CNN host Don Lemon said “We have to stop demonizing people and realize that the biggest terror threat in this country is white men”. In referring to the Trump travel ban, he added “There is no white guy ban. So what can we do about that?” CNN didn’t fire him. They didn’t even comment. Megyn Kelly has been silenced, Lemon is free to continue spouting hatred.
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This is the other side of the PC police. Anything goes when attacking groups they don’t like. If fact hatred of Donald Trump and Republicans in general has been the central theme in the last two elections.
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​We have made enormous strides in tolerance over the last sixty years. Old prejudices and hatreds have no place in twenty-first century America.  Unfortunately, we have seen a rise in self-appointed PC police. They believe they have the right to judge everyone else and that the people they accuse have no rights at all. They have gained power in certain segments of society such as media, education and Silicon Valley. This allows them to fire people for the smallest of offenses. Megyn Kelly is a recent example.

She had the audacity to say that there is a difference between children using makeup to alter their face color and the old practice of white entertainers being made up as blacks in a very offensive way. The PC police were on the job and fired her. I suppose that anyone singing Mary Had a Little Lamb could suffer a similar fate unless they changed the color of the lamb’s fleece.
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I find NBC’s ethics very interesting. They fire someone for talking about children’s Halloween makeup yet have no problem deliberately distorting the news. They had information that cast serious doubt about what one of Judge Kavanaugh’s accusers was saying yet chose to leave it out of the story. I guess slandering a judge is more important than reporting the news.

Most of the presidents between Lincoln and Theodore Roosevelt are pretty much forgotten. About the only thing Grover Cleveland is remembered for is being the only president to serve nonconsecutive terms. His rise to power is a compelling story. In just four years, he went from being a fairly successful Buffalo lawyer to President. Even more incredible was how he did it.

He lived in an era of political bosses. Government jobs were handed out based on party connections. Corruption was rampant. The situation was especially bad in Buffalo. In 1881 he was elected mayor. He started to clean up the city. His success gained him so much acclaim that he was elected governor of New York the following year. He worked tirelessly for the state. He became very popular and was gaining notice across the country. This took him all the way to the White House.

He was a true rarity; a politician that got ahead by doing a good job. He had no powerful family connections, no Civil War heroism, no support from the political bosses, was not a fiery speaker and definitely was not charismatic.

Today we have people like Donald Trump and Bernie Sanders. They have no political accomplishments , can fire up their base while demonizing their opposition. Doing a good job doesn’t seem to matter anymore. George H. W. Bush is the last president to have an extensive record of accomplishment.
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We now have two parties that are far more interested in fighting each other than working together to improve the country. Hopefully that will change and we can start electing men like Grover Cleveland.
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I rarely write about myself. I don’t want to be one of those people who fill the internet with the boring minutia of their daily lives. Sometimes something happens that might be of interest.

Late last year I went to an orthopedist because of back pain. He said I would need to have both hips replaced and ordered an MRI. Something that shouldn’t be there showed up. The oncologist said I had a tumor the size of a volleyball. Further tests revealed it was an uncurable lymphoma and I was in Stage 4.

Fortunately, lymphoma is the most treatable of all Stage 4 cancers. I began chemotherapy. There were few side effects. Currently I am in remission and continue to have maintenance chemo.

Obviously, I wish this had never happened. However, there have been some positives. I’m strong enough to handle anything life throws at me. Helping cancer patients is now an important cause. I’m working on a book on dealing with cancer from a patient’s perspective. The outpouring of support from family and friends has been tremendous. I now understand how fragile life is and the importance of making each day count. I am more patient and get less upset over minor things.
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If a dark cloud comes your way, try to find the silver linings. They don’t make up for the cloud but they can have a positive impact on your life.
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The term “Deep State” has been around for some time. Usually it refers to the military using undue influence on a civilian government. Recently, it has been used by some Republicans who have charged that an organized element in the executive branch has formed to hurt the Trump presidency.

Does it exist? The idea that there is a conspiracy so vast that it is a government within our government is absurd. However, there are a number of individuals either working together or separately against the Trump administration.

We have seen ample evidence. Some within the Justice Department and FBI have conspired to hurt Trump’s chances of being elected. Peter Strozk and Lisa Page even talked about an “insurance policy” to prevent his election. There have been numerous leaks of classified information. A former FBI agent was just sentenced to prison and a Treasury employee has just been arrested for leaking.
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Americans of all political stripes should be outraged that there are those within our government are plotting to harm a presidential administration. Unfortunately, it looks like many on the Left no longer believe in democracy. Instead, they want a Democratacy, in which only one party rules.
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We have seen the rhetoric between the parties become more and more hostile. This is especially true of the language Democrats are using. Some, like Maxine Waters, are advocating hassling government officials when they are in public.

