a hack who tried to pain the huntress, as somehow in the wrong when she supported the settlements, that zaphod and solon are so verklempt about.

[henry]

The NYT must distribute hemlock to its editorial staff and ensure they drink it. For the children.

[Captain Hate]

Would this be a good time to point out how the NYT tried to downplay the Holocaust?

[narciso]

The report of that jayvee official that was in charge of chemical weapons, which obviously never existed.

[Miss Marple 2]

http://www.salon.com/2016/03/10/i_was_wrong_about_donald_trump_camille_paglia_on_the_gop_front_runners_refreshing_candor_and_his_impetuousness_too/

[narciso]

Also that jayvee defector who le as Jed the names of thousands of recruits but put a poison poll into the deal.

[Miss Marple 2]

https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/rare-walt-whitman-letter-written-for-a-dying-soldier-found-in-national-archives/2016/03/09/6b172142-e228-11e5-8d98-4b3d9215ade1_story.html?postshare=751457573240040&tid=ss_tw

[narciso]

Salon is a parody of itself, funded by chase, who bought out hambricht and quiet.

[Jeff Dobbs]

http://www.breitbart.com/london/2016/03/10/germanys-anti-mass-migration-afd-party-calls-for-six-metre-fences-ahead-of-weekend-elections/

Six-metre-high fences are a solution to stem a record influx of refugees to Germany, the co-president of populist party AfD tells a rapt audience at a campaign rally ahead of Sunday’s regional elections.

“Of course fences would help” stop more migrants from arriving, said Joerg Meuthen, emphasising his party’s position that is directly opposed to Chancellor Angela Merkel’s liberal refugee policy.

With misgiving growing in Germany over the 1.1 million asylum seekers who arrived in 2015 alone, the AfD is projected to scoop up protest votes during regional elections in three states on Sunday, potentially even becoming a third political force in some of these places.

[Miss Marple 2]

http://www.spectator.co.uk/2016/03/obamas-wrong-americans-should-back-brexit-and-so-should-you/

I figure anything Obama opposes is something I should support.

[narciso]

Ooh,ooh, frau merkel, you can't even find some 600,000 of these refugees how are you going to deport them back?

[Miss Marple 2]

Chik-fil-A proves again how evil they are:

http://www.ijreview.com/2016/03/555358-chickfila-deaf-customer/?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=owned&utm_campaign=ods&utm_term=ijamerica&utm_content=culture

[Jeff Dobbs]

http://www.weeklystandard.com/sanders-campaign-accuses-hillary-of-violating-debate-rules/article/2001476

Rules are for the non-yuge candidates...

Hillary Clinton violated debate rules in last night's duel in Miami, according to the Bernie Sanders campaign.

There are rules not allowing candidates to talk with their staff during breaks in the debate. And a photo posted by Fox News reporter Ed Henry shows Clinton surrounded by aides during one of the breaks.

[NK]

Clinton at the debates: it really is "Weekend at Bernie's", she is not sentient or aware.

[Jeff Dobbs]

Hey, Buckeye...

Reid J. EpsteinVerified account
‏@reidepstein
Inbox: Ohio State Head Football Coach Urban Meyer Endorses John Kasich
8:33 AM - 10 Mar 2016

[Captain Hate]

Rodham was probably making sure there were enough clapping seals planted in the crowd for Jorge Ramos's surprisingly on target question. Maybe Granny can count on her Rove News Channel friends to only toss her puffballs.

[GUS]

And the sign said, you've got to have membership card to get inside!!!!!

RACAMATIST or SUMPTING!!!

[clarice]

http://theconservativetreehouse.com/2016/03/09/with-nbcwsj-its-not-polling-its-gaslighting-media-manipulation-the-latest-version/

[narciso]

Yes msnbc cooks up a fine bowl of borsht doesn't it.

Over at #never trump, they are enbiggening the fields incident all's fair but the daily caller was the same publication that minimized the attack on the huntress's kin and subsequently sidnt apologize.

[narciso]

Except for jim treacher, who might as well be in a different publication altogether.

