BALTIMORE, Maryland February 29, 2016 (Leap Day) - On a day that comes only once every four years, you might hear bubbling at the core of the GOP, but only if you listen closely. Now understand, when I say "core," it has nothing to do with conservatism. A huge conceptual problem is now embroiling the Republican party. Some say the 'core' of the GOP is not conservative and is, in fact, nothing but a front for the Chamber of Commerce. A 'core' conservative and a 'core' Republican are not the same thing these days, if, in fact, they ever were similar. Unless you are really paying attention, you might wonder what the catalyst is for the high heat of the parties to the imbroglio. Let us identify the interest groups which are at war with each other, and their views on the core issues.
Group A: Known as the Washington Insiders, in truth, many of the movers and shakers sit far from the Nation's Capital. Group A consists of Elected Republicans who, once ensconced in office, make preservation of power and prestige their major pursuit. Their publicly stated interests - things like freedom, liberty, military readiness, racial equality, due process, and real fidelity to the Constitution - are, in fact, not that important and often act as impediments to the major goals stated above. Other essential and active members of Group A are well-heeled donors. The so-called people with the dough, this group stays in constant contact with the elected Republicans described above because it is those elected reps who work towards the legislative goals of the big dough participants in Group A. If one is seeking a point of reference for those in Group A, think of 'Chamber of Commerce" types. They favor open borders and amnesty because they want cheap labor; i.e., a glut of cheap labor that depresses wages. A glut of cheap labor, if you think it through, also is essential to other Group A goals such as watered down freedom of speech standards, watered down due process standards, greatly enhanced executive salaries (now don't get me wrong, I have nothing against anyone making whatever salary or wage they can. I abhor President Obama's appeal to curtailed salaries because in reality in a free society the chief executive of the government has absolutely no business medling in this area. When Obama goes here, he is, in fact, seeking a marxist goal of salary equality or 'everybody makes the same, whether you are a brain surgeon or floor sweeper.) Group A people support standard old-time Republican policy objectives, but only in public. Privately and actually, they oppose many of these executives. They may say they want the border closed, but in private they oppose it with all of their might. Another example of Group A in action was the recent Washington meeting of GOP big wheels interested in short-circuiting Donald Trump. I'm still not sure whether the participants in that meeting wanted it to be under the radar or, in fact, meant to get caught so that people like, well, Donald Trump, might worry about what his prospects really are if he didn't drop out or radically change directions. Poster children for Group A include the well-heeled donors at the meeting, Kentucky Senator Mitch McConnell, House Speaker Paul Ryan and Karl Rove. Fox Executive Roger Ailes is also a member. Ailes is the mover and shaker at Fox but does not have editorial control over some of the on-screen folk. Included in the independent Fox people are Sean Hannity, Greta van Susteran and Bill O'Reilly. Slightly less 'free' to say what's on their minds are Megyn Kelly and Brett Baier, although the constraints are few, and for different reasons. Baier is such a good person and good journalist that he'd have to really go off the deep end to get reigned in. Kelly was quickly heading for the same status as Hannity and O'Reilly when she tripped over the Donald Trump question at the first GOP debate. She is said to be far too liberal for Fox's overall comfort zone, but she is a ratings motherlode and the inside plan is to keep her as long as they can. In and of itself, money is no object. But they can't pay her so much that what they pay the other ratings monsters gets called into question. Group A folk are coalesced behind Marco Rubio. This is a powder keg in a lot of ways. I like Rubio, but I see a bit of Napoleon in him. This may well be good. Or it might blow up. People who support Rubio for a given reason might get more than they bargained for if he wins. Be careful what you wish for. Finally, the thing that defines Group A and helps observers determine who falls into that Group is how desperate they are to keep Trump and Crews from becoming president.
Group B: Donald Trump and his campaign staff. People who have announced they support Trump for President. Latest member: Alabama Senator Jeff Sessions. Trump supports an absolute lock-down of the southern border and a temporary abolition of the right of Islamic folk to immigrate here.
Group C: Senator Ted Crews, Presidential Candidate, Arch Conservative, Mark Levin, Radio and soon-to-be television host. These two men redefine what it is to be conservative. There was a time when a conservative really was thought of as someone who was rich, unimaginative when it came to social issues, slow to get on board on freedom of speech issues, opposed to all things government, especially government-issued regulations that apply to business, and opposed to any cuts to the military budget. Conservatives were also thought of as slow-to-support core civil rights for minorities. Crews and Levin show that some of these old descriptions either were never true or haven't been true for a long time. A Crews Conservative (or Mark Levin Conservative) is actually the most forward thinking group functioning on the American Scene. These conservatives defend the vigorous liberty and freedoms provided in the noble and ageless American Constitution at all cost, oppose virtually any curtailment of the ability of the American Military to defend liberty and freedom anywhere in the world, and also oppose any policy initiative that curtails the freedom and liberty that American Citizens are guaranteed in the Constitution and Bill of Rights. These conservatives virulently oppose the concept of the American Constitution and Bill of Rights as a 'living and breathing document.' To them, the Constituion and Bill of Rights are a set of bedrock freedoms and principles that, in and of themselves, define what it is to be American. These rights and freedoms do not change or evolve. Thus, when the Constitution and Bill of Rights say that there is freedom of speech, freedom to keep and bear arms, and that American Citizens are guaranteed life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, they mean exactly that and they mean it forever. Crews supports these things. Levin takes to the air waves five nights a week to support these things. They support these things even when it isn't popular to support them.
There are a lot of issues that people in Group A pay lip service to but privately oppose. Many of these issues are also publicly supported by those in Group B and Group C. But the people in Group B and Group C also support these policy initiatives in private and with their entire heart and soul. The people in Group B support these policy issues because the failure of the political classes - Republican and Democrat - to deal with them in a way that a huge majority of the American people want them to is their reason for being. Donald Trump, as a political phenomenom, exists because no one on the left and many on the right did not want the southern border closed and did not want to repeal Obamacare. Trump has promised to slam the southern border door closed and to repeal Obamacare. The people in Group C believe in the same things because they believe they are the right and correct things to do.
Monday, February 29, 2016
Sunday, February 28, 2016
Maryland Overcomes 7-2 Deficit, Scores 8 runs in Fifth and 2 Crucial Insurance Runs in 8th to Defeat Rhode Island, 13-10, to Win Weekend Series, 2-1; Soccer: Burnley Surges Into Championship Lead With Come-From-Behind Victory at Bolton
BALTIMORE, Maryland February 28, 2016 - Nick Cieri hit a grand slam home run, and three other Terrapins smashed round trippers, as Maryland overcame a 7-2 deficit to defeat Rhode Island, 13-10, to win the weekend series with the Rams, two games to one.
Cieri's grand slam highlighted an eight-run Terrapin uprising in the fifth inning, which began with Maryland trailing Rhode Island, 7-2. The Terps quickly pulled to within 7-4 when Kevin Biondic homered over the left field fence with one out. Anthony Papio, who had led off the inning with a single, scored ahead of Biondic. After the Biondic homer, Justin Morris and Kevin Smith both walked, and after Madison Nickens flied out, Nick Dunn was hit by a pitch to load the bases. That's when Cieri went deep to put Maryland ahead. It was a lead the Terrapins would never relinquish, but not because the Rams would go quietly. Actually, the Rams never went quietly.
Maryland, now 3-3, eventually stretched its lead to 11-7, but had to hang on for dear life as the Rams staged a big rally of their own in the 8th. Rhode Island scored three times and had runners at the corners with only one out before Terp Relief Pitcher Robert Galligan got out of the jam with a strike out and ground out. Earlier, Chase Livingston hit a three-run home run for Rhode Island. After pulling back to within one run, Rhode Island allowed Maryland to again open up breathing room in the bottom of the eighth. The big blows were back-to-back RBI doubles by Dunn and Cieri. Galligan then worked a scoreless ninth to earn the save.
Soccer: Burnley Surges to Top of Championship as Andre Gray Scores Two Late Goals to Lift Claret Past Bolton
Bolton began this home match facing imminent relegation, but you'd never have known it by looking at the scoreboard for most of the affair. Suddenly, scoring wonder Andre Gray changed everything, and the day ended with surging Burnley atop the Championship Table.
The Wanderers took the lead in the second half, 1-0, when Liam Feeney scored from very close range in the 69th minute, according to the BBC. For all of five minutes, the home crowd had a big upset on their hands. Then, Gray came alive. In the 74th minute, he used his right foot to even the match. In the 85th minute he utilized his left foot to put Burnley ahead. Burnley has rarely, if ever, surrendered a late lead. And they didn't on Saturday, either.
The Claret now sit atop the Championship with 65 points, one point ahead of Hull City and Middlesbrough. Burnley returns to action on Saturday against 18th place Blackburn.
Cieri's grand slam highlighted an eight-run Terrapin uprising in the fifth inning, which began with Maryland trailing Rhode Island, 7-2. The Terps quickly pulled to within 7-4 when Kevin Biondic homered over the left field fence with one out. Anthony Papio, who had led off the inning with a single, scored ahead of Biondic. After the Biondic homer, Justin Morris and Kevin Smith both walked, and after Madison Nickens flied out, Nick Dunn was hit by a pitch to load the bases. That's when Cieri went deep to put Maryland ahead. It was a lead the Terrapins would never relinquish, but not because the Rams would go quietly. Actually, the Rams never went quietly.
Maryland, now 3-3, eventually stretched its lead to 11-7, but had to hang on for dear life as the Rams staged a big rally of their own in the 8th. Rhode Island scored three times and had runners at the corners with only one out before Terp Relief Pitcher Robert Galligan got out of the jam with a strike out and ground out. Earlier, Chase Livingston hit a three-run home run for Rhode Island. After pulling back to within one run, Rhode Island allowed Maryland to again open up breathing room in the bottom of the eighth. The big blows were back-to-back RBI doubles by Dunn and Cieri. Galligan then worked a scoreless ninth to earn the save.
Soccer: Burnley Surges to Top of Championship as Andre Gray Scores Two Late Goals to Lift Claret Past Bolton
Bolton began this home match facing imminent relegation, but you'd never have known it by looking at the scoreboard for most of the affair. Suddenly, scoring wonder Andre Gray changed everything, and the day ended with surging Burnley atop the Championship Table.
The Wanderers took the lead in the second half, 1-0, when Liam Feeney scored from very close range in the 69th minute, according to the BBC. For all of five minutes, the home crowd had a big upset on their hands. Then, Gray came alive. In the 74th minute, he used his right foot to even the match. In the 85th minute he utilized his left foot to put Burnley ahead. Burnley has rarely, if ever, surrendered a late lead. And they didn't on Saturday, either.
The Claret now sit atop the Championship with 65 points, one point ahead of Hull City and Middlesbrough. Burnley returns to action on Saturday against 18th place Blackburn.
