Reagan's Biggest Headache

 

Friends, believe it or not, there was a moment in Reagan's presidency when some were questioning whether "The Gipper" could retain the trust and confidence of the American people.  It was during the "Iran-Contra" scandal that plagued the Reagan Administration in 1986-87.  The scandal was immensely complex, but the upshot was that Reagan's involvement was sufficiently vague that he was never himself under any legal cloud.  Of course, that vagueness was partly the result of the destruction of evidence by several of the principals in the scandal.  Be that as it may, Reagan recovered his footing and left office greatly loved by most Americans.  No wonder conservatives think of the Reagan era as the "good ole days"!  Oh, he also kicked the USSR's behind, in his spare time.  That's nifty too.  In any case, in this week's Newsmaker Show, Brian and I delve deep into Iran-Contra, and, when we've slaked our thirst there, we also talk about DJT's legal troubles and the state of the polls heading into November.  Don't miss out!

https://wlea.net/newsmaker-august-31-2022-dr-nick-waddy/

Farewell, Gorby!

 

Friends, today we bid "Adieu!", or, more accurately, "Dasvidania!", to Mikhail Gorbachev, last leader of the Soviet Union before its untimely demise in 1991.  It bears mentioning that our victory in the Cold War (by default), and the USSR's obliteration, were never part of Gorbachev's master plan.  In many ways, the Soviet unraveling, and the opening of Soviet society that preceded it, were accidental developments that quickly spun out of Gorbachev's control.  Ergo, he was less a brilliant or a successful leader than he was one blessed with blind luck.  Or was it luck?  Many Russians now view "Gorby" as a lackey of the West, and as the man who torpedoed Greater Russia in favor of opening a few McDonald's franchises.  Be that as it may, we in the West owe Gorbachev hearty thanks, and for countless reasons, but first among them the fact that, as the Soviet Union unraveled -- a process fraught with peril for the whole world -- his leadership was just steady enough to prevent armageddon.  Whew!  We dodged the bullet there.  So...spasiba, Mikhail!  In a very real sense, those of us still alive and kicking today are only so fortunate because of you.  Let's try not to blow the immense gift that God and Gorbachev, working (somewhat incongruously) together, have given us, hmm?

https://www.bbc.com/news/live/world-europe-62732807

 

In other news, the social media giants are conspiring to maintain their monopolistic grip on digital discourse in countless ways, but first among them is a series of devious machinations to crush the competition.  First, it was Parler, and now it's Truth Social.  I've been meaning to get on Truth Social for a while now.  Sadly, my Android phone won't be of much help -- and Google aims to keep it that way.

https://www.newsmax.com/newsfront/google/2022/08/30/id/1085263/

The Science of Hypocrisy

 

Friends, the U.S. Open (the tennis version) is getting underway, and notably absent, as many of you will know, will be Novak Djokovic.  The reason?  He's unvaccinated.  As the article belows lays bare, unvaccinated people will fill the stands at the Open, but Djokovic, because he's a non-citizen, won't even be allowed in the country, and he certainly won't be allowed to compete.  That makes zero sense.  It's simply an expression of the Left's COVID fascism.  They believe, as a matter of principle, that unvaccinated people should be treated like dirt.  Sadly, from their perspective, unvaccinated citizens still have rights, which our courts are inclined to respect (a little).  Unvaccinated non-citizens, however -- foreigners -- have fewer rights, and therefore the government can treat them like dirt all it likes.  And so it does.  And keep in mind that the left-wing bureaucrats and Dem politicians who are making these decisions about discriminating against unvaccinated non-citizens are, in many cases, the same people who advocate giving welfare and free medical care, via Medicaid, to non-citizens, and indeed to illegal aliens.  They also increasingly favor giving VOTING RIGHTS to non-citizens, and some deep blue municipalities have already done so.  But denying unvaccinated non-citizens the ability to enter the country and/or play tennis?  Oh, that's a no-brainer.  Figure that one out.  Already this year Russian nationals were denied the opportunity to play at Wimbledon.  Now one of the best players in the world is being excluded from the U.S. Open for equally arbitrary and asinine reasons.  This is cancel culture run amok, if you ask me.  For shame!

https://www.commonsense.news/p/let-djokovic-play

How 'Bout THESE Meloni?