[Ignatz Ratzkiwatzki]

It's telling that Camille Paglia feels the need to explain to her Salon audience just exactly what "the shot heard round the world" is.

[henry]

A link from our Chitown friend:

http://sami-aldeeb.com/files/article/129/English-The-Islamic-conception-of-migration-1995.doc

[Ignatz Ratzkiwatzki]

I have noticed previously, and noted here, that the NBC polls are often outliars [sic] regarding all of the Reps v a Dem, not just Trump.

[Old Lurker]

Iggy, and it is yet another example of how far gone is the WSJ by joining in with NBC crap they never would have in the past.

[Ignatz Ratzkiwatzki]

So, since we know almost no Christians live in Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan and since reports indicate those who do are stuck in no mans land and cannot emigrate, would it be fair to say that what the EU is doing regarding immigration is kind of instituting a ban of immigration by muslims into its constituent countries? At least until they can vet and absorb those they have already taken in?

IOW, doing exactly what those same EUroweenies and their traitorous US supporters were so recently labeling Trump a deranged racist for advocating?

[GUS]

http://www.infowars.com/fbi-instructs-high-schools-to-inform-on-anti-government-students/

Have I mentioned that a WAR is COMING.

This is FACSISM. And the GOPeePee???? crickets.

[GUS]

Ig, we need a GEICO AD with a lib lying and his/her nose grows a foot as his/her PANTSUIT catches fire.

Tag line. Liberals LIE, that's what they do.

[Miss Marple 2]

clarice,

One of the GOP anti-Trump people just on Fox pushing that poll.

Bill Hemmer (in a bored voice): Uh-huh. Well, he's got nine months to change that.

[Ignatz Ratzkiwatzki]

I don't know how many thousands of words the sycophantic Jeffrey Goldberg wasted on his paean to Mad King Ludwig but he could have saved just about all of them and been more accurate had he simply substituted the subtitle below;

The Obama Doctrine; Talk Loudly and hit yourself with a big stick.

[Miss Marple 2]

clarice,

Doug Heye, former RNC communications director was the guy's name.

Also discussing the questions about Trump being a racists in last night's dem debate, using it as a reason to be anti-Trump due to down-ticket reverberations.

How quickly they forget the "my dad was dragged in chains and George Bush didn't care" ads.

[narciso]

1984, it's a how to manual, yes remember how Rasmussen would frame certain polls, a while back.

[narciso]

Another new member of the clique, well (redacted for lent)

[Jeff Dobbs]

MM:
Bill Hemmer (in a bored voice): Uh-huh. Well, he's got nine months to change that.

Trump better make the sale in under 9 months!!!!!

[clarice]

Shall we take a poll now that we know Hillary's also being investigated for corrupt acts as to what date the vast right wing conspiracy evolves into the vast Communist plot (against her)?

[Miss Marple 2]

Well Jeff, It's what happens when you don't proofread. Of course, he said 7 months.

[Ignatz Ratzkiwatzki]

Picking up on the narcissist discussion last thread; Clinton's narcissism isn't so much banal as just a different kind. It's not some official DSM designation, but a lot of people divide them into the somatic camp and the cerebral one.
Clinton is a somatic in that his narcissism is expressed in his control and manipulation over others and the way in which his N needs are met is most commonly in a sexual manner. And the manipulation and humiliation of his enabler wife is a large part of that.

Barry is a cerebral one in that his is expressed through the smartest guy in the room syndrome.

But here is what is interesting to me; were you to remove the clinical narcissism of Barry but leave the far left ideology it is doubtful his public persona would change much. Leftists as far left as Barry tend very much to that same smartest guy in the room, everybody else is a dope, I can tell any lie to advance my cause syndrome that a clinical narcissist does.

Now, I'm not saying garden variety liberals or even all leftists are mentally ill, but I am saying there is a remarkable correlation of behaviors between clinical narcissism and many, if not most, far leftists.

People on the far right, Stormfront type of niche are often very strange but their weirdness doesn't fit nearly so neatly into a DSM type niche, at least not one I can identify.