Friday, February 26, 2016
In-Game Update: Maryland Leads Rhode Island, 11-7, in Top of 8th; 4 HR, Including Grand Slam by Nick Cieri, Help Terps Overcome 7-2 Ram Lead
BALTIMORE, Maryland February 28, 2016 - Just one day after being limited to four hits and one run by the Rhode Island pitching staff, Maryland has exploded for four home runs against the gamely Rams, and now lead, 11-7 going to the top of the 8th inning in College Park. Rhode Island once led in this game, 7-2.
Nick Cieri has hit a grand slam, and Kevin Biondic and Justin Morris have also homered for Maryland.,
Tuesday, February 23, 2016
It's That Time Again
BALTIMORE, Maryland February 26, 2016 - Ready or not, willing or not, the wait is over and the time to select the next president of These United States is upon us. The two parties move inevitably through the long and rightfully rigorous nominating process. Party conventions - where the process hits its crescendo - approaches with the summer warmth.
The two Democrats seriously running for their party's nomination act like their personal abilities and off-color and oft-times downright dangerous proclivities have absolutely nothing to do with which one of them will be the Democratic nominee. Bernie Sanders - if you listen to him day in and day out - never even broaches the topic of the full-bore FBI probe of his opponent. Does that matter to Bernie, or does he envy Hillary that she gets to be investigated but he doesn't? If Bernie went out and did exactly what Hillary has done, he'd be investigated and indicted in exactly one-half of a nano-second.
Really, he would. Really!
I wonder if Sanders realizes exactly what kind of conundrum he finds himself in. His opponent, Hillary, can do whatever she wants to do because the attorney general of These United States has neither the integrity, personal fortitude or gumption to indict her. Hillary Clinton is like a fox loose in the hen house with no human overlord to offer the least bit of protection or even resistance. It is open season on the hapless American citizen, er, I mean, hen.
The Attorney General - Obama's Second - is the same kind of political flunky that her predecessor was: hapless, helpless, witless and spineless. You cannot tell me that anyone who graduated from an American Law School does not know that an American President does not have the right to pass laws without submitting them to Congress. It has worked that way for over 200 years. You introduce legislation in Congress, which considers it, debates it, sometimes amends it, and finally votes on it. If it passes both houses of the Congress by the appropriate majority, it then goes to the President, who either signs it into law or vetoes it. If the President vetoes the bill, it goes back to the Congress, which has the power to override the veto if it can muster a three-fifths majority on the override vote. Obama is wrong when he says he was "forced" to act, i.e., sign a Presidential Order, because the Congress did not send him a piece of legislation. The Congress is speaking loud and clear when it does not pass legislation. It is the United States' system of governing saying that at the present time there is not a national will to enact such a law. The President needs to go to the citizenry and campaign for his ideas. We call this 'using the bully pulpit.' The impediment to Obama is that he knows darn well that the American people are 100% sick and tired of his ultra far left policies. We are the most generous people on earth, but Obama has taken too much. He has ruined too many things. The people have had it with him. You can see it clearly in the early voting. Incredible GOP turnouts show that the will to remove the tumor of Obama is large. Meanwhile, the Democrats dilly dally back and forth between a spineless old leftist peddling very old, worthless political ideas to a naive, young social crown.and a sociopath thinly disguised as a narcissistic arrogant and repugnant leftist (who, on top of that, is just a bad person).
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Opinion and Analysis
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The two Democrats seriously running for their party's nomination act like their personal abilities and off-color and oft-times downright dangerous proclivities have absolutely nothing to do with which one of them will be the Democratic nominee. Bernie Sanders - if you listen to him day in and day out - never even broaches the topic of the full-bore FBI probe of his opponent. Does that matter to Bernie, or does he envy Hillary that she gets to be investigated but he doesn't? If Bernie went out and did exactly what Hillary has done, he'd be investigated and indicted in exactly one-half of a nano-second.
Really, he would. Really!
I wonder if Sanders realizes exactly what kind of conundrum he finds himself in. His opponent, Hillary, can do whatever she wants to do because the attorney general of These United States has neither the integrity, personal fortitude or gumption to indict her. Hillary Clinton is like a fox loose in the hen house with no human overlord to offer the least bit of protection or even resistance. It is open season on the hapless American citizen, er, I mean, hen.
The Attorney General - Obama's Second - is the same kind of political flunky that her predecessor was: hapless, helpless, witless and spineless. You cannot tell me that anyone who graduated from an American Law School does not know that an American President does not have the right to pass laws without submitting them to Congress. It has worked that way for over 200 years. You introduce legislation in Congress, which considers it, debates it, sometimes amends it, and finally votes on it. If it passes both houses of the Congress by the appropriate majority, it then goes to the President, who either signs it into law or vetoes it. If the President vetoes the bill, it goes back to the Congress, which has the power to override the veto if it can muster a three-fifths majority on the override vote. Obama is wrong when he says he was "forced" to act, i.e., sign a Presidential Order, because the Congress did not send him a piece of legislation. The Congress is speaking loud and clear when it does not pass legislation. It is the United States' system of governing saying that at the present time there is not a national will to enact such a law. The President needs to go to the citizenry and campaign for his ideas. We call this 'using the bully pulpit.' The impediment to Obama is that he knows darn well that the American people are 100% sick and tired of his ultra far left policies. We are the most generous people on earth, but Obama has taken too much. He has ruined too many things. The people have had it with him. You can see it clearly in the early voting. Incredible GOP turnouts show that the will to remove the tumor of Obama is large. Meanwhile, the Democrats dilly dally back and forth between a spineless old leftist peddling very old, worthless political ideas to a naive, young social crown.and a sociopath thinly disguised as a narcissistic arrogant and repugnant leftist (who, on top of that, is just a bad person).
Thursday, February 18, 2016
Terps Stage Desperate Rally in Minnesota, Get Late Lead Only To Lose; Key Blown Call and Disasterous First Half Doom Terps
BALTIMORE, Maryland February 18, 2016 - Maryland played so poorly it was hard to watch. Matched against a team that was 0-13 in Big Ten Play, and hadn't won a game of any kind since December, the Terps fell behind and stayed behind for most of the game. Often times the Gopher lead was in double digits. Maryland was down, 40-29, at the half and were still way behind with ten minutes left. Melo Trimble looked worse than he has ever looked in a Maryland uniform.
And then Maryland rallied, thanks almost exclusively to a career high scoring performance by Rasheed Sulaimon. The senior transfer from Duke hit a long three to put Maryland in front by a point, 60-59, inside of three minutes to play. Maryland even got the ball back after that score, and had the lead and the ball with with 2:45 left. But they couldn't hold it. Sulaimon actually missed a lay-up in the frantic closing minutes. The worst play came when Ttimble went baseline, only to be chested out of bounds by Minnesota's hulking center, Jordan Murphy. But the three Big Ten officials made no call. One would wonder why they thought Trimble went sprawling out of bounds, but why argue with such total failures as these Big Ten officials. It doesn't seem to matter which trio is on the floor, they will find a way to disgrace themselves and that non-call ranked right up there with some of their other boneheaded decisions.
Minnesota's lead was just one point, 62-61, when Jake Layman poked the ball away from a Gopher guard with 31 seconds left. Trimble grabbed the loose ball and headed down the floor with a chance to put Maryland back in front. But his pass to Layman on the baseline was intercepted by Gopher freshman Dupree McBrayer with 27 seconds left and Maryland never again had a chance to pull even or take the lead.
The final score was 68-63, Minnesota.
But don't for a minute think that no-call involving Trimble meant Maryland would have won if it had been made properly. This team played so poorly it just boggled the mind. Some of the turnovers were more befitting of a high school JV game. And boy did Maryland ever miss Diamond Stone. Were Stone playing tonight, Maryland certainly would have won. Damonte Dodd and Michael Cekovsky played very well. Dodd had blocks and baskets and was very active in the lane. Cekovsky made one block that saved a basket and appeared to have a second block until a late whistle assessed a foul against him. But Maryland looks for neither on offense, and their offensive contributions are limited to rebounding. Cekovsky, especially, deserves better. And Dodd has played very well this season. Neither is Diamond Stone.
And then Maryland rallied, thanks almost exclusively to a career high scoring performance by Rasheed Sulaimon. The senior transfer from Duke hit a long three to put Maryland in front by a point, 60-59, inside of three minutes to play. Maryland even got the ball back after that score, and had the lead and the ball with with 2:45 left. But they couldn't hold it. Sulaimon actually missed a lay-up in the frantic closing minutes. The worst play came when Ttimble went baseline, only to be chested out of bounds by Minnesota's hulking center, Jordan Murphy. But the three Big Ten officials made no call. One would wonder why they thought Trimble went sprawling out of bounds, but why argue with such total failures as these Big Ten officials. It doesn't seem to matter which trio is on the floor, they will find a way to disgrace themselves and that non-call ranked right up there with some of their other boneheaded decisions.
Minnesota's lead was just one point, 62-61, when Jake Layman poked the ball away from a Gopher guard with 31 seconds left. Trimble grabbed the loose ball and headed down the floor with a chance to put Maryland back in front. But his pass to Layman on the baseline was intercepted by Gopher freshman Dupree McBrayer with 27 seconds left and Maryland never again had a chance to pull even or take the lead.
The final score was 68-63, Minnesota.
But don't for a minute think that no-call involving Trimble meant Maryland would have won if it had been made properly. This team played so poorly it just boggled the mind. Some of the turnovers were more befitting of a high school JV game. And boy did Maryland ever miss Diamond Stone. Were Stone playing tonight, Maryland certainly would have won. Damonte Dodd and Michael Cekovsky played very well. Dodd had blocks and baskets and was very active in the lane. Cekovsky made one block that saved a basket and appeared to have a second block until a late whistle assessed a foul against him. But Maryland looks for neither on offense, and their offensive contributions are limited to rebounding. Cekovsky, especially, deserves better. And Dodd has played very well this season. Neither is Diamond Stone.
Maryland Looks to Claim Share of Big Ten Lead With Win In Minnesota Tonight; Burnley On Verge of Moving Into Promotion Position in English Championship
BALTIMORE, Maryland February 18, 2016 - Maryland's Big Ten basketball game at Minnesota tonight will begin with the Terrapins one win away from being back in a three-way tie for first place in the conference with the days - and number of remaining regular season games - dwindling down to a precious few. Thanks to losses by both Indiana and Iowa, the Terps are tied in the loss column with their two season-long rivals for Big Ten supremacy. The No. 4 Hawkeyes bit the dust again on Wednesday night when they fell at Penn State, 79-75. The Nittany Lions had earlier beaten Indiana and came close to beating Maryland in College Park. On that night, which was the first regular season game for both teams, Maryland was saved by Diamond Stone's 39 point explosion. Stone will not play in tonight's game in Minnesota because he is serving a one-game suspension arising out of his conduct in Maryland's last game, Saturday night in College Park in a loss to Wisconsin. Stone pressed the Badgers' Vitto Brown's face into the floor after Brown and Stone tumbled down together after struggling for a rebound. At the time it did not appear to be a major incident, as neither player was ejected. But it has been made into a major incident by Maryland and the Big Ten. Maryland Coach Mark Turgeon imposed the suspension, which had to be the most serious penalty considered. Turgeon's action may have been prompted by the conference, which was at least hinting it would take action if Maryland did not. Nobody was hurt in the very brief incident, and no punches were thrown, no blood was let and, as stated, the three Big Ten officials did not see fit to eject anyone, which may have been due to the aggressive treatment Stone was subjected to by the win-starved Wisconsin team. Turgeon announced Wednesday that, for tonight's game, Damonte Dodd would return to the starting position he had lost to Stone. Michael Cekovsky, the 7'1" Slovakian sophmore, will move up to the top front line reserve that Dodd had been holding down. Ivan Bender, a 6'9" freshman from Bosnia, will move up to the second front line reserve usually manned by Cekovsky.
