Trump stumbles to victory

Posted on January 18, 2020 by

‘Few thought it possible’

Trump you're firedA truism of the mainstream news media: If you are forced to admit that Donald Trump may have succeeded, you must attribute it to pure, feckless happenstance. Because all right-thinking progressives know — it is received wisdom — that Donald Trump is a dunderhead, remote-controlled by Vladimir Putin. Given to wild mood swings. Hears voices. Tweets.

Rather than give credit, a news analysis in The Atlantic brays:

“Donald Trump stumbles into
a foreign-policy triumph”

Notice how The Atlantic sprinkles ants on Trump’s picnic table in this sentence:

Although Trump’s foreign-policy strategy (if one even accepts that there is such a thing) has many limits, his unpredictability and, most critically, his willingness to escalate a crisis using the United States’ military and economic strength, has turned the tables on Iran in a way few thought possible.

Certainly, no one on a Democrat(ic) debate stage thought possible!

When the Ayatollah lays a big American flag down on Iranian pavement and its citizens respectfully refuse to desecrate it, that’s pretty much proof the strike on Soleimani was a master stroke, a game changer. 

 

Gosh, Beav, we can’t kill the guy that is killing Americans and indigenous freedom fighters throughout the Middle East! His country might get mad at us. The Washington Times inventoried some of the chicken littles: 

  • “Is the U.S. headed for World War III?” (McClatchy News)
  • “Five places World War III could start in 2020” (The National Interest)
  • “People are debating whether it’s OK to joke about World War 3” (The Independent).
  • “Will Americans let Trump start World War III?” (Salon)

This president doesn’t bow and scrape

The Atlantic admits that “The air strike that killed Qassem Soleimani was a reminder that the U.S. remains the one indispensable global superpower. Iran, or indeed anyone else, simply cannot respond in kind.” Must have been pure luck.

The president’s erratic behavior might be doing something else as well, something even more fundamental. Through a combination of instinct, temperament, and capriciousness, Trump may be reminding the world of the reality of international relations: Raw military and economic power still matter more than anything else — so long as those who hold them are prepared to use them. [Barack Obama. Joe Biden]

Whether by accident or design, Trump creates chances to solve long-running international problems that a conventional leader would not.

Trump Heights

  • Like making prosperous Europe live up to their NATO defense obligations.
  • Like fulfilling an old American promise to move our embassy to Jerusalem.
  • Like cutting off aid to countries that oppose us.
  • Like reckoning with China and getting a better trade deal. 

Indeed, rather than defend Obama/Biden’s Iranian-bound cargo planeload of cash, Boris Johnson is now calling for a new ‘Trump deal.”

Blaska’s Bottom Line — It is better to be lucky than good but no one can be Trump lucky without being pretty damn good. The problem with previous leaders wasn’t that they weren’t lucky. They were too conventional. Then again, so are the commentariat. Which is why “few thought it possible.”

What do YOU think?

Posted in Donald Trump, Iran Middle East, Uncategorized | 1 Comment

The Left has perverted Martin Luther King Jr.

Posted on January 18, 2020 by

Robert L Woodson

Excerpted from his essay in the Wall Street Journal.

By Robert L. Woodson 

As the nation celebrates the birth of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., the progressive left will again seize the moment to twist the story of black Americans’ struggle, to the detriment of those who suffered most in that struggle. …

History is full of inspiring examples of black people succeeding… These accomplishments were made possible by a set of values cherished among the blacks of the time: self-determination, resiliency, personal virtue, honesty, honor and accountability.

Dr. King understood that these values would be the bedrock for black success once true equality was won. As early as 1953, he warned that “one of the most common tendencies of human nature is that of placing responsibility on some external agency for sins we have committed or mistakes we have made.”

Today the progressive left wants to ignore the achievements and pretend that blacks are perpetual victims of white racism. 