And make no mistake, Barry, Hillary and Bernie all represent an ideology at least as extreme to the left as any white supremacist, racist of the right. The only difference is that the left dominates the culture now to such an extent that the extremists of the left are being mainstreamed.
I fact I reject the left right political spectrum anyway. That it should be rejected is proved by the confluence, if one goes far enough in either direction, of economic policies and even nutcase conspiracy theories. Out in that strange realm, the only real difference is the "right" believes whites are superior and should hold down the other races. The "left" believes whites are superior and should hold down themselves as penance for being superior.
Otherwise it's;

[Ignatz Ratzkiwatzki]

New Zealand passes law recognizing animals as sentient beings.
Violators of their rights will be subject to various fines and penalties and animal rights inspectors will issue compliance notices. SPCA members are recognized as compliance officers working on the government's behalf.
The bill specifically exempts hunting and fishing, which are big tourism draws...for now.

[James D]

How quickly they forget the "my dad was dragged in chains and George Bush didn't care" ads.

Oh, how I wish Bush had really gone after Gore when Gore brought it up in one of their debates.

"Excuse me. Mr. Byrd's death was a horrible crime. And it was treated that way. Our Texas Rangers caught the murderers within a day of the crime. They were all tried, and they were all convicted, and two of them are on death row and the third will spend his life in prison. So for you to stand there, Mr. Gore, and suggest that our laws are inadequate, or that the men and women who enforce them are not up to the task, is an insult to all of them, and I think you ought to apologize to all of them, right here on this stage."

I think if Bush had said something like that, and stuck to his guns, the election wouldn't have been nearly as close as it was.

[Miss Marple 2]

https://ca.news.yahoo.com/asia-stocks-edge-nzs-rate-cut-surprise-eyes-005323874--finance.html

EURO jumps as ECB signals end to rate cuts

[MarkO]

So there were 56 or so private jets, along with Kristol and others at a meeting where the discussion was focused on stopping Trump? Is that true?

If so, once again I say that Trump is an instrument of political hygiene. Never has the existence of a GOP Establishment been clearer.

Groups meeting secretly to act in a concerted manner are correctly called conspiracies.

[NK]

If I were ever in the same room as Hilligula I would make the papers for violently attacking her-- her lies are beyond disgusting: http://www.nationalreview.com/corner/432577/hillary-benghazi-families-absolutely-wrong-i-told-them-youtube-video-responsible

[Ignatz Ratzkiwatzki]

So if Cruz's guy resigns over a tweet about Rubio and Cruz himself apologized to Carson about an erroneous report he was quitting and after Trump supporters claimed it proved Cruz was a liar I'm guessing Trump supporters are demanding Trump fire his campaign big cheese Lewandowski for roughing up and bruising the Breitbart chick, something he apparently admits.

His excuse is he thought she was from the MSM not Breitbart, as though it's ok to assault them.[well, ok, maybe a little. Just don't leave a bruise]

Reminds me of an old gag from the first Bob Newhart show.
One of his patients says "I caught my son sneaking up behind me with a hammer while I was in my bed. When I asked him what he was doing he apologized and said 'I'm sorry dad. I thought you were asleep'."

[Porchlight]

Never has the existence of a GOP Establishment been clearer.

I miss DoT. He would be telling us we were imagining things.

[Porchlight]

Frau, if you're here, I loved your mumbley peg link. Fascinating, and the comments, too!

I asked young Robert if he wanted to be Bodo or Fritzi. He looked at me with deep suspicion. I will need to work on this a little bit more subtly.

[Ignatz Ratzkiwatzki]

Short little essay on why scientists are so ignorant.
Worth reading if only for its richly deserved criticism of Billy Nye, Neil DeGrasse Chicken Chunks Tyson and Steven Hawking for their comically stupid forays into areas outside their tiny windows of expertise, although in Nye's case it's not clear he even has that tiny window.

[Jeff Dobbs]

Ig:
I'm guessing Trump supporters are demanding Trump fire his campaign big cheese Lewandowski for roughing up and bruising the Breitbart chick, something he apparently admits.