Going into tonight's game, Indiana and Iowa are tied for first in the Big Ten with 11-3 conference records. Maryland is one-half game behind both leaders with its 10-3 Big Ten mark. Wisconsin has catapulted into fourth with an 8-4 conference record. Immediately behind Wisconsin are three teams with 9-5 conference records. They are Michigan, Purdue and Ohio State. Next is Michigan State, which hosts Wisconsin tonight. The Spartans are 8-5. The rest of the conference is below .500 in league play.
Soccer: Burnley - with two of its next three games against teams facing relegation - looks to move into certain promotion position.
Burnley did not lose in January or February in the Championship League, and now stands just two points out of second place. The Claret won 3 matches and drew in another to pick up ten huge points during the first month of the year. They have earned five more points so far this month, and have not lost in Championship play since last year.
Burnley hosts Rotherham Saturday at 3 pm local time (10 am EST) as they begin a stretch of three Championship matches in 8 days. The Claret take on Nottingham Forest on Tuesday and Bolton next Saturday. Both Bolton and Rotherham are entrenched in relegation position while Nottingham Forest stands in tenth place, 14 points behind the Claret. As the table stands now, Hull City, which just lost to Burnley, leads the Championship with 60 points, followed by Middlesbrough - which also fell to Burnley in January, albeit in an FA Cup match. Middlesbrough has 58 points. Brighton has, for the moment, taken a short lead on Burnley and stands in third place with 57 points, while the Claret are in fourth with 56 points. The teams that finish first and second in the Championship are automatically promoted to the Premier League. The third through sixth place finishers enter a tournament, with the winner becoming the third team to earn promotion. The other three teams return to the Championship League next season.
Going into tonight's game, Indiana and Iowa are tied for first in the Big Ten with 11-3 conference records. Maryland is one-half game behind both leaders with its 10-3 Big Ten mark. Wisconsin has catapulted into fourth with an 8-4 conference record. Immediately behind Wisconsin are three teams with 9-5 conference records. They are Michigan, Purdue and Ohio State. Next is Michigan State, which hosts Wisconsin tonight. The Spartans are 8-5. The rest of the conference is below .500 in league play.
Soccer: Burnley - with two of its next three games against teams facing relegation - looks to move into certain promotion position.
Burnley did not lose in January or February in the Championship League, and now stands just two points out of second place. The Claret won 3 matches and drew in another to pick up ten huge points during the first month of the year. They have earned five more points so far this month, and have not lost in Championship play since last year.
Burnley hosts Rotherham Saturday at 3 pm local time (10 am EST) as they begin a stretch of three Championship matches in 8 days. The Claret take on Nottingham Forest on Tuesday and Bolton next Saturday. Both Bolton and Rotherham are entrenched in relegation position while Nottingham Forest stands in tenth place, 14 points behind the Claret. As the table stands now, Hull City, which just lost to Burnley, leads the Championship with 60 points, followed by Middlesbrough - which also fell to Burnley in January, albeit in an FA Cup match. Middlesbrough has 58 points. Brighton has, for the moment, taken a short lead on Burnley and stands in third place with 57 points, while the Claret are in fourth with 56 points. The teams that finish first and second in the Championship are automatically promoted to the Premier League. The third through sixth place finishers enter a tournament, with the winner becoming the third team to earn promotion. The other three teams return to the Championship League next season.
Obama Heading for Cuba Despite Hezbollah Operating Base on Communist Island
BALTIMORE, Maryland February 18, 2016 - President Obama will visit Cuba in March according to the White House. The trip will be made in spite of the revelation over the weekend that Cuba is the host of a Hezbollah Operating Base, according to a report by the non-partisan and non-profit judicial watchdog group known as Judicial Watch. This is the latest revelation coming from emails concerning Hillary Clinton that the State Department has been compelled to release in connection with the FBI's probe of whether Clinton has violated USA espionage laws by trafficking in top secret information on an unprotected private email browser.
Even more incredible, if that is possible, is the realization that the Obama regime removed Cuba from the federal Terrorist Watch List even after the USA discovered the terrorist operating base on Cuba. In other words, the USA finds out that Hezbollah, one of the most diabolical terrorist groups on the face of the Earth, is openly operating in Cuba and has a permanent base there. In spite of this discovery, Obama has Cuba removed from the terrorist watch list.
Judicial Watch says in a report on February 16: "In a cable dated September 9, 2011 Clinton is informed that “extremely sensitive sources reported in confidence that the Israeli Intelligence and Security Service (Mossad) has informed the leadership of the Israeli Government that Hezbollah is establishing an operational base in Cuba, designed to support terrorist attacks throughout Latin America.” The cable goes on to say that “the Hezbollah office in Cuba is being established under direct orders from the current General Secretary Hasan Nasrallah, who replaced Musawi in 1992. According to the information available to this source, in preparation for establishment of the base, Nasrallah, working from inside of Lebanon, carried out secret negotiations with representatives of the Cuban Government, particularly the Cuban Intelligence Service (General Intelligence Directorate — DGI), agreeing to , maintain a very low profile inside of Cuba. Nasrallah also promised to take measures to avoid any trail of evidence that could lead back to Cuba in the event of a Hezbollah attack in Latin America.”
Even more incredible, if that is possible, is the realization that the Obama regime removed Cuba from the federal Terrorist Watch List even after the USA discovered the terrorist operating base on Cuba. In other words, the USA finds out that Hezbollah, one of the most diabolical terrorist groups on the face of the Earth, is openly operating in Cuba and has a permanent base there. In spite of this discovery, Obama has Cuba removed from the terrorist watch list.
Judicial Watch says in a report on February 16: "In a cable dated September 9, 2011 Clinton is informed that “extremely sensitive sources reported in confidence that the Israeli Intelligence and Security Service (Mossad) has informed the leadership of the Israeli Government that Hezbollah is establishing an operational base in Cuba, designed to support terrorist attacks throughout Latin America.” The cable goes on to say that “the Hezbollah office in Cuba is being established under direct orders from the current General Secretary Hasan Nasrallah, who replaced Musawi in 1992. According to the information available to this source, in preparation for establishment of the base, Nasrallah, working from inside of Lebanon, carried out secret negotiations with representatives of the Cuban Government, particularly the Cuban Intelligence Service (General Intelligence Directorate — DGI), agreeing to , maintain a very low profile inside of Cuba. Nasrallah also promised to take measures to avoid any trail of evidence that could lead back to Cuba in the event of a Hezbollah attack in Latin America.”
Obama Skipping Scalia Funeral; Late Poll Results Give Trump Wide Support, Crews Finishes Second in Bloomberg; Bernie Sanders Pulls Even with Hillary Clinton in Quinipiac Poll; Obama says He Is Certain Trump Won't Be Next President
BALTIMORE, Maryland February 18, 2016 - There are these developments since Wednesday morning:
The White House announced Wednesday that the President will not attend the funeral of Anton Scalia, the tremendously well-respected and effective Supreme Court Justice who died this past weekend while on a hunting trip in western Texas. Instead, President Obama and the First Lady will go to the Court on Friday to pay respects. The Vice-President will attend the funeral. Incredibly, White House Spokesman Josh Ernest was unable to say what the President was doing on Saturday that made his attendance at the funeral impossible. There was immediate criticism and rampant speculation that Obama was opting out of attending the funeral because it is being held at a Roman Catholic Church. Obama professes to be Christian but is openly pro-Islamic in all of his actions and rhetoric. Many believe that Obama - who was raised Muslim and studied at Islamic Schools - does not want to be seen in a Roman Catholic Church, where it will be virtually impossible for him to take Communion with the rest of the mourners. Conservative Television Host Sean Hannity recounted at his web site that Obama has made it a habit to skip funerals of those he has political disagreements with. Recently, he skipped the funeral of former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, the woman credited, along with President Reagan and Pope John Paul, of bringing down the Iron Curtain. Thatcher is also acknowledged as being a strong catalyst in the collapse of the Soviet empire. Yet, Obama skipped her funeral even though she took Herculean steps to mark the passing of President Reagan.
A Bloomberg Poll released late Wednesday shows Donald Trump with a commanding lead among voters who say they are likely to vote in South Carolina's Republican Primary on Saturday, February 20. Trump received support from 36% of all respondents, compared to 17% for Senator Ted Cruz, 15% for Senator Marco Rubio, 13% for Governor Jeb Bush, 9% for Leading Neurosurgeon Ben Carson, and only 7% for Governor John Kasich. The Ohio Governor, who surged into second place in the New Hampshire primary, has become so disconsolate about his standing in South Carolina that his campaign has announced he will not be in the state on election night. The Bloomberg Poll revealed very broad support for Trump, even among very conservative and Christian respondents. The poll was taken from February 13 through February 16, and questioned 502 Republicans who said they were likely to vote on Saturday in the South Carolina Republican Primary. The survey says it has a margin of error of 4.4%. The size of the survey is quite small. Nevertheless, Pollster J. Anne Selzer, who oversaw the poll for Bloomberg, said that "on nearly every question about challenges faced by the next president, Trump scores the highest." South Carolina is the first place for voters in the Southern United States to register their views on the who should be the next president. Trump emerged with high support even though many of his supporters stated openly that they are not comfortable with his foul language penchant for personal attacks on his competitors. The Bloomberg Poll did ask respondents who their second choice was among the six remaining candidates. On that question, Rubio emerged as the winner, with 24%. Cruz finished second, tied with "not sure," at 16%. Ben Carson was third on that question, with 11%, followed by Trump and Bush, each with 10%. Kasich also finished last on this question, garnering only 9% of the respondents.
USA President Barack Obama said Tuesday that he "continues to believe that Donald Trump will not be elected President." He bases his belief on the knowledge and nature of the American People, Obama added.
Obama also said that he opposes "everything that the Republicans stand for." Since the Republicans, in theory, stand for freedom and liberty, equal rights, due process, capitalism, freedom of speech, a strong national defense, the Constitution and the Bill of Rights, one wonders what it is that Obama stands for if he is opposed to those things listed here that Republicans embrace.