The New York Times’s “1619 Project” essay series is the latest salvo in this attack on America’s history and founding, claiming “anti-black racism runs in the very DNA of this country.” This statement is an abomination of everything Dr. King stood for.

What do YOU think?

Posted in Uncategorized | 3 Comments

Why are Madison middle school principals leaving?

Posted on January 18, 2020 by

WANTED:

More Milton McPikes, fewer guilt mongers 

Obsessed with identity politics, Madison school board member Ali Muldrow posts on social media an article headlined:  “The discomfort of white adults should never take priority over the success of our black and brown students.”

“I didn’t come here to teach those kinds of kids.”

As harmful as that kind of statement is, very few teachers are brazen enough to express their racist thoughts out loud. If teachers express bias at all, particularly White teachers, they do so silently or even unconsciously — implicitly.

Are they also victims of MMSD identity politics?

The clear implication is that school board member Muldrow is, once again, accusing Madison educators of racism most foul.

Hire more educators of color? Fine with us. Go For It!

But if race is so important, why have so many principals of our middle schools failed? Tequila Kurth stepped aside this week as principal of often-violent Jefferson middle school to take “an extended leave of absence.” That makes nine schools at MMSD’s 12 middle schools to experience a change of leadership in the last 3½ years, according to  Chris Rickert in the WI State Journal.

Rickert also named Kenya Walker, who quit as principal of Black Hawk Middle School in April 2017 amid suspicions of financial mismanagement, and Sherman Middle School Principal Kristin Foreman the next year after a teacher alleged in a blog post that the school was “in crisis.” Those were the only principals Rickert named.

We reached out to Ms. Muldrow to ask why the leadership turnover at Madison’s middle schools? If these principals are incompetent, why were they appointed? If color is so critical, why did they fail?

Milton McPike

Milton McPike, RIP

Blaska’s Bottom Line: Perhaps the principals would have become another Milton McPike if the school district wold have allowed it. Or required it. The renowned, no-nonsense principal at Madison East high school died too soon (in 2008). McPike was known to personally escort miscreants by the collar out to the waiting squad car.

Perhaps the latest crop of middle school principals failed because they were burdened with a guilt trip former superintendent Jennifer Cheatham turned into the Behavior Education Plan. Something Milt McPike would have thrown in the trash bin.

What do YOU think?

 

Posted in Cops in schools, Crime, identity politics, Madison schools, Uncategorized | Tagged | Leave a comment

Historic day 01-16-2020

Posted on January 17, 2020 by

Two signings

Image | Posted on January 17, 2020 by | 22 Comments

Jefferson middle school principal is out

Posted on January 16, 2020 by

The principal of Jefferson Middle School in Madison is out. She has taken an extended leave of absence, according to the school district. 

Channel 3000 reports that interim Superintendent Jane Belmore told Jefferson parents that she was “notified this week that Principal Tequila Kurth has decided to take an extended leave of absence.”

Tequila Kurth, principal Jefferson MS

Tequila Kurth, principal, Jefferson M.S.

“We recognize that the number of recent transitions at Jefferson has been challenging, especially during the school year. I am confident that with this leadership and extra support, we will be in a better position to regain your trust that Jefferson will be a safe and welcoming school for all.”

Kurth’s leave comes after a number of incidents during this school year, including a student who shot another student with a BB gun. He was still in school despite 25 previous disciplinary issues.

Just Wednesday afternoon (01-15-2020) a Jefferson middle school student hospitalized with a concussion after being punched by a classmate. The victim told police he had been bullied for some time by the boy who hit him.

A school staff member said the victim fell to the floor after the initial blow, and was then punched a couple of more times. The employee said the suspect was screaming and knocking over chairs.

Mauricio Escobedo told Blaska’s Policy Werkes:

“I was fired and ushered out the back door because I would not allow Tequila Kurth to cover up her dangerous lack of sound disciplinary policies. On Wednesday, yet another child was nearly killed at Jefferson. YOU helped to divulge the fact [earlier this week] that the Jefferson Administration was no longer in control of the school to a wider audience than I could ever reach.  For that, I thank you.