Yeah, two big twitter stories blowing up this morning. narciso had already referred to the Fields case. The other is a Trump supporter who sucker punched a protester at the Trump rally in Fayetteville, NC last night.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2016/03/10/trump-protester-sucker-punched-at-north-carolina-rally-videos-show/

Yes, a thousand times yes, the protester was obviously provoking the supporters - flipping people off and almost certainly saying some vile things, but he was not being physical with anyone and was being escorted out by cops - and the guy who punched him came out of nowhere to do it. The video further down that piece (the one filmed vertically) really shows the sucker-ness in the sucker punch.

I'm worried (and hopefully not in a concern-troll way - I am legit worried).

The media is literally itching (literally...as in rubbing their elbows in anticipation) to feed a narrative that the Trump campaign and Trump supporters are violent in nature.

The Trump campaign and Trump supporters (even if a very tiny fraction) are giving them what they want.

It's only going to get worse, imo, as anti-Trumpers willing to go and protest rallies see how much attention they can get by being ever more provocative . . . and the media get ever more diligent in seeking out and giving attention to the protesters willing to engage in such behavior. Could easily turn into a self-fulfilling spiral.

Trump mocking protesters and joking about "roughing them up" - and his campaign manager "roughing up" a reporter does not help.

[Old Lurker]

MM "EURO jumps as ECB signals end to rate cuts"

MM, think they also announced that they will be buying up corporate bonds of favored EU companies.

When does pink become red, I wonder?

[new lurker]

Jeff, I guess it is all proceeding as planned and as you wish re Trump.

[Ignatz Ratzkiwatzki]

"as you wish"?

[squaredance]

Well violence at Trump event by the Left is coming anyway--just wait until the convention.

I think that this is another nothingburger. one imagines Trump has anticipated such things.

[James D]

Jeff @ 11:42

The answer is to go on offense, not to expect that Trump (or any candidate) can control the behavior of several thousand people at an event. That's a losing game, just as the RNC freaking out and allowing the MSM to turn Todd Akin into a symbol for the whole Republican Party in 2012.

The nice thing about Trump is that he probably will do that.

[squaredance]

DO Nye and Tyson really count as "scientist" in any meaningful use of the term?

[Rick Ballard]

The evidence for a polling conspiracy against Trump becomes quite clear when a comparison is made between the 2012 RCP averages of Obama/Romney and the currnet 2016 Clinton/Trump matchup. A cursory examination of bounds reveals the pollsters never allowed Romney to drop below 43% in the entire campaign while they expect us to believe Trump has dropped below 41% and is, in fact, at 41% today while four years ago today Romney was at 46%. Using the same precise scientific approach, we find Obama to have been at 48% in 2012 while Clinton is far below him at 47.3% today.

The pollsters' conspiracy is risibly obvious and everyone should ignore polling averages from this point on.

[pagar a bacon, country ham and sausage supporter]

Hey, the US government will take care of your info.

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/hackers-steal--100-million-from-bangladesh-account-at-ny-fed-155946761.html

[Theo]

I think that the Trumpsters have a point in saying that head to head general election polls have little importance when taken in March before the parties have picked their candidates.

But, that being said, I think it is quite obvious that Trump would lose to Hillary, not because of those polls, but because of basic analysis.

1. Trump has gotten 35% of the Republican primary vote so far. He is the second choice of almost no one in the party. He would lose head to head against any of the remaining Republican candidates. There is a significant group of Republicans who have said (and probably more who have not said) that they will never vote for Trump. This is not a man who is going to lead a united Republican party.

2. The notion that The Donald can draw in significant numbers of Democrats is unproven and almost certainly fanciful. There are not that many white working class Democrats -- Trump's specialty -- to begin with. Hispanic voters hate Trump and will show up in large and overwhelming numbers to vote against him. Blacks are not going to peel off to vote for a rich white guy who promises them nothing.