 

Friends, this woman, Giorgia Meloni, is poised to become Italy's next Prime Minister, and the talking heads are all agape.  That's because she's "extreme", "far-right", "right-wing", "Eurosceptic", and "fascist".  In other words, she's my kinda gal!  Study up on her, because she could be the first wave of a bunch of new conservative, nationalist rulers who come to power in the midst of Europe's Ukraine-induced recession -- and the latest wave of illegal immigrants.  I'm cautiously optimistic.

https://www.france24.com/en/europe/20220826-italy-s-far-right-meloni-launches-campaign-riding-high-in-the-polls

 

In other news, you guessed it: you can either vote for Democrats in 2022, or you can vote to replace our democracy with blood-spattered "semi-fascism".  Gee, where have I heard that before?  It almost seems like everything we hold dear hangs by a thread in EVERY election, doesn't it?  It's enough to make you break out in cold sweats.

 

 https://www.realclearpolitics.com/video/2022/08/25/biden_maga_republicans_are_a_threat_to_our_democracy_embrace_political_violence.html

Out of the Mouth of Babes

 

Friends, this week's Newsmaker Show is replete with gold-plated analysis of the election results from Tuesday, including right here in the People's Republic of New York and in the Celestial Kingdom of DeSantia.  Brian and I also consider President Biden's bold decision to spend more of your money on student loan forgiveness, the teetering American psyche, plus the likelihood that California will succeed in its ambition to ban the sale of gasoline-powered cars.

When we turn to "This Day in History", Brian and I analyze the legacy of Samantha Smith, kid activist in the 1980s who paid a goodwill visit to the Soviet Union, and we also talk about German atrocities in Belgium in 1914, President Reagan's stance on civil rights, and President Truman's seizure of the railways in 1950 and the disturbing precedents that exist in American history for the curtailment of almost all of our rights.

Gee, sounds like a real downer!  And yet...you'd be a fool not to tune in...

https://wlea.net/newsmaker-august-25-2022-dr-nick-waddy/

 

***

 

In other news, I said recently that we'll know the recession in the housing market is real when prices actually start to fall.  We didn't have long to wait!

 

https://www.foxbusiness.com/economy/home-prices-tumble-july-posting-biggest-decline-2011 

Finally, are you ready for Reason # 337 why the 2020 election was rigged in Joe Biden's favor?  Here it is.  There's a real possibility that good news about COVID vaccines was delayed until after the election so as to ensure Trump's defeat.

https://www.newsmax.com/newsfront/covid-19-vaccines-nate-silver/2022/08/25/id/1084664/

Gulp!

 

Friends, my latest article is every bit as thrilling as a James Cameron film, but let's just say that the ending might resemble Titanic more than it does Aliens.  Read into that what you will.  The upshot of my analysis is that I am troubled by how depressed and anxious most Americans are already, when the worst of our economic challenges still lie ahead.  See if you don't agree.

https://townhall.com/columnists/nicholaswaddy/2022/08/23/the-yawning-abyss-n2612119

 

***

 

In other news, look for President Biden to play Fairy God-Grandfather to the American people in the next few weeks by greatly expanding federal student loan forgiveness.  Needless to say, Democrats couldn't care less about the long-term financial or fiscal consequences.