A new Quinipiac nationwide poll shows that Donald Trump has surged to a 2-1 lead over his nearest competitor while Bernie Sanders has moved into a tied with Hillary Clinton, who once held a commanding lead over the Vermont Senator. “Reports of Donald Trump’s imminent demise as a candidate are clearly and greatly exaggerated. Like a freight train barreling through signals with his horn on full blast, Trump heads down the track towards a possible nomination,” said Tim Malloy, assistant director of the Quinnipiac University Poll. The poll surveyed 1,342 registered voters nationwide between February 10 and February 15. It has a margin of error of +/- 2.7 percentage points. A total of 602 Republicans and 563 Democrats were questioned during the survey. Marco Rubio finished second in the GOP poll with 19% of the vote, followed closely by Cruz with 18%. Kasich was a distant 4th with 6%, followed by Carson and Bush, each with 4%.
The White House announced Wednesday that the President will not attend the funeral of Anton Scalia, the tremendously well-respected and effective Supreme Court Justice who died this past weekend while on a hunting trip in western Texas. Instead, President Obama and the First Lady will go to the Court on Friday to pay respects. The Vice-President will attend the funeral. Incredibly, White House Spokesman Josh Ernest was unable to say what the President was doing on Saturday that made his attendance at the funeral impossible. There was immediate criticism and rampant speculation that Obama was opting out of attending the funeral because it is being held at a Roman Catholic Church. Obama professes to be Christian but is openly pro-Islamic in all of his actions and rhetoric. Many believe that Obama - who was raised Muslim and studied at Islamic Schools - does not want to be seen in a Roman Catholic Church, where it will be virtually impossible for him to take Communion with the rest of the mourners. Conservative Television Host Sean Hannity recounted at his web site that Obama has made it a habit to skip funerals of those he has political disagreements with. Recently, he skipped the funeral of former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, the woman credited, along with President Reagan and Pope John Paul, of bringing down the Iron Curtain. Thatcher is also acknowledged as being a strong catalyst in the collapse of the Soviet empire. Yet, Obama skipped her funeral even though she took Herculean steps to mark the passing of President Reagan.
A Bloomberg Poll released late Wednesday shows Donald Trump with a commanding lead among voters who say they are likely to vote in South Carolina's Republican Primary on Saturday, February 20. Trump received support from 36% of all respondents, compared to 17% for Senator Ted Cruz, 15% for Senator Marco Rubio, 13% for Governor Jeb Bush, 9% for Leading Neurosurgeon Ben Carson, and only 7% for Governor John Kasich. The Ohio Governor, who surged into second place in the New Hampshire primary, has become so disconsolate about his standing in South Carolina that his campaign has announced he will not be in the state on election night. The Bloomberg Poll revealed very broad support for Trump, even among very conservative and Christian respondents. The poll was taken from February 13 through February 16, and questioned 502 Republicans who said they were likely to vote on Saturday in the South Carolina Republican Primary. The survey says it has a margin of error of 4.4%. The size of the survey is quite small. Nevertheless, Pollster J. Anne Selzer, who oversaw the poll for Bloomberg, said that "on nearly every question about challenges faced by the next president, Trump scores the highest." South Carolina is the first place for voters in the Southern United States to register their views on the who should be the next president. Trump emerged with high support even though many of his supporters stated openly that they are not comfortable with his foul language penchant for personal attacks on his competitors. The Bloomberg Poll did ask respondents who their second choice was among the six remaining candidates. On that question, Rubio emerged as the winner, with 24%. Cruz finished second, tied with "not sure," at 16%. Ben Carson was third on that question, with 11%, followed by Trump and Bush, each with 10%. Kasich also finished last on this question, garnering only 9% of the respondents.
USA President Barack Obama said Tuesday that he "continues to believe that Donald Trump will not be elected President." He bases his belief on the knowledge and nature of the American People, Obama added.
Obama also said that he opposes "everything that the Republicans stand for." Since the Republicans, in theory, stand for freedom and liberty, equal rights, due process, capitalism, freedom of speech, a strong national defense, the Constitution and the Bill of Rights, one wonders what it is that Obama stands for if he is opposed to those things listed here that Republicans embrace.
A new Quinipiac nationwide poll shows that Donald Trump has surged to a 2-1 lead over his nearest competitor while Bernie Sanders has moved into a tied with Hillary Clinton, who once held a commanding lead over the Vermont Senator. “Reports of Donald Trump’s imminent demise as a candidate are clearly and greatly exaggerated. Like a freight train barreling through signals with his horn on full blast, Trump heads down the track towards a possible nomination,” said Tim Malloy, assistant director of the Quinnipiac University Poll. The poll surveyed 1,342 registered voters nationwide between February 10 and February 15. It has a margin of error of +/- 2.7 percentage points. A total of 602 Republicans and 563 Democrats were questioned during the survey. Marco Rubio finished second in the GOP poll with 19% of the vote, followed closely by Cruz with 18%. Kasich was a distant 4th with 6%, followed by Carson and Bush, each with 4%.
Tuesday, February 16, 2016
Election News and Views: Schumer forgets what he said, to his chagrin; Trump's lead in South Carolina is nearly 20 percentage points, or is it? Forthcoming Book Alleges Hillary Prefers Female Lovers
BALTIMORE, Maryland February 16, 2016 - You would think that somebody who is expected to end up the Senate Minority Leader, Sen. Charles Schumer of New York, would have a little bit better momory of the things he said in front of a microphone. In Schumer's case, the latest glaring example of inconvenient forgetfulness came when - with one and one-half years left in the Bush administration, and having just confirmed two Bush Supreme Court Nominnees, Schumer took to the microphone to say that there would be no more Bush appointees going on to the Supreme Court. He said, in addition, that confirming any more conservative nominees would throw the Supreme Court out of kilter. Now, the leading conservative on the Court has died with only ten months left in the Obama regime. No Supreme Court nominee has been confirmed in the last year of a presidency during the last 20 Presidential Election cycles, a span of 80 years. So when Mitch McConnell, the current Senate President, said within hours of Anton Scalia's death that Obama would not be appointing Scalia's replacement, he was well within the bounds of Senate practice. Obama can appoint all he wants, his choice will not go anywhere unless the GOP goes completely spineless.
Some would say, "don't rule that out." I couldn't blame them for saying that with the GOP's record on standing up to Obama. But that spinelessness has now been pounced on by a very angry electorate. In the GOP race, so-called renegade candidates have a decisive lead in the Republican race and a complete outsider is giving the consensus Democrat nominee, Hillary Clinton, a run for her money and then some. Bernie Sanders won the New Hampshire primary by a landslide, and came within a whisker of winning in Iowa; it was so close that the leading newspaper in the state wants the entire Democratic Caucus audited. It should be.
A key GOP primary is set for Saturday in South Carolina, with Super Tuesday looming in early March. If Donald Trump and Ted Cruz continue to pull away from the pack in the GOP race, the final nail will be put into Obama's chances of actually naming Scalia's replacement. He, of course, has the Constitutional right to name anyone he wants, but that choice will remain in suspended animation until next January, when he or she will go back to the life they had before Obama called. In other words, if you are the Obama pick, I'd stay away from the Washington Real Estate market.
Many wonder what the fall-out will be from Saturday's voting in South Carolina. Will candidate's like Ben Carson and John Kasich formally drop out? Will Jeb Bush if he finishes a poor fourth or fifth? Will Marco Rubio begin to see the writing on the wall or will he continue his campaign of bridge burning. Cruz and Trump are also burning the bridges of party unity, but they won't stop until one or the other cries uncle. A CBS poll released Sunday showed Donald Trump with support from 42% of likely voters, compared to 20% for Cruz and 15% for Marco Rubio. John Kasich was fourth with 9%, followed by Ben Carson and Jeb Bush with 7% each. An internal poll said to have been taken by workers for Bush showed Cruz much closer to Trump, possibly as close as just 2%. Those results are completely unconfirmed and, in addition, key numbers such as the size of the sample or whether the respondents are likely voters or merely voters, were not revealed.
In an interview late this afternoon with Sean Hannity, Trump tried to downplay the animous between him and the family of Jeb Bush. At the Saturday debate, Trump alleged that President Bush knew in advance of invading Iraq that Saddam Hussein did not have weapons of mass destruction. He has also hinted that Bush had information that could have allowed him to intercede before the 9/11 attacks. Today, he backed away from both allegations, and defended himself by citing the heated rhetoric coming from the Bush campaign. He also backed away from saying he would nominate his sister for the Supreme Court. Trump's sister is on the federal Court of Appeals, the court immediately below the Supreme Court. She was appointed by President Reagan, but has been very liberal in her rulings.
In another development, Sally Miller, now 77, and a former Miss Arkansas, is reported to claim in a forthcoming book that Hillary Clinton is a lesbian and Bill Clinton, one of her former lovers, snorted cocaine and once donned a woman's frilly neglige and danced around her bedroom playing his saxophone. Miller makes these revelations in a recent edition of the Daily Mail in London. They are also said to be in the soon-to-be-published book.
Some would say, "don't rule that out." I couldn't blame them for saying that with the GOP's record on standing up to Obama. But that spinelessness has now been pounced on by a very angry electorate. In the GOP race, so-called renegade candidates have a decisive lead in the Republican race and a complete outsider is giving the consensus Democrat nominee, Hillary Clinton, a run for her money and then some. Bernie Sanders won the New Hampshire primary by a landslide, and came within a whisker of winning in Iowa; it was so close that the leading newspaper in the state wants the entire Democratic Caucus audited. It should be.
A key GOP primary is set for Saturday in South Carolina, with Super Tuesday looming in early March. If Donald Trump and Ted Cruz continue to pull away from the pack in the GOP race, the final nail will be put into Obama's chances of actually naming Scalia's replacement. He, of course, has the Constitutional right to name anyone he wants, but that choice will remain in suspended animation until next January, when he or she will go back to the life they had before Obama called. In other words, if you are the Obama pick, I'd stay away from the Washington Real Estate market.
Many wonder what the fall-out will be from Saturday's voting in South Carolina. Will candidate's like Ben Carson and John Kasich formally drop out? Will Jeb Bush if he finishes a poor fourth or fifth? Will Marco Rubio begin to see the writing on the wall or will he continue his campaign of bridge burning. Cruz and Trump are also burning the bridges of party unity, but they won't stop until one or the other cries uncle. A CBS poll released Sunday showed Donald Trump with support from 42% of likely voters, compared to 20% for Cruz and 15% for Marco Rubio. John Kasich was fourth with 9%, followed by Ben Carson and Jeb Bush with 7% each. An internal poll said to have been taken by workers for Bush showed Cruz much closer to Trump, possibly as close as just 2%. Those results are completely unconfirmed and, in addition, key numbers such as the size of the sample or whether the respondents are likely voters or merely voters, were not revealed.
In an interview late this afternoon with Sean Hannity, Trump tried to downplay the animous between him and the family of Jeb Bush. At the Saturday debate, Trump alleged that President Bush knew in advance of invading Iraq that Saddam Hussein did not have weapons of mass destruction. He has also hinted that Bush had information that could have allowed him to intercede before the 9/11 attacks. Today, he backed away from both allegations, and defended himself by citing the heated rhetoric coming from the Bush campaign. He also backed away from saying he would nominate his sister for the Supreme Court. Trump's sister is on the federal Court of Appeals, the court immediately below the Supreme Court. She was appointed by President Reagan, but has been very liberal in her rulings.