This hostile language had been limited to the Far Left but is now going mainstream. Hillary Clinton recently said “You can’t be civil” to Republicans. Former attorney general Etic Holder used violent imagery. He paraphrased a Michelle Obama quote “When they go low, we kick them”.

They are not condoning violence. But when they talk about not being civil and kicking Republicans, they do not mean engaging in a spirited debate. They are adding fuel to a roaring fire. Nobody can predict where this might lead.

Some of this is political. Many Democrats have latched onto a strategy of attracting votes by encouraging hate and anger toward Republicans. Personally, I think this is incredibly stupid. Everyone who is angry is already voting Democratic.

I have to assume that this reflects their personal beliefs. I can’t get in their heads (nor would I want to) to know what they are thinking. My best guess is that they see the country divided into two groups; good and evil. They assign people to these groups solely based on how they vote. It is not fair that the evildoers are in power. Therefore, any measure taken against them (presumably nonviolent) are justified. I guess that means that fairness trumps democracy (no pun intended).
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Certainly, they are entitled to their views. I believe they are harmful to the country and their own political future.
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Today I complete this round of political analysis by taking a look at the House of Representatives. Democrats need 24 seats to gain control.

I started by looking at what the experts were predicting. There were 42 seats in which at least half of them predicted it to be a tossup or a flip to the other party. All but 2 seats are currently held by Republicans. I looked at the district, incumbent (if one) and the experts’ predictions. In some cases, I looked at polls. I have 18 seats flipping to the Democrats and 2 going to the Republicans. If correct, the GOP would keep control of the House. However, this is a very imprecise process. I am 60-65% confident that Republicans will hang on to the House.

My gut is telling me the same thing. Democrats have recruited many fine candidates. At the national level their message is almost entirely based on demonizing Republicans. People need a reason to vote for a candidate. Being told to vote out of anger is not enough. Those people are already voting for Democrats.
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No matter how it turns out, the Trump legislative agenda is likely dead. The most conservative members are unwilling to compromise. Even if Republicans keep the House, it will be by a thin majority.

What is really at stake is whether or not we will have nonstop investigations and impeachments. The Kavanaugh confirmation paints a good picture of how Democrats would run the House.
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Thank goodness the Cavanaugh confirmation hearings are finally over. All of the Democrats’ attempts to derail the nomination have failed. All the hoopla accomplished nothing. Republicans were not going to vote against Kavanaugh when there was no corroborating evidence to support the charges against him.

Obviously this is a bitter pill for Democrats to swallow. However, they should realize that this battle is over. They should focus on the upcoming elections. Much of their response comes from anger. Some groups talk about harassing public officials. Some congressmen have talked about impeaching Kavanaugh. Other tell people to use their anger to vote Democratic. There’s just one problem. All those that are angry are already voting Democratic.
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People need positive reasons to vote for a candidate. Gaining power to get political retribution is not enough. They didn’t have a compelling story in 2016 and are showing few signs of developing one this year.
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I’m finally ready to finish my review of the Senate midterm elections. Right now, we are all wrapped up in the Kavanaugh confirmation. I don’t see it making much difference in the election. The story will soon be over and those who have strong feelings about it have already made up their mind.

Republicans currently have a 51-49 majority. Previously I predicted that they would only lose Nevada. At the time I predicted that Martha McSally of Arizona would win. It looked like she was moving ahead in the polls. Since then, her opponent, Krysten Sinema has had a small but consistent lead. Once again, I’m changing my mind and giving the seat to the Democrats. That would give them the two seats they would need to take over the Senate. However, they can’t afford to lose a single seat.

Here’s how I see the races in which the Democrats are vulnerable shaping up:

Florida – Incumbent Bill Nelson is being challenged by Governor Rick Scott. All the prognosticators have it as a tossup and the polls bounce back and forth. This one is too close to call.

Indiana – Businessman Mike Braun is trying to unseat incumbent Joe Donnelly. Everyone is calling it a tossup. Donnelly has maintained a small lead in the polls but it’s also too close to call.

Missouri – Claire McCaskill is being challenged by Missouri Attorney General Josh Hawley. Everyone is calling it a tossup and the polls are all over the place. There is no way I can make a call.

Montana – Republicans had hoped to pick up the seat but the trends are favoring the Democrats.

North Dakota – Incumbent Heidi Heitkamp may be in trouble. In recent days five of the seven predictors have moved from tossup to favoring Republican challenger Kevin Cramer. I am comfortable calling this a win for the GOP.

West Virginia – Incumbent Joe Manchin is very popular and should win reelection.

If my predictions come true, the Republicans would lose one seat with three too close to call. If there is a trend, I believe it is going the Republicans’ way. Democrats have no answer to the strong economy and tax cuts. A lot can happen in a month but I see them at least keeping their current 51-49 majority.
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I will take another look at these races right before the election.
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