3. Trump is entertaining to be sure, but his shoot from the lip style will cause him trouble in the long run. (Yes, everyone predicted that this would keep him from getting this far, but in the general election the voters will not be so forgiving.) His many closet skeletons will be paraded out by a media in the tank for Hillary. We see already that Republican opposition ads have had an effect among Republican voters.

4. Trump has extremely high unfavorable ratings. A majority say that they would never vote for him. He is unlikely to turn those ratings around by doing what he has done to get those negative ratings and he seems unlikely to become either presidential or diplomatic. Yes, Rodham has very high negatives too, but that is one more reason to nominate ANYONE else. She can be beaten. She will be beaten, as long as the nominee is not Trump.

So I agree that a March head to head poll is not worth a lot of consideration. But the underlying fundamentals indicate that Trump is the least likely Republican candidate to win in the fall.

And, to save Clarice the time to type it, yes, my predictions so far this year (and almost everyone else's) have seriously underestimated Trump. Maybe this is just more of the same. But I think it is far more likely that the Trump bubble is going to burst and the only question is when. It would be a disaster for the party if it happened after he was nominated.

[Ignatz Ratzkiwatzki]

Holy Toledo! as the late great Bill King used to say.
Just when you thought central planners couldn't come up with something stupider, they surprise ya.
China considering compelling its commercial banks to swap debt for equity in the failing businesses which owe trillions in non performing loans.
If it were a one time thing it probably wouldn't mean too much in a controlled, managed economy in dire straits as it would simply entail the banks trading worthless debt for worthless equity and wiping out through dilution other poor saps owning worthless equity. It might even help in a small number of cases by reducing the debt stress to levels that make actually make them solvent for a short time.
The problem is, as we have seen for the last several years it is almost certain the purpose is mostly to clean up the books by waving the magic wand to make debt disappear in order to lend more to keep naturally dying mastodons alive a few more years.
The die off when it comes will just be that much bigger.
If I'm missing something here maybe our economic whiz kids can let me know what it is.

Considering the long rivalry between China and Japan it's almost as though China is bound and determined to mimic the insanely stupid policies of Japan over the last 30 or 40 years, only double, to prove they can do what the dirty rapists of Nanking couldn't.

[Michael (fpa Patriot4Freedom)]

Pres. OBOzo says he is sure that he is "not responsible for the bad feelings that have developed between people during his time in office."

Says he engages in soul-searching to determine how he can help to bring the American people together.

Says that his policies most certainly "did not have anything to do with the actions of the Republicans and the current level of discord among Americans.'

Says he did nothing to create the "crack-up that is going on right now in the Republican party."

Sounds like Precious *still* refuses to accept responsibility for ANYTHING other than a success.

Well, 'plus ça change' and all that . . .

.

[Miss Marple 2]

Jane Seymour is in our city today for announcing her foundation's help with children with disabilities.

Here is a picture of her with the mayor, Joe Hogsett. I am amazed that she is 65 years old!

[henry]

Ig, that transfer of ownership for unpayable debt is sort of what a bankruptcy does... although the devil is in the details.

[Theo]

Ig --

I think that henry has a good point. Debt for equity swaps are the heart and soul of many a Chapter 11. I do not know Chinese bankruptcy law or procedure, but "compelling" banks to take equity for debt that they cannot collect on does not seem unreasonable. We do pretty much the same here.

[Ignatz Ratzkiwatzki]

--The evidence for a polling conspiracy against Trump...--

Did someone allege that recently here?
The RCP averages is where I noticed that the NBC polls often are considerably out of line with other polls, or at least used to be.
In any event one poll being consistently different doesn't imply a conspiracy among them all nor that the averages are not at least somewhat useful.

[Captain Hate]

Says he engages in soul-searching to determine how he can help to bring the American people together.

Rupert Pupkin level comedy.

[JeanD]

OT for fans of ESPN's "30 For 30."

Our local radio talk guy had the producer of a new one on this am.

She is examining the Duke LAX rape hoax on Sunday at 9:00 pm EST.

[Jeff Dobbs]

new lurker:
I guess it is all proceeding as planned and as you wish re Trump.

[Jeff Dobbs]

Ig:
Did someone allege that recently here?