In another development, Sally Miller, now 77, and a former Miss Arkansas, is reported to claim in a forthcoming book that Hillary Clinton is a lesbian and Bill Clinton, one of her former lovers, snorted cocaine and once donned a woman's frilly neglige and danced around her bedroom playing his saxophone. Miller makes these revelations in a recent edition of the Daily Mail in London. They are also said to be in the soon-to-be-published book.
Suspending Diamond Stone Is A Mistake; Five Big Ten Schools in AP Top 25, With 2 Others on Door Step; 14 NCAA Teams Ignored by AP Pollsters Which Are Worth Keeping an Eye On
BALTIMORE, Maryland February 16, 2016 - He can't change his mind. But Maryland Coach Mark Turgeon should not have suspended Diamond Stone for Thursday's game at Minnesota. I know a lot of people will praise Turgeon for putting the school's reputation above the interests of his basketball team. In fact, they already have. The university and its athletic director supported Turgeon. Vitto Brown supported Turgeon. Turgeon called Badger coach Greg Gard, and Gard said he supported Turgeon. The conference also supported Turgeon. There is some reason to believe that the Big Ten would have taken some action if Maryland had not. But I think it was a mistake all of the way around. I believe that if any action were taken, it should have been a first half benching during Thursday's game at Minnesota. In the long run, the school's reputation will not benefit if Stone feels betrayed and leaves, not for the NBA, but for another school, come the end of the season. I don't think anything Stone did was that serious, at least not in the big scheme of things.
There were less than five seconds left in the first half when Stone and Brown became entangled and fell to the floor. Then Stone pushed Brown's face to the floor. No punches were thrown and no blood was let. There were no injuries. Stone was called for a flagrant foul and Wisconsin's Charlie Thomas, who came to Brown's assistance, was also 'T'd up'. Both teams ended up shooting two free throws, and then the half came to an end. Nothing happened in the second half, and with these two teams, nobody even thought anything would happen.
Before the suspension, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported that Stone telephoned Brown and apologized. Brown said "You could sense the sincerity in his voice. He is young. He is a freshman in a big role at a big university.
"I understand that the emotions can get to you," Brown added. It's no big deal for me."
I bet. He isn't suspended. He had a great game, a game no one expected from him, as he hit a number of three-point shots in a big game for the first time in his career. Stone, also, played well, but Maryland lost at home to a team they had beaten on the road.
Maryland's Athletic Director, Kevin Anderson, called Wisconsin AD Barry Alvarez. That should have been the end of it.
Were I Turgeon, I'd have called John Thompson, Sr., if he was available, to ask what he would've done. If he wasn't, I'd have called someone else who could put themselves into that scenario and offer advice. Were Thompson available, he might have asked these questions before voicing his opinion:
What was the lead-up to the fracas? I'm willing to bet the films will show Stone was being banged real good by Vitto Brown and other Badgers. Stone is a highly recruited freshman and budding superstar. If he was being banged without the officials intervening - and who would be surprised by that? - that must be taken into consideration. Or, maybe, just maybe, the officials did see what led up to it. They have been criticized for not ejecting Stone. One would think there was a reason that Stone wasn't tossed. In the end, Maryland and Wisconsin received basically the same penalty. The officials did not remove Stone from the game. They obviously saw Stone play before the double technical. They saw the replays of the incident. They did not remove either player and they did not act only against Stone; they believed that both Stone and Wisconsin were equally responsible. If the rest of the team agrees with Stone and thinks Turgeon is going way too far, what will this do to team unity? As I wrote yesterday, I believe the Minnesota game has become one of the most important of the season. Maryland played poorly at season's end last year. They desperately want to avoid that same finish to this season. A losing streak will not help and may hurt those necessary goals. Maryland has sunk to 6th in the new AP Poll, from no. 2 last week, when they also received over a dozen first place votes. They can get back into the AP top 5 and earn a number one seed in the NCAA Tournament with determined and successful play from here on out. Winning the Big Ten Tournament is a huge but reachable goal. A sweet 16 finish is a must. A final four finish is within reach also if they can play to their potential. In fact, Maryland is potentially the national champion. The key word, of course, is potentially. Maryland is not a sure thing. Even though their team defense has improved dramatically - before Saturday's home loss to Wisconsin - since early in the season, they do have a weakness. The Terps have shown the sad ability to go cold from the outside as a team. They must learn to handle this. I don't know how Turgeon is handling this. I hope the guys who are expected to hit from the outside, especially in crunch time, are getting in a lot of extra shooting practice. I hope they are studying films to see if there is a technique issue. Jared Nickens seems to speed up his shot under pressure. So does Trimble. I hope they know that when they go cold from the outside they need to slow down in a set offense and try to get the ball inside to Stone and Robert Carter, Sr. I never thought I'd say this, but Damonte Dodd is showing promise in the mid-range.
What is to be learned from this? I suppose the answer is that Maryland players cannot push an opponent's face into the floor. I hope, for Turgeon's sake, that the other players learn the lesson really well, because if another Maryland player acts in self-defense in a tournament game, will he, too, be suspended? I don't believe that Stone was on thin ice for this type of incident. There is no way I need to know the answer to this and I hope Turgeon keeps it all in-house. But assuming Stone has no history, how does a first time offense, when no punches were thrown, no blood was let and no one was hurt, earn this type of penalty?
I think Greg Gard, the Badger coach, told the Wisconsin players to do everything in their power to get under Stone's skin. I bet they practiced it. I wouldn't blame them if they did. Was this taken into consideration by Turgeon in determining the freshman's penalty? The penalty imposed had to be the most severe that was under consideration. What lesser penalties were considered? How did they arrive at a full game suspension as the penalty for an incident in the lead up to the tournaments. Let's see: handle a whole lot of pressure really well, but after taking a lot of grief all season, make one mistake and get paraded around publicly like you really really screwed up.
I really hope Turgeon didn't do this because he thinks Maryland will win the Minnesota game without Stone. As I reported yesterday, Minnesota is playing well and is losing to really good teams on the road by a couple of points. Thursday they will be at home in front of a national television audience. It might be an ambush. And Maryland won't have Diamond Stone, an increasingly important weapon on the low post, in the middle of a team-wide shooting slump.
I'm not approving of Stone's behavior. I believe Turgeon should have spoken to him and laid down the rules. If it happens a second time under similar circumstances, action would have to be taken. What was wrong with a first-half benching for a first time offense? (To be honest, I think even that would be too much.) Turgeon knows if he can get through to Stone about how serious he thinks the action was. If he is getting through, then I believe Turgeon should not have done what he did. He might have come in for criticism from the politically correct crowd. He would still have the backing of his players. I bet Rasheed Sulaimon and Melo Trimble would have let Stone know that there is too much at stake to risk it on something stupid.
It's just my opinion. I am fully supportive of Turgeon, who looks like a better and better choice as head coach with each passing day. I hope Stone isn't adversely affected. I hope Maryland wins going away in Minnesota and Stone returns for the following game and has a great game. I hope Maryland starts hitting their open shots. I hope they win all of their remaining games.
But I am merely an alumni and a fan.
Five Big Ten Teams In AP Top 25, With Two Other Teams Getting a Lot of Votes. As stated above, Maryland slipped to no. 6 in the current AP poll. Iowa, however, remained at no. 4. Michigan State is tied with Xavier at no. 8. Purdue is up one spot to no. 17 and Big Ten co-leader Indiana returns to the poll at no. 22.
Two other Big Ten Teams are among the dozen-plus schools receiving votes for the top 25, without getting quite enough to crack the top 25. Wisconsin, which stunned then-no. 2 Maryland at College Park on Saturday and was the national runner-up in 2015, would be no. 29 if the poll was extended. Michigan would be no. 32 if the poll was extended, tied with Syracuse of the ACC.
Here is the entire AP Top 25 - which we have extended to a top 41. For the record, there are 351 schools playing Division I basketball.
1. Villanova: 22-3, 1601 points
2. Kansas: 22-4, 1578 points
3. Oklahoma: 20-4, 1471 points
4. Iowa: 20-5, 1349 points
5. North Carolina, 21-4, 1343 points
6. Maryland: 22-4, 1248 points
7. Virginia: 21-5, 1188 points
8. Tie Michigan State: 21-5, 1174 points
Xavier: 22-3, 1174 points,
10. West Virginia: 20-5, 1094 points
11. Miami (Florida): 20-4, 1036 points
12. Arizona: 21-5, 823 points
13. Iowa State: 18-7, 742 points
14. Kentucky: 19-6, 692 points
15. Dayton: 21-3, 681 points
16. Oregon: 20-6, 529 points
17. Purdue: 20-6, 497 points
18. Louisville:19-6, 494 points
19. Notre Dame: 18-7, 489 points
20. Duke: 19-6, 462 points
21. SMU: 21-3, 441 points
22. Indiana: 20-6, 232 points
23. Providence: 19-7, 125 points
24. Texas: 16-9, 123 points
25. Baylor: 18-7, 97 points
26. Texas A & M: 18-7, 90 points
27. Utah: 19-7, 75 points
28. St. Joseph's: 21-4, 57 points
29. Wisconsin: 16-9, 47 points
30. South Carolina: 21-4, 39 points
31. Southern California: 18-7, 30 points
32. Tie Michigan: 19-7, 17 points
Syracuse: 18-8, 17 points
34. Wichita State: 19-7, 14 points
35. Stony Brook: 22-4, 13 points
36. Monmouth: 22-5, 10 points
37. California: 17-8, 8 points
38. Hawaii: 20-3, 5 points
39. UNC-Wilmington: 20-5, 4 points
40. Tie Yale: 17-5, 3 points
San Diego State: 19-7, 3 points
41. Cincinnati: 19-7, 2 points
A Baker's Dozen (Plus One) of Other Schools to Keep An Eye On: Temple is 19-7 overall and in first place in the American Conference, one-half game ahead of No. 21 SMU, and one full game ahead of No. 41 Cincinnati and Connecticut, 18-7. Connecticut is another team to keep an eye on. They play a powerful non-conference schedule and have an RPI of 42, while Temple's is 60. I've sung the praises of Valparaiso before. They have a two-game lead in the Horizon League and a record of 21-5. Princeton and Yale are second and first in the Ivy League, respectively. They both play a very good non-conference schedule, and this is reflected in their RPI. Princeton is at 41 - amazing - and Yale at 61. In the conference standings, Yale is 8-0 and Princeton is 6-1. The two teams play Friday night at Princeton. Yale won an earlier meeting. Akron is 20-5 overall and in first place in the venerable Mid-American Conference. Chattanooga is an absurd 23-4, with a stunning RPI of 33. The Zips lead the Southern Conference with a 12-2 league mark. And yet, not a single AP vote is directed to them. Why?