 

https://www.cnn.com/2022/08/22/politics/student-loan-white-house/index.html 

Here are two signs that the "looming" recession might already be here, or is at least nearer than economists would like to think.  The housing market is just beginning to slide into recession.  We'll know it's for real when prices start to ease.  And overall private sector economic activity is down: that's a metric that's harder to second-guess!

https://www.cnn.com/2022/08/23/homes/new-home-sales-july/index.html

 

https://www.reuters.com/markets/us/us-private-sector-activity-contracts-again-august-survey-shows-2022-08-23/ 

Finally, what North Carolina's Supreme Court is doing is truly shocking: they're selectively nullifying actions of the state legislature and popular votes on constitutional amendments because the redistricting of said legislature was later found to be improper.  Think about that precedent!  I mean, why not nullify everything that Trump did, including his SCOTUS appointments, because the 2016 election was compromised by foreign interference...  Makes every bit as much sense.  Look for more seditious pettifoggery like this to emerge after we win in November.  Many Democrats will reject the legitimacy of those wins, I guarantee you!

https://www.newsmax.com/newsfront/north-carolina-judges-progressive/2022/08/23/id/1084247/

I'm Sorry, Dave, But You're A Fascist Butthead

 

Friends, there's oodles of fascinating news today, including this piece, which discusses a novel form of artificial intelligence that Facebook hopes to use to "fact-check" Wikipedia articles.  That raises the intriguing question: can A.I., once it becomes mainstream, be taught to replicate and affirm the same twisted leftist values espoused by most of the "experts" who created it?  Remember, only conservatives are capable of creating and sharing "misinformation".  Information purveyed by leftists, even if it's false, is by definition safe for mass consumption.  It's not hard to imagine that leftist preferences can be transformed into hardware and software, is it?  Look out!

https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2022/08/22/unholy-alliance-facebook-wants-to-fix-wikipedia-with-ai/

 

In yet another sign that civilization is slipping from our grasp, the American Historical Association, which I suppose I must have joined once upon a time when I was looking for work, has distinguished itself by its sycophancy towards woke radicals.  Read all about it here:

 

https://www.aier.org/article/the-suicide-of-the-american-historical-association/ 

Meanwhile, the leftist narrative, which is more or less synonymous with the mainstream media narrative, is increasingly coalescing around one simple theme: that conservatives and Republicans are violent, lawless, and dangerous.  Now, when you consider all the thousands of Americans who've been skinned alive by roving bands of maniacal Trumpers, sure, that makes a certain amount of sense.  The scary thing, though, is not that Americans will accept this leftist narrative at face value -- they won't -- but that leftists themselves believe their own crap, and leftists are running the country, in case anyone's forgotten.  I've said it before, and I'll say it again: assuming these people believe what they say, why wouldn't they assassinate or jail Trump, or mount a coup in 2024, or cancel the next presidential election, or send us all to live in camps?  I mean, they'd be doing a public service, by the logic of their own (demented) worldview...

https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2022/aug/21/all-republicans-are-now-terrorists/

 

The Left supports discrimination.  It's that simple.  Here's Exhibit #582.

 

https://www.breitbart.com/education/2022/08/22/report-uc-berkeley-off-campus-house-bans-white-guests-from-common-areas-to-avoid-white-violence/ 

Finally, the vast majority of economists believe that we're not currently in a recession, BUT we soon will be.  Ponder that.  What it means is that economic conditions now are but a modest foretaste of the adversity to come.  In that light, also ponder this recent Gallup poll.  It says record numbers of Americans define themselves as "suffering".  A slim majority still classify as "thriving", mind you.  Of course, these are extremely subjective psychological states.  The important thing is: how much worse could the public mood become, if a severe and deep recession were to unfold in 2023...or even a mild downturn?  Wait and see.

https://www.breitbart.com/economy/2022/08/22/72-of-economists-expect-a-recession-by-middle-of-next-year/

 

https://www.newsmax.com/newsfront/gallup-poll-americans/2022/08/22/id/1084074/ 

Make Babies, Already!