Clarice linked to that sundance post that alleges just that.

[NK]

Comedy? no it's a sick joke stemming from his clinical narcissism.

[Theo]

Jeff --

I assume that the pollsters in this conspiracy regularly meet on the grassy knoll.

[Threadkiller]

Michelle Fields: In Her Own Words

http://www.breitbart.com/big-journalism/2016/03/10/3276486/

[James D]

Theo @ 12:03

You make good points. I'd only quibble with #1, really. If it's a sign of Trump's unelectability that he's only getting 35% of Republican primary voters, isn't that an even more daming sign for Cruz, Rubio and Kasich, since they're not even getting that much?

I don't think you can view all the votes for other candidates as anti-Trump votes, any more than you can say that everyone who voted for Rubio and Kasich is an anti-Cruz vote.

The other thing is, it's a static view of things. It doesn't take into account anything he might do in the campaign and what impact that might have.

How might the race be affected if he goes strongly on the offensive against Hillary and drags her skeletons out of the closet, too, in a showy way that even the MSM can't ignore?

[Captain Hate]

Nothing to see here:

http://www.theblaze.com/stories/2016/03/09/ag-loretta-lynch-testifies-justice-department-has-discussed-civil-legal-action-against-climate-change-deniers/

[Ignatz Ratzkiwatzki]

I think you guys are missing the point.
The commercial banks in China are either quasi state organs or actual state organs. In both cases they are controlled by the state.
A conventional bankruptcy is an attempt, usually although not always between private parties, to resolve the issues specific to that bankrupt entity, most especially to relieve it of a debt burden it cannot sustain.

In the case of China it is the state attempting to hide the massive, unsustainable stable of non performing loans that reveal their banking sector and entire economy to be sitting atop a powder keg.
It is highly unlikely the state's motives are to perform a legitimate bankruptcy operation especially as many of these bankrupt enterprises are also quasi or actual state run entities. The Chinese demonstrate an affinity for kicking the can down the road through debt issuance that makes the west look like mere pikers. Does anyone really believe they are now magically turning over a free market leaf?
If so I have some bonds I can offer you at a big discount. They're backed by some huge oriental concerns that can't possibly go bust as they're owned by some of a certain country's biggest banks.

[Threadkiller]

Was the Sundance story the one that points out that some of the "polls" aren't from polling firms but are actually from PR agencies?

[Rick Ballard]

The NBC/WSJ 51/38 split is within MoE of the WaPo/ABC 50/41 result AND (barely) the CNN/ORC 52/44 split as well as the Fox News 47/42 split. It's obviously not just NBC/WSJ skewing results against Trump. In December Fox obviously collaborated with NBC/WSJ by actually showing Clinton ahead by 11 while NBC/WSJ only had her up by 10.

[Jeff Dobbs]

Ig:
"as you wish"?

Here's how I read new lurker's comment...

The Emperor: You've done well, Lord Vader. And now I sense you wish to continue your search for young Skywalker.
Darth Vader: Yes, my Master.
The Emperor: Patience, my friend. In time, he will seek *you* out, and when he does, you must bring him before me. He has grown strong. Only together can we turn him to the Dark Side of the Force.
Darth Vader: As you wish.
The Emperor: Everything is proceeding as I have foreseen.

Everyone is being bamboozled by my Palpatine act right now. No one's gonna see it coming when I come out as Darth Sidious. No one, I tell you. Not until after I have been installed as the Galactic Emperor and have defeated the Jedi.

I know, I know - we're really messing with the timeline of the story here. It's kinda like how episodes 4-6 came out before 1-3 and then 7 came out after all of them.

Don't blame me, it's Lucas's fault. He's no better than rebel scum.

[henry]

Ig, yes... those pesky details. It also is a quiet way to re-nationalize everything.

[Jeff Dobbs]

James:
If it's a sign of Trump's unelectability that he's only getting 35% of Republican primary voters, isn't that an even more daming sign for Cruz, Rubio and Kasich, since they're not even getting that much?