People will giggle when they see me putting Stephen F. Austin in this post, what? with their 111 RPI. But they are 19-5 and lead the Southland Conference by 2 and one-half games, one of the largest conference leads in the nation. A team you might remember from last season's NCAA tournament is South Dakota State. Well, the Jack Rabbits are back (or is it Jackrabbits?). This season they are tied for the lead in the Summit League with IPFW, and have an overall record of 20-6. They have beaten a Big Ten School (Minnesota) and a Big 12 school (Texas Christian). Another ridiculous Division I record, 22-3, belongs to Arkansas-Little Rock. The school leads the Sun Belt Conference by two games and yet doesn't get a single vote in the AP Poll. Only one of Arkansas-Little Rock's losses was in the non-conference portion of their schedule. New Mexico State is 18-9 and in first place in the WAC, one-half game ahead of Grand Canyon, 22-4 overall. The Aggies have a history of success in the NCAA tournament. Grand Canyon doesn't. Watch out for both. Finally, I think you need to be aware of Gonzaga and St. Mary's. The 'Zags are 20-6 and until recently a Top 25 member. St. Mary's was also in the Top 25 earlier. They are now 20-4. The Zags lead the WCC while St. Mary's is second.
There were less than five seconds left in the first half when Stone and Brown became entangled and fell to the floor. Then Stone pushed Brown's face to the floor. No punches were thrown and no blood was let. There were no injuries. Stone was called for a flagrant foul and Wisconsin's Charlie Thomas, who came to Brown's assistance, was also 'T'd up'. Both teams ended up shooting two free throws, and then the half came to an end. Nothing happened in the second half, and with these two teams, nobody even thought anything would happen.
Before the suspension, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported that Stone telephoned Brown and apologized. Brown said "You could sense the sincerity in his voice. He is young. He is a freshman in a big role at a big university.
"I understand that the emotions can get to you," Brown added. It's no big deal for me."
I bet. He isn't suspended. He had a great game, a game no one expected from him, as he hit a number of three-point shots in a big game for the first time in his career. Stone, also, played well, but Maryland lost at home to a team they had beaten on the road.
Maryland's Athletic Director, Kevin Anderson, called Wisconsin AD Barry Alvarez. That should have been the end of it.
Were I Turgeon, I'd have called John Thompson, Sr., if he was available, to ask what he would've done. If he wasn't, I'd have called someone else who could put themselves into that scenario and offer advice. Were Thompson available, he might have asked these questions before voicing his opinion:
What was the lead-up to the fracas? I'm willing to bet the films will show Stone was being banged real good by Vitto Brown and other Badgers. Stone is a highly recruited freshman and budding superstar. If he was being banged without the officials intervening - and who would be surprised by that? - that must be taken into consideration. Or, maybe, just maybe, the officials did see what led up to it. They have been criticized for not ejecting Stone. One would think there was a reason that Stone wasn't tossed. In the end, Maryland and Wisconsin received basically the same penalty. The officials did not remove Stone from the game. They obviously saw Stone play before the double technical. They saw the replays of the incident. They did not remove either player and they did not act only against Stone; they believed that both Stone and Wisconsin were equally responsible. If the rest of the team agrees with Stone and thinks Turgeon is going way too far, what will this do to team unity? As I wrote yesterday, I believe the Minnesota game has become one of the most important of the season. Maryland played poorly at season's end last year. They desperately want to avoid that same finish to this season. A losing streak will not help and may hurt those necessary goals. Maryland has sunk to 6th in the new AP Poll, from no. 2 last week, when they also received over a dozen first place votes. They can get back into the AP top 5 and earn a number one seed in the NCAA Tournament with determined and successful play from here on out. Winning the Big Ten Tournament is a huge but reachable goal. A sweet 16 finish is a must. A final four finish is within reach also if they can play to their potential. In fact, Maryland is potentially the national champion. The key word, of course, is potentially. Maryland is not a sure thing. Even though their team defense has improved dramatically - before Saturday's home loss to Wisconsin - since early in the season, they do have a weakness. The Terps have shown the sad ability to go cold from the outside as a team. They must learn to handle this. I don't know how Turgeon is handling this. I hope the guys who are expected to hit from the outside, especially in crunch time, are getting in a lot of extra shooting practice. I hope they are studying films to see if there is a technique issue. Jared Nickens seems to speed up his shot under pressure. So does Trimble. I hope they know that when they go cold from the outside they need to slow down in a set offense and try to get the ball inside to Stone and Robert Carter, Sr. I never thought I'd say this, but Damonte Dodd is showing promise in the mid-range.
What is to be learned from this? I suppose the answer is that Maryland players cannot push an opponent's face into the floor. I hope, for Turgeon's sake, that the other players learn the lesson really well, because if another Maryland player acts in self-defense in a tournament game, will he, too, be suspended? I don't believe that Stone was on thin ice for this type of incident. There is no way I need to know the answer to this and I hope Turgeon keeps it all in-house. But assuming Stone has no history, how does a first time offense, when no punches were thrown, no blood was let and no one was hurt, earn this type of penalty?
I think Greg Gard, the Badger coach, told the Wisconsin players to do everything in their power to get under Stone's skin. I bet they practiced it. I wouldn't blame them if they did. Was this taken into consideration by Turgeon in determining the freshman's penalty? The penalty imposed had to be the most severe that was under consideration. What lesser penalties were considered? How did they arrive at a full game suspension as the penalty for an incident in the lead up to the tournaments. Let's see: handle a whole lot of pressure really well, but after taking a lot of grief all season, make one mistake and get paraded around publicly like you really really screwed up.
I really hope Turgeon didn't do this because he thinks Maryland will win the Minnesota game without Stone. As I reported yesterday, Minnesota is playing well and is losing to really good teams on the road by a couple of points. Thursday they will be at home in front of a national television audience. It might be an ambush. And Maryland won't have Diamond Stone, an increasingly important weapon on the low post, in the middle of a team-wide shooting slump.
I'm not approving of Stone's behavior. I believe Turgeon should have spoken to him and laid down the rules. If it happens a second time under similar circumstances, action would have to be taken. What was wrong with a first-half benching for a first time offense? (To be honest, I think even that would be too much.) Turgeon knows if he can get through to Stone about how serious he thinks the action was. If he is getting through, then I believe Turgeon should not have done what he did. He might have come in for criticism from the politically correct crowd. He would still have the backing of his players. I bet Rasheed Sulaimon and Melo Trimble would have let Stone know that there is too much at stake to risk it on something stupid.
It's just my opinion. I am fully supportive of Turgeon, who looks like a better and better choice as head coach with each passing day. I hope Stone isn't adversely affected. I hope Maryland wins going away in Minnesota and Stone returns for the following game and has a great game. I hope Maryland starts hitting their open shots. I hope they win all of their remaining games.
But I am merely an alumni and a fan.
Five Big Ten Teams In AP Top 25, With Two Other Teams Getting a Lot of Votes. As stated above, Maryland slipped to no. 6 in the current AP poll. Iowa, however, remained at no. 4. Michigan State is tied with Xavier at no. 8. Purdue is up one spot to no. 17 and Big Ten co-leader Indiana returns to the poll at no. 22.
Two other Big Ten Teams are among the dozen-plus schools receiving votes for the top 25, without getting quite enough to crack the top 25. Wisconsin, which stunned then-no. 2 Maryland at College Park on Saturday and was the national runner-up in 2015, would be no. 29 if the poll was extended. Michigan would be no. 32 if the poll was extended, tied with Syracuse of the ACC.
Here is the entire AP Top 25 - which we have extended to a top 41. For the record, there are 351 schools playing Division I basketball.
1. Villanova: 22-3, 1601 points
2. Kansas: 22-4, 1578 points
3. Oklahoma: 20-4, 1471 points
4. Iowa: 20-5, 1349 points
5. North Carolina, 21-4, 1343 points
6. Maryland: 22-4, 1248 points
7. Virginia: 21-5, 1188 points
8. Tie Michigan State: 21-5, 1174 points
Xavier: 22-3, 1174 points,
10. West Virginia: 20-5, 1094 points
11. Miami (Florida): 20-4, 1036 points
12. Arizona: 21-5, 823 points
13. Iowa State: 18-7, 742 points
14. Kentucky: 19-6, 692 points
15. Dayton: 21-3, 681 points
16. Oregon: 20-6, 529 points
17. Purdue: 20-6, 497 points
18. Louisville:19-6, 494 points
19. Notre Dame: 18-7, 489 points
20. Duke: 19-6, 462 points
21. SMU: 21-3, 441 points
22. Indiana: 20-6, 232 points
23. Providence: 19-7, 125 points
24. Texas: 16-9, 123 points
25. Baylor: 18-7, 97 points
26. Texas A & M: 18-7, 90 points
27. Utah: 19-7, 75 points
28. St. Joseph's: 21-4, 57 points
29. Wisconsin: 16-9, 47 points
30. South Carolina: 21-4, 39 points
31. Southern California: 18-7, 30 points
32. Tie Michigan: 19-7, 17 points
Syracuse: 18-8, 17 points
34. Wichita State: 19-7, 14 points
35. Stony Brook: 22-4, 13 points
36. Monmouth: 22-5, 10 points
37. California: 17-8, 8 points
38. Hawaii: 20-3, 5 points
39. UNC-Wilmington: 20-5, 4 points
40. Tie Yale: 17-5, 3 points
San Diego State: 19-7, 3 points
41. Cincinnati: 19-7, 2 points
A Baker's Dozen (Plus One) of Other Schools to Keep An Eye On: Temple is 19-7 overall and in first place in the American Conference, one-half game ahead of No. 21 SMU, and one full game ahead of No. 41 Cincinnati and Connecticut, 18-7. Connecticut is another team to keep an eye on. They play a powerful non-conference schedule and have an RPI of 42, while Temple's is 60. I've sung the praises of Valparaiso before. They have a two-game lead in the Horizon League and a record of 21-5. Princeton and Yale are second and first in the Ivy League, respectively. They both play a very good non-conference schedule, and this is reflected in their RPI. Princeton is at 41 - amazing - and Yale at 61. In the conference standings, Yale is 8-0 and Princeton is 6-1. The two teams play Friday night at Princeton. Yale won an earlier meeting. Akron is 20-5 overall and in first place in the venerable Mid-American Conference. Chattanooga is an absurd 23-4, with a stunning RPI of 33. The Zips lead the Southern Conference with a 12-2 league mark. And yet, not a single AP vote is directed to them. Why?
People will giggle when they see me putting Stephen F. Austin in this post, what? with their 111 RPI. But they are 19-5 and lead the Southland Conference by 2 and one-half games, one of the largest conference leads in the nation. A team you might remember from last season's NCAA tournament is South Dakota State. Well, the Jack Rabbits are back (or is it Jackrabbits?). This season they are tied for the lead in the Summit League with IPFW, and have an overall record of 20-6. They have beaten a Big Ten School (Minnesota) and a Big 12 school (Texas Christian). Another ridiculous Division I record, 22-3, belongs to Arkansas-Little Rock. The school leads the Sun Belt Conference by two games and yet doesn't get a single vote in the AP Poll. Only one of Arkansas-Little Rock's losses was in the non-conference portion of their schedule. New Mexico State is 18-9 and in first place in the WAC, one-half game ahead of Grand Canyon, 22-4 overall. The Aggies have a history of success in the NCAA tournament. Grand Canyon doesn't. Watch out for both. Finally, I think you need to be aware of Gonzaga and St. Mary's. The 'Zags are 20-6 and until recently a Top 25 member. St. Mary's was also in the Top 25 earlier. They are now 20-4. The Zags lead the WCC while St. Mary's is second.