 

Friends, today I invite you to read this fascinating and detailed analysis of the fertility crisis besetting -- currently -- the Western world and -- soon -- the world as a whole.  Many of its insights I agree with completely, except for one.  It suggests that young people aren't procreating because of their rational concerns about climate change, poor job prospects, and declining standards of living.  Nonsense!  Never has humanity been less vulnerable to weather-related threats.  Never have personal incomes and living standards been higher, and they're still rising overall.  Sure, adjusting to the modern economy can be challenging, and some people have made dreadful choices that make their path to success moderately perilous, but if people just stopped to compare their "first world problems" to the deprivation, oppression, and constant physical danger that most human beings faced through most of history, they might gain a little perspective.  So, America, get off your backsides and get fruitful and multiply ASAP!  I insist.

https://quillette.com/2022/08/20/the-unexpected-future/?fbclid=IwAR29U0Hg-HwVW3ZYy0o9zDqBuoWeGu0miEQPt8yDCjVgDNBvLKGw0VSbgn0

 

In other news, here's a (terribly written) editorial defending the new policy of Minneapolis's public schools that they will fire white teachers before they fire black ones.  The shameless racism you'll see here is truly jaw-dropping.  The normalization of racial discrimination on the Left is something we have to contend with, though -- and, if we get another term of "Democratic" rule in 2024-28, you can bet that neo-Marxist judges will be imposing this sort of bigotry on all of us, and don't even dream of complaining about it when you're given a pick slip, because that would be (you guessed it) RACIST!

 

https://thegrio.com/2022/08/19/the-whitelash-behind-minneapolis-plan-to-fire-white-teachers-explained/ 

Speaking of education, here's an eloquent defense of charter schools, school choice, and indeed any alternative that presents itself to subjecting your kids to the horrors of a public school miseducation!

https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/traditional-public-schools-deserve-all-the-blame-for-their-own-enrollment-crisis

The Gestapo: Back in Business?

 

Friends, today you might want to ponder two very interesting polls by Rasmussen Reports.  One asks likely voters whether, in the aftermath of the FBI's Mar-a-Lago raid, Biden is now treating G-Men as his "personal Gestapo".  53% agree!  That's extraordinary.  Depending on how you look at it, this means most Americans equate the FBI with Nazi Germany's secret police, OR they equate Biden himself with Hitler and/or Himmler.  Either way, you'd have to conclude that a) the American people are deeply cynical and pessimistic about the state of the nation, and b) they are profoundly ignorant of the reality of fascism and totalitarian rule.  On the other hand, slightly more Americans have a positive view of the FBI, overall, than have a negative view.  Figure that one out!  I sure can't.

https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/washington-secrets/majority-see-fbi-as-bidens-personal-gestapo-after-trump-raid

 

In other Rasmussen Reports-related news, Republicans have expanded their lead over Democrats on the generic ballot question, which, if you're keeping track, is precisely the OPPOSITE of what has happened in several MSM polls.  In other words, who's got the edge heading into November?  Pick your pollster carefully, and you'll get whatever answer to that question you desire.  That makes prognosticating more difficult than ever, although the average of polls, and the oddsmakers, agree that it's unlikely that the Dems can hold both houses.

 

https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2022/08/19/rasmussen-poll-republicans-expand-lead-generic-congressional-ballot-5-points/ 

Who's More Enraged?

 

Friends, the results that come in on election night in November will depend, as always, on turnout, and that in turn relies on motivation.  Some say that rank-and-file Dems are finally getting off their duffs because of anger over abortion rights, SCOTUS, miscellaneous "insurrections", and what not.  Maybe.  Others say that the most important issues to voters -- inflation, crime, illegal immigration -- all break Republicans' way.  Still others opine that the FBI raid on Trump's home might light a fire under Trumpers and drive them headlong to the polls.  Truthfully, no one knows for sure.  That's why we hold elections!  Personally, I'm still optimistic.  I believe that many MSM polls overstate Democratic support, and I would be genuinely shocked if, therefore, Republicans failed to capture the House.  The Senate, on the other hand, is a bigger lift.  Let's hope that Trump loyalists are fully activated, because without them the good guys don't stand a chance...

https://www.newsmax.com/politics/yougov-poll-trafalgar-group/2022/08/18/id/1083743/