YES! That's why we need to unite behind Marco Rubiorand JohnPaul Jebben Carsonich. No one's gotten more votes than Marco Rubiorand JohnPaul Jebben Carsonich.

And we need Walter Iwachiw as VP, natch.

[Theo]

James D --

Of course not every vote for one candidate is a vote against all others. The parties routinely unite behind the eventual nominee, even after a bruising primary campaign. Hillary's voters overwhelmingly supported Obama in 2008 among many examples.

But I think that the data indicates that Trump is different. As I said, he is not the second choice of hardly anyone. He would lose head to head. This is different from McCain's voters in 2000 or Hillary's voters in 2008. There is a much more serious Never Trump movement than there was disaffection among supporters of past also rans.

I certainly agree that the future is unknowable and things could change and one never knows, etc. But based upon the best analysis we have now and doing the best we can to project into the future, I think that the odds of a Trump win in November are low. His supporters, in my view, have to engage in a lot of wishful thinking and "you never know" hoping. Yeah, maybe a #16 seed will win the NCAA tournament.

[Ignatz Ratzkiwatzki]

Allan Meltzer catalogs some of the Fed's mistakes.

[Appalled]

Theo:

You might be right, you might be wrong on elect-ability. The Trump electorate is an unpredictable bunch, and I think polls are having a hard time defining them. Also, do remember that Hillary, rather than Bill is the opposition. Hillary is as polarizing as Trump -- she just does it in different ways.

The reason to oppose Trump is on the merits and what's in your own heart. Voting on what you think might be in a lot of other people's minds will just give you a headache.

[Theo]

Ignatz --

Among the many things that I do not know much about would be Chinese accounting practices. But I would not think that it would actually enhance the balance sheets to take loans off the books and replace them with equity in troubled companies. The move you're talking about may not be a coverup so much as a recognition of reality.

[Theo]

Appalled

"The reason to oppose Trump is on the merits and what's in your own heart. Voting on what you think might be in a lot of other people's minds will just give you a headache."

Totally agree with this.

[Rick Ballard]

The worst polling of the YTD was Michigan on the Dem side. The age demographic model selected wasn't even close and the Millenial's antipathy towards Clinton is rather remarkable.

[Michael (fpa Patriot4Freedom)]

And in the Department of Redundancy Department, oBOzo also opined that his choice for the Supreme Court would have to recognize 'stare decisis' *and* precedent when judging cases.

I think he ran out of time before he had the chance to explain how his choice would consider 'amicus curiae' *and* friend of the court briefs, or rely on the principles of 'res ipsa loquitur' *and* 'the thing speaks for itself.'

Con Law professor and brilliant legal mind, indeed.

.

[squaredance]

RE China: Well the thing is that most of those "businesses" are actually government owned, and a good many of the Banks are too, either de facto or de jure, so it amounts to a sort of backhanded nationalization.

And then, what about the Shadow banking system over there?

So it really just an accounting trick. There will be some short term relief, but mid and long term it will just increase new debt.

China has engaged in decades of malinvestment and politically directed investment, and soon the piper will have to be paid (sound familiar?)

Ultimately the Central Banks of the world have taken it upon themselves to "stabilize" market prices for the insiders, and they have set up the world economy for a fall. They are all just looting while the looting is good, with little thought about where they are all taking us. Sooner or later it must all come crashing down.

Unfortunately this could well happen in the next year or so, and this means that if there is a Republican President, then "conservatives" will get the blame for it (and it does not matter if that President is in anyway a conservative or not).

Perhaps one of the real reasons Trump is so feared is that he might blow the lid off of the very real problems Globalization has caused, or at least open up and mainstream a broad political discussion of these issue.

The Globalists have managed to keep all this more or less under wraps, at least so far as media coverage.

Once it is out in the open it will quickly become clear that "globalization" is merely a course we pursue and not, as they would have us believe, some sort of inevitable "force of nature" to which we must "adapt".

Once that cat is out of the bag, the globalist position becomes much harder to defend.

This may not be Trump's intent, but it would be a result of a Trump Presidency.