Monday, February 15, 2016
Loss to Wisconsin Cannot Be Spun Into a Plus and Victory Over Minnesota on Thursday is a Must
BALTIMORE, Maryland February 15, 2016 - I don't know about this Maryland team. I love it. But it's a blind love that comes with being an alumni. I think I love the team for what it is: very good, potentially great. But while it is very good and it can be great, it is also lacking a certain team-wide determination, not to give its best - the kids give their all every night - but to win. In 2001, when Maryland won the National Title, the kids on that team would not be denied. You could see it in the big games, when other good teams were throwing everything at them. I remember, in particular, the regonal final when Connecticut looked for all the world like they were going to win. Juan Dixon would not let that happen. When Martyland desperately needed a basket, he got them three points. Lonnie Baxter and Steve Wilcox were so utterly in control of the boards on big misses that the other teams maty just as well have surrendered. And Gary Williams, well, he was a great tactician and a bad recruiter who found his element with that team and it was glorious to see. This team, this 2016 team, is right there. Right at the precipice. But they let Wisconsin beat them on Saturday night, and these are a lot of the same guys who faded late in the season last year. They exited the Big Ten Tournament way too early, and then exited the NCAA in the second round after damn near losing to Valparaiso in the first round. The West Virginia game was ugly because the Mountaineers imposed their will on Maryland. They beat up Melo Trimble so bad that he left early. And nobody else stepped up in a very physical game. I thought Sulaimon was the answer to that problem. Maybe he is. But the hour glass is ticking.
The game at Minnesota on Thursday will be a huge test. The Gophers are at the bottom of the standings but they are playing well now. They almost beat Iowa on Sunday at the Hawkeyes' home court. It was a four point game. If Maryland doesn't go into Minnesota and play like a champion, they will lose.
And if Maryland loses at Minnesota, then I will know, and you will know, that there is some kind of open wound on the team and Turgeon will have his hands full to avoid another finish like 2015. Maryland needs to beat Minnesota, it doesn't matter by how many. A one point win at this time of the year will be fine. But they have to win.
The game at Minnesota on Thursday will be a huge test. The Gophers are at the bottom of the standings but they are playing well now. They almost beat Iowa on Sunday at the Hawkeyes' home court. It was a four point game. If Maryland doesn't go into Minnesota and play like a champion, they will lose.
And if Maryland loses at Minnesota, then I will know, and you will know, that there is some kind of open wound on the team and Turgeon will have his hands full to avoid another finish like 2015. Maryland needs to beat Minnesota, it doesn't matter by how many. A one point win at this time of the year will be fine. But they have to win.
Saturday, February 13, 2016
Maryland, Iowa and Indiana locked in 3-Way Tie for First in Big Ten; 3 Conference Teams in Top 8 in AP Poll, 2 Big Ten Schools Receive Significant Number of First Place Votes
BALTIMORE, Maryland February 13, 2016 - With the Big Ten Basketball Race currently seeing a three-way tie for first place between No. 2 Maryland, No. 4 Iowa and unranked Indiana, the final weeks of the campaign promise to produce of the most exciting finishes in conference history. Maryland had spent weeks looking up at Iowa and Indiana, both unbeaten in conference play, until both schools fell back to the Terps in recent games. First, Indiana lost at Wisconsin on January 26 by a score of 82-79. Then, Maryland defeated Iowa in College Park on January 28. The score in that game was Maryland 74, Iowa 68. In a huge upset, Indiana lost to Penn State, 68 to 63. But Indiana pulled itself back together and cut down Iowa, 85-78.
Each of the three leaders share records of 10 wins and 2 losses in the Big Ten. Maryland is so highly ranked because it has only three total losses (22-3) in all of its games. Maryland entertains Wisconsin tonight, 6:30 pm, in College Park. Earlier, Maryland defeated the Badgers in Madison when All American Melo Trimble buried a long three-point shot at the buzzer.
On Sunday, February 14, Minnesota visits Iowa at 7:30 pm and Indiana goes to Michigan State at 1:00 pm. CBS will televise the Indiana at Michigan State affair, while BTN will broadcast the Minnesota v. Iowa game.
No fewer than 4 Big Ten schools are in the AP Top 25, and two of them, No. 2 Maryland and No. 4 Iowa, have at least ten first place votes. Villanova leads the poll and has 32 first place votes to go along with its 21-3 record (when the votes for the poll were cast). Maryland is now 22-3 in the No. 2 hole, and it received 13 first place votes. Iowa has a record of 19-5, but was 19-4 when the votes were cast. It took 11 first place votes, four more than third-ranked Oklahoma. Michigan State is now 20-5 after losing this week to Purdue. It is ranked 8th. The Boilermakers are now 20-5 after its win over the Spartans. It is ranked 18th. Were the poll extended, a fifth Big Ten school, Indiana, would be ranked 27th.
Each of the three leaders share records of 10 wins and 2 losses in the Big Ten. Maryland is so highly ranked because it has only three total losses (22-3) in all of its games. Maryland entertains Wisconsin tonight, 6:30 pm, in College Park. Earlier, Maryland defeated the Badgers in Madison when All American Melo Trimble buried a long three-point shot at the buzzer.
On Sunday, February 14, Minnesota visits Iowa at 7:30 pm and Indiana goes to Michigan State at 1:00 pm. CBS will televise the Indiana at Michigan State affair, while BTN will broadcast the Minnesota v. Iowa game.
No fewer than 4 Big Ten schools are in the AP Top 25, and two of them, No. 2 Maryland and No. 4 Iowa, have at least ten first place votes. Villanova leads the poll and has 32 first place votes to go along with its 21-3 record (when the votes for the poll were cast). Maryland is now 22-3 in the No. 2 hole, and it received 13 first place votes. Iowa has a record of 19-5, but was 19-4 when the votes were cast. It took 11 first place votes, four more than third-ranked Oklahoma. Michigan State is now 20-5 after losing this week to Purdue. It is ranked 8th. The Boilermakers are now 20-5 after its win over the Spartans. It is ranked 18th. Were the poll extended, a fifth Big Ten school, Indiana, would be ranked 27th.
State Department Releases 1,000 Pages of Clinton Emails to Comply With Judge's Order; GOP Debate Tonight Could Include Further Fracturing Fireworks
BALTIMORE, Maryland February 13, 2016 - Reluctantly complying with a judicial order, the State Department, within the last 90 minutes, has released an additional 1,012 pages of emails involving former Secretary of State and current Democratic Candidate for President Hillary Clinton and her wholesale violation of portions of Federal Espionage Statutes. At least 15% of the documents have been marked "secret" by the State Department. The release is so recent that major news organizations have yet to report on the content of almost all of the newly released documents. However, it is generally understood that the State Department has been holding back some of the most incriminating documents for the latest possible release. The department tried to gain additional time for this release, only to be denied by federal Judge Rudolph Contreras. According to the Washington Times, Judge Contreras ordered the State Department to release the Clinton's email messages in installments, with Saturday’s being the first of a series that will last until February 29 (this being a leap year).
It has been learned, the Washington Times reported, that one of the documents in today's release is "an extensive missive from David Satterfield, a top U.S. diplomat to Egypt, who told top officials in both the White House and State Department about negotiations in the Sinai. The entire contents of the messages are now deemed “secret,” though there is no indication they were marked as such at the time. The message was forwarded to Mrs. Clinton by top aide Jacob Sullivan."
Left-leaning pro-Democratic media outlets have been so desperate to shield its candidates - in particular Mrs. Clinton - from the humiliation of running the nation's highest office while under threat of a criminal indictment that they have actually refused to pose questions about the federal probe to Mrs. Clinton during her debates with her only viable rival, Vermont Senator and admitted Socialist Bernie Sanders.
Even as late as this past Thursday night (February 11), the entire debate with Mr. Sanders passed without the federal probe being broached, even in passing.
Tonight in Charleston, South Carolina the six remaining viable Republican Candidates for President will engage in yet another televised debate. One week from today - on February 20, 2016 - the Republican voters of South Carolina will head to the polls to vote in the South Carolina Republican Presidential Primary Election. While an unidentified public opinion poll showed Ted Cruz had pulled to within six percentage points of Donald Trump in South Carolina (32% to 26% but see Credible and Incisive on February 11 and February 12) other polls have Trump's lead significantly larger. Trump leads the GOP pack in delegates, but his lead there is hardly significant with so many more to be decided in upcoming primaries.
With so much on the line, and with political attack ads filling the state's televisions, it is inevitable that the debate will include sniping at the two perceived leaders in the campaign, Donald Trump and Texas Senator Ted Cruz.
On the Democratic side, the situation is so tenuous that staunchly left media outlets such as NPR, NBC and The Hill.com are literally hedging their bets. All three avoid reporting on Hillary Clinton's ongoing legal problems and the increasing likelyhood that the FBI will recommend that Ms. Clinton be indicted on espionage-related charges arising out of her gross misuse of an illegal web browser. That browser is banned by law and expressly prohibited by documents signed by Ms. Clinton during her tenure as Secretary of State. Emails released - and still to be released - by the State Department have proved to be an ongoing nightmare for Clinton's downbound campaign.
In actual voting so far, Sanders won a huge victory over Clinton in the New Hampshire Primary, while Clinton is still being credited with a razor-thin victory in the Iowa Caucuses. This, even as several precinct victories appear to have been wrongly awarded to Mrs. Clinton. In one very small precinct, the only voter hand-wrote a ballot for Sanders, only to discover later that the precinct had been awarded to Clinton. The largest and most influential newspaper in the Iowa, the Des hghMoines Regester, has called for a complete of the Democratic voting results, a highly embarassing call for the Democratic Party.
As was reported earlier in Credible and Incisive, Clinton's large delegate lead to date is based almost solely on her schmoozing of so-called superdelegates. In the Democratic race for the party's Presidential nomination, as many as 30% of the delegate votes needed to win may be cast by party insiders who are appointed by the party organization without ever being submitted to the public. The Associated Press has reported that Clinton has locked up over 300 of the 712 superdelegates, compared to only 8 by Sanders. The Sanders campaign has demanded that superdelegates follow the will of the public as it is expressed in primary and caucus voting around the country in the coming months.
It has been learned, the Washington Times reported, that one of the documents in today's release is "an extensive missive from David Satterfield, a top U.S. diplomat to Egypt, who told top officials in both the White House and State Department about negotiations in the Sinai. The entire contents of the messages are now deemed “secret,” though there is no indication they were marked as such at the time. The message was forwarded to Mrs. Clinton by top aide Jacob Sullivan."