And now that Tequila Kurth is gone, the job is remains unfinished. …

The idea that race should be considered before meting out disciplinary consequences (or disciplinary data) is inimical to the foundational principle that Justice is blind.  This aberration of America’s justice System must be changed inside of the MMSD from which it was removed by verbal artifice and deception.”

Because of the leadership change, the parent/citizen meeting is rescheduled for 6 p.m. February 6 at the school.

What do YOU think?

Posted in Uncategorized | 6 Comments

Capital Times gets called on its nastiness

Posted on January 16, 2020 by

‘Fever-swamp insanity’

The Capital Times gave up persuasion long ago in favor of reinforcing the ignorance of its readers. 

Not until after he left office did “Dane County’s progressive voice” have a good word to say about Tommy Thompson, four times elected by the people of Wisconsin. History is recording Tommy as the most consequential governor of the last half of the 20th Century — and much the beloved. 

So it came as a surprise that the publication actually yanked a political cartoon after conservatives complained. The cartoon depicted the president of a conservative legal organization as a hangman lynching potential Wisconsin voters. RightWisconsin explains:

At issue is a state law requiring the Election Commission to remove voter registrations if they have reason to believe a voter has moved and the voter does not respond to a mailing from the Election Commission asking for information within 30 days. … An editor’s note now accompanies [a Dave Zweifel column] online: “A cartoon previously published with this column was determined to be in poor taste and has been removed.”

Cap Times cartoon

W.I.L.L president Rick Esenberg called the cartoon “offensive” and “nasty and ignorant.” He could also have added “Stupid.”

Updating voter lists is equivalent to a racial lynching?

A conservative fights back

Rick Esenberg on that Capital Times political cartoon:

Our case does not seek to deny anyone the opportunity to vote. It is possible that a relatively small number of people who have not actually moved will have to return a prepaid postcard saying so or, if they fail to do that, re-register to vote online, by mail or at the polls on Election Day. But they will all get to vote.

To say that what we are doing is somehow the moral or metaphorical equivalent of having a mob pull you from your home and hang you from a tree is fever swamp insanity. … It trivializes real evil and portrays everyday political opponents as monsters. …

Before people like [Dave] Zweifel and Konopacki engage in unctuous and performative throat clearing about social justice, they need — to paraphrase the left — to check their own hatred.

Perhaps this was Esenberg’s first exposure to The Capital Times. Cartoonist Mike Konopacki is nasty and ignorant for breakfast and hateful the rest of the time. Blood-drenched capitalist fat cats (always men) press their wingtips onto the necks of the proletariat in Konopacki world. As subtle as a May Day parade in Red Square.

In other words, no different from your average Capital Times editorial. In the same edition this headline brays over a name-calling editorial:

“Trump and his toadies fear Wisconsin voters”

Here is how that editorial seeks to persuade:

Donald Trump is a pathetic shell of a man who fears a fair fight … [a] sad story of a son of privilege who could never succeed on his own.

Does getting elected President of the United States count as succeeding? If so, that pathetic shell of a man can thank the deplorable toadies who swung Wisconsin his way over Hillary Clinton in 2016. (And who still leads, or is within a few percentage points, of the top Democratic challengers this time around, according to the Marquette Law School poll.)

No, if anyone has reason to kvetch about unfair fights, it would be Bernie Sanders. (Just ask Donna Brazile.) 

Did you notice? While Democrats on the WI Elections Commission refuse to expunge invalid voter registrations as required by law, the same board is considering spending $260,000 to assure voters that elections are on the up and up.

Blaska’s Bottom Line: Political cartoons are supposed to be offensive. But kudos to conservatives for turning the tables on the perpetually grieved. A dose of their own snake oil.

What do you toadies think?

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , | 14 Comments