[Theo]

Rick --

According to Nate Silver, that may have been the worst polling IN DECADES if not EVAH.

Not yet clear what caused such a huge miss. If it was a pollster conspiracy, it did not work out so well for the conspirators, because Bernie won anyway. In fact, there is some limited evidence that complacence may have hurt Hillary and/or caused some of her voters to vote mischief in the GOP primary.

[henry]

Michael, Obama is the kind of guy who eats pie with ice cream AND a la mode.

[NK]

Ignatz-- read more Meltzer, less ZH. I wonder what JimmyK and MELRominov think of that?

[James D]

Jeff @ 12:25

I'd vote for Palpatine. At least we'd be assured of a larger military and a strong foreign policy.

[Threadkiller]

But we should trust exit polls.

[NK]

Obummer = constitutional sooper genius. What a fucking moron. More confession for moi.

[Captain Hate on the iPhone]

the Millenial's antipathy towards Clinton is rather remarkable.

The Omen's unerring ability to connect with the yutes.

[James D]

Theo @ 12:29

I'm not saying "you never know".

I'm saying that, based on the way he's run his primary campaign (and based on his track record as a public figure), it's safe to assume that Trump will not run the same sort of uninspired, lackluster, pick-your-negative-adjective campaign that McCain and Romnay both ran.

Maybe that won't make a difference, but the point is, we don't know.

We do know what happened when the R's ran candidates who did not address the skeletons in Obama's closets, who let his attacks go unanswered.

I think it is a safe assumption that a Trump campaign would leave no Hillary skeleton untouched before it was finished.

[Theo]

The Michigan exit poll data was amazing in terms of how age affected voters. By very solid majorities voters under 40 were for Sanders and voters over 40 were for Rodham. It was almost a sharp break instead of a continuum.

I am not sure that it is young voters' antipathy to Rodham or attraction to Bernie that is driving this.

[Jane]

one imagines Trump has anticipated such things.

I don't imagine that for a second. I doubt he has planned for tomorrow yet.

[Theo]

James D. --

All fair points.

I still think, with all the usual caveats, that ANY OTHER Republican should be considered a favorite against Rodham and Trump should be considered a very decided underdog against her.

A Trump vs. Rodham campaign would be a nightmare in my opinion. I would not want either of them to be president. It would almost certainly have to be the most negative campaign in history. I suppose in some sense, that could be fun as spectator sport. No one would ever call it "lackluster."

[Miss Marple 2]

http://www.politico.com/story/2016/03/cruz-to-land-first-senate-endorsement-in-mike-lee-220574

[Jeff Dobbs]

Gracious.

http://www.pennlive.com/news/2016/03/john_kasichs_pa_primary_bid_co.html

Kasich's campaign has stipulated it does not have enough valid signatures from registered Republican voters [in Pennsylvania] to meet state ballot requirements. As a result, it is hoping for a technical reprieve to help the governor keep his Great Lakes strategy afloat.

The technical reprieve?

This case now comes down to, when does "closed" mean "closed."

Kasich campaign attorney Lawrence Otter* argued in Commonwealth Court that because Rome's objection wasn't filed with the Department of State by 5 p.m. Feb. 23, the last day for such election cases to be filed, it should not be allowed.

The appeal was time-stamped at 5:13 p.m. that day, something that Otter says only happened because someone answered a knock at a locked door and gave Rome the chance to present his petition.

Otter contends that in the sometimes precise world of state election code, a black-and-white 5 p.m. deadline for submitting nomination papers should also apply to the objections, which are required to be filed up to seven days later.

Eeeeenteresting.

Now, I think ultimately Cruz is behind this. He's using Kasich to knock off Trump in OH (which looks much much more winnable than FL is for Rubio at the moment) - and then have Kasich unable to compete in PA, causing people to leave him in droves....but not until after Rubio has already been crushed by losing Florida.

Cruz doesn't want this decision in PA before next Tuesday though, because that could derail OH for Kasich. That's the only hiccup. But otherwise...

All is proceeding....etc etc etc.

------------------
*Wait. What? The attorney arguing the case is Otter? OTTER???