Left-leaning pro-Democratic media outlets have been so desperate to shield its candidates - in particular Mrs. Clinton - from the humiliation of running the nation's highest office while under threat of a criminal indictment that they have actually refused to pose questions about the federal probe to Mrs. Clinton during her debates with her only viable rival, Vermont Senator and admitted Socialist Bernie Sanders.
Even as late as this past Thursday night (February 11), the entire debate with Mr. Sanders passed without the federal probe being broached, even in passing.
Tonight in Charleston, South Carolina the six remaining viable Republican Candidates for President will engage in yet another televised debate. One week from today - on February 20, 2016 - the Republican voters of South Carolina will head to the polls to vote in the South Carolina Republican Presidential Primary Election. While an unidentified public opinion poll showed Ted Cruz had pulled to within six percentage points of Donald Trump in South Carolina (32% to 26% but see Credible and Incisive on February 11 and February 12) other polls have Trump's lead significantly larger. Trump leads the GOP pack in delegates, but his lead there is hardly significant with so many more to be decided in upcoming primaries.
With so much on the line, and with political attack ads filling the state's televisions, it is inevitable that the debate will include sniping at the two perceived leaders in the campaign, Donald Trump and Texas Senator Ted Cruz.
On the Democratic side, the situation is so tenuous that staunchly left media outlets such as NPR, NBC and The Hill.com are literally hedging their bets. All three avoid reporting on Hillary Clinton's ongoing legal problems and the increasing likelyhood that the FBI will recommend that Ms. Clinton be indicted on espionage-related charges arising out of her gross misuse of an illegal web browser. That browser is banned by law and expressly prohibited by documents signed by Ms. Clinton during her tenure as Secretary of State. Emails released - and still to be released - by the State Department have proved to be an ongoing nightmare for Clinton's downbound campaign.
In actual voting so far, Sanders won a huge victory over Clinton in the New Hampshire Primary, while Clinton is still being credited with a razor-thin victory in the Iowa Caucuses. This, even as several precinct victories appear to have been wrongly awarded to Mrs. Clinton. In one very small precinct, the only voter hand-wrote a ballot for Sanders, only to discover later that the precinct had been awarded to Clinton. The largest and most influential newspaper in the Iowa, the Des hghMoines Regester, has called for a complete of the Democratic voting results, a highly embarassing call for the Democratic Party.
As was reported earlier in Credible and Incisive, Clinton's large delegate lead to date is based almost solely on her schmoozing of so-called superdelegates. In the Democratic race for the party's Presidential nomination, as many as 30% of the delegate votes needed to win may be cast by party insiders who are appointed by the party organization without ever being submitted to the public. The Associated Press has reported that Clinton has locked up over 300 of the 712 superdelegates, compared to only 8 by Sanders. The Sanders campaign has demanded that superdelegates follow the will of the public as it is expressed in primary and caucus voting around the country in the coming months.
Friday, February 12, 2016
Clinton Leads Sanders in Committed Delegates, Almost All of Her Delegates Awarded Outside of Primary and Caucus Voting; Despite Huge New Hampshire Loss, Clinton Holds Large Lead
BALTIMORE, Maryland February 12, 2016 - The system the Democrats use to decide who their Candidate for President is coming under intense scrutiny. This, after Bernie Sanders won the New Hampshire Primary by a very wide margin, but merely split the awarded delegates with Hillary Clinton. Each candidate was awarded 15 delegates to the upcoming Democratic National Convention. Hillary Clinton managed to gain such a result by locking up so-called superdelegates available in New Hampshire.
There are a total of 4,763 delegates; i.e. votes at the Democratic Convention. The winner needs 2,382 votes to be the Party's candidate for President. There are a total of 712 superdelegates, each holding one vote in the nominating process.
Currently, Hillary Clinton has commitments from 394 delegates, compared to just 44 commitments for Bernie Sanders. Clinton's 394 delegates include 29 delegates gained in the Iowa Caucus (23 committed delegates and 6 so-called "soft" commitments, according to Democratic Party Greenpapers) and 15 from New Hampshire. Bernie Sanders' 44 delegates include 21 gained in Iowa and 15 in New Hampshire. As seen below, Mr. Sanders has about 8 commitments from superdelegates.
On November 13, 2015 - three months before the New Hampshire Primary - the Associated Press reported that Clinton had commitments from 359 Superdelegates, while Bernie Sanders had commitments from only 8. Martin O'Malley had commitments from 2 such delegates. The remaining 210 delegates were said to be uncommitted. The Democratic Party says that Superdelegates are "party leaders" or "elected officials" who are awarded a full vote in the party's nomination vote, and are not obligated to vote for the winner of the primary or caucus in their home state. The GOP also has "super delegates," but they are obligated to follow the results of their home state's primary.
On Monday, The Hill reported that Sanders' supporters have demanded that superdelegates follow the outcome of the various party primary elections and party caucuses. Among those supporters is MoveOn.org. It is hard to imagine the Democratic Party being successful if its eventual nominee was not the choice Democratic Primary Voters. But the superdelegate system has its defenders. Harry Reid, the outgoing Senate Minority Leader and former Senate President said that superdelegates help blunt the overwhelming number of white voters in Iowa and New Hampshire. Almost every pundit and observer admits that outcomes in the two states are very influential in determining the eventual party nominee. But even Reid said the system needed improvement.
There are a total of 4,763 delegates; i.e. votes at the Democratic Convention. The winner needs 2,382 votes to be the Party's candidate for President. There are a total of 712 superdelegates, each holding one vote in the nominating process.
Currently, Hillary Clinton has commitments from 394 delegates, compared to just 44 commitments for Bernie Sanders. Clinton's 394 delegates include 29 delegates gained in the Iowa Caucus (23 committed delegates and 6 so-called "soft" commitments, according to Democratic Party Greenpapers) and 15 from New Hampshire. Bernie Sanders' 44 delegates include 21 gained in Iowa and 15 in New Hampshire. As seen below, Mr. Sanders has about 8 commitments from superdelegates.
On November 13, 2015 - three months before the New Hampshire Primary - the Associated Press reported that Clinton had commitments from 359 Superdelegates, while Bernie Sanders had commitments from only 8. Martin O'Malley had commitments from 2 such delegates. The remaining 210 delegates were said to be uncommitted. The Democratic Party says that Superdelegates are "party leaders" or "elected officials" who are awarded a full vote in the party's nomination vote, and are not obligated to vote for the winner of the primary or caucus in their home state. The GOP also has "super delegates," but they are obligated to follow the results of their home state's primary.
On Monday, The Hill reported that Sanders' supporters have demanded that superdelegates follow the outcome of the various party primary elections and party caucuses. Among those supporters is MoveOn.org. It is hard to imagine the Democratic Party being successful if its eventual nominee was not the choice Democratic Primary Voters. But the superdelegate system has its defenders. Harry Reid, the outgoing Senate Minority Leader and former Senate President said that superdelegates help blunt the overwhelming number of white voters in Iowa and New Hampshire. Almost every pundit and observer admits that outcomes in the two states are very influential in determining the eventual party nominee. But even Reid said the system needed improvement.
Thursday, February 11, 2016
Cruz Said to Be Edging Closer to Trump in South Carolina; After Two States Vote, Trump Gains 17 Convention Delegates, Followed by Cruz With 11, Rubio With 10, Kasich With 5, Bush With 4, and Carson With 3
BALTIMORE, Maryland February 11, 2016 - It was reported today that Ted Cruz had pulled to within six (6) percentage points of Donald Trump in a poll of South Carolina voters. Rush Limbaugh said he had received that information from Bill Kristol, the editor of the Weekly Standard. Limbaugh said that Kristol described his source as "very reliable," but was unwilling to identify him. Nor did the source provide numbers associated with the poll, such as the number of people participating or whether the participants were "likely voters" or "Republicans" or some other descriptive tag. Usually, when a poll is taken this close to an actual election, reliability is built upon the idea that those participating in the poll are at least likely to be voting.in the imminent South Carolina Primary. That Primary is set for February 20.
No other poll has put Cruz so close to Trump in South Carolina.
Cruz won the Iowa Caucuses, gaining 27.6% of the vote, while Trump posted a solid and impressive win in the New Hampshire Primary, gaining 35.3% of the vote, more than double the votes gained by his nearest competitor. Ohio Governor John Kasich finished second in New Hampshire, with 15.8% of the vote, followed by Cruz at 11.7% and Jeb Bush with 11%. Trump was a close second in Iowa, with 24.3% of the vote, followed by Marco Rubio with 23.1% and Ben Carson with 9.3%.
Under the rules in effect in Iowa and New Hampshire, the award of delegates is as follows (with only candidates who have earned at least one delegate in either Iowa or New Hampshire being listed below).
1. Donald Trump: 7 delegates in Iowa, 10 in New Hampshire, for a total of 17.
2. Ted Cruz: 8 delegates in Iowa, 3 in New Hampshire, for a total of 11.
3. Marco Rubio: 7 delegates in Iowa, 3 in New Hampshire, for a total of 10.
4. John Kasich: 1 delegate in Iowa, 4 in New Hampshire, for a total of 5.
5. Jeb Bush: 1 delegate in Iowa, 3 in New Hampshire, for a total of 4.
6. Ben Carson: 3 delegates in Iowa, 0 in New Hampshire, for a total of 3.
7. (Tie) Rand Paul, Carly Fiorina and Mike Huckabee, each with 1 delegate in Iowa and 0 in New Hampshire, for a total of 1.
No other poll has put Cruz so close to Trump in South Carolina.
Cruz won the Iowa Caucuses, gaining 27.6% of the vote, while Trump posted a solid and impressive win in the New Hampshire Primary, gaining 35.3% of the vote, more than double the votes gained by his nearest competitor. Ohio Governor John Kasich finished second in New Hampshire, with 15.8% of the vote, followed by Cruz at 11.7% and Jeb Bush with 11%. Trump was a close second in Iowa, with 24.3% of the vote, followed by Marco Rubio with 23.1% and Ben Carson with 9.3%.
Under the rules in effect in Iowa and New Hampshire, the award of delegates is as follows (with only candidates who have earned at least one delegate in either Iowa or New Hampshire being listed below).
1. Donald Trump: 7 delegates in Iowa, 10 in New Hampshire, for a total of 17.
2. Ted Cruz: 8 delegates in Iowa, 3 in New Hampshire, for a total of 11.
3. Marco Rubio: 7 delegates in Iowa, 3 in New Hampshire, for a total of 10.
4. John Kasich: 1 delegate in Iowa, 4 in New Hampshire, for a total of 5.
5. Jeb Bush: 1 delegate in Iowa, 3 in New Hampshire, for a total of 4.
6. Ben Carson: 3 delegates in Iowa, 0 in New Hampshire, for a total of 3.
7. (Tie) Rand Paul, Carly Fiorina and Mike Huckabee, each with 1 delegate in Iowa and 0 in New Hampshire, for a total of 1.
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