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BIDEN REFUSES TO TAKE HINT … "Barack Obama says most of the world’s problems are down to ‘old men not getting out of the way’," via NEWSWEEK: He added that: "If you look at the world and look at the problems it's usually old people, usually old men, not getting out of the way.
"It is important for political leaders to try and remind themselves that you are there to do a job, but you are not there for life, you are not there in order to prop up your own sense of self importance or your own power."
GREAT AGAIN … "Focus group: These Obama/Trump voters are just Trump voters now," via AXIOS: Some swing voters here who voted for Barack Obama and then Donald Trump are firmly in Trump’s camp now — and they're sick of impeachment.
Why it matters: The two-plus hour conversation revealed major warning signs for the Democratic Party in a crucial swing county that will be a pivotal area to win in 2020 …
Trump won Saginaw County by just over 1% in 2016, and Obama won by nearly 12% in 2012.
CANDIDATE WHO DOESN’T READ POLLS TOTALLY READS POLLS … "In a rhetorical shift, Elizabeth Warren emphasizes 'choice' on health care," via CNN: Sen. Elizabeth Warren has been using new, notable language at her town halls to describe the transition into "Medicare for All" -- saying, under her plan, it would be a voter's "choice" to opt in …
A new Fox News Poll released Sunday showed that support for government-run healthcare has dropped by double-digits among Democrats since October.
‘TOP-TIER’ SIMPLETON … "Kamala Harris Doesn’t Understand How Polling Works," by WFB’s Alex Griswold: The failed presidential candidate said a Fox News poll, which found that about half of voters support impeachment, demonstrated that "even viewers of Trump’s favorite network are turning on him." Like most major news outlets, Fox News teams up with dedicated polling firms that survey a nationally representative sample of random Americans by telephone …
This isn't the first time Harris has exhibited ignorance about the polling industry. In October, she told CNN's Anderson Cooper that she was a "top-tier candidate" in the 2020 Democratic primary, despite only polling at four percent.
RIGHTEOUS MIKE … "Pompeo slams Democrats’ settlement fixation, calls claims foolish," via JERUSALEM POST: "While you are free to fixate on settlements as a barrier to peace, you are simply wrong in referring to that view as being subject to bipartisan agreement," the secretary of state wrote. He went on to quote Senate minority leader, Chuck Schumer, a leader of the Democratic Party, who said in a speech to AIPAC in 2018 said: "It is sure not the settlements that are the blockage to peace."
MARTYRS FOR FREEDOM … "Iran protests: Over 300 killed and thousands arrested in violent crackdown, Amnesty says," via INDEPENDENT: The UK-based human rights organisation said the latest death toll was based on credible reports and eyewitness testimonies it had compiled.
But the real number is likely even higher as security forces used lethal force to crush the protests.
The high death toll over a period of only a few days may be the highest casualty rate for any protests in the history of the Islamic Republic in the past 40 years.
ELDERLY JOURNALIST NEEDS EYES EXAMINED … "MSNBC’s Andrea Mitchell Erases Black Experience," by WFB’s Alex Griswold: MSNBC's Andrea Mitchell attacked Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Monday for tweeting a picture of himself alongside his "all white and all male" Foreign Policy Advisory Council, ignoring a retired African-American admiral clearly pictured in the group …
Washington Post reporter Ashley Parker echoed Mitchell's criticism, saying the photograph contained "no people of color. This is a White House that has struggled to have diversity represented in the upper echelons on the administration, in the cabinet, in senior advisors."
MEDIA’S SHRINE TO ITSELF CLOSED DUE TO TOTAL LACK OF INTEREST … "Farewell to the immense, disappointing Newseum," via LA TIMES: Washington and New York journalists have expressed a curious reverence for the Newseum — "a special place to so many," CNN media commentator Brian Stelter tweeted Thursday …
But could someone tell me what the exhibit "First Dogs: American Presidents and Their Pets" has to do with journalism? Among the Newseum’s most prominent artifacts are a piece of the Berlin Wall ("the largest display of unaltered portions of the wall outside of Germany," the museum boasts) and the antenna mast that stood atop the World Trade Center’s north tower until 9/11. These are items of historical interest, certainly, but what’s the rationale for placing them inside a news museum, other than that they represent events that were, well, covered in the news?
DON’T LET YOUR CAR INSURANCE LAPSE! … "Illegals Line Up Early for Newly Available NY Driver’s Licenses," by WFB’s Graham Piro: New York's "Green Light" law, which allows illegal immigrants to obtain driver's licenses without having to provide proof of citizenship, went into effect over the weekend.
Applicants are already lining up outside DMV offices in the state, according to News 12 Westchester. Some county clerks expressed concern over the quantity of new license applications, saying that they have not received enough training or sufficient equipment to handle the influx.
MORLOCK VOTE UP FOR GRABS … "Dem Senate Candidate Runs Disaster Porn Climate Ad," by WFB’s Elizabeth Matamoros: Colorado Democratic Senate candidate and former state house speaker Andrew Romanoff on Monday released a new ad showing the "hellscape" he says will come about if the government doesn't stop climate change.
The apocalyptic scenario in the campaign video takes place in Colorado Springs "in the not so distant future." It shows a little girl describing her isolated life underground with her family. As she says she misses seeing the sun, her father appears in a hazmat suit to cover the last bit of sunlight peeping in with aluminum foil.
THEY’RE LIKABLE ENOUGH, TOO … "Women ‘Indisputably’ Better than Men, Says Dude Who Prevented Female From Becoming President," by WFB’s Andrew Stiles: Obama made the remarks more than a decade after he was elected president following a contentious Democratic primary in which he demolished the long-held ambitions of Hillary Clinton, a mediocre female politician …
Obama's praise for female politicians comes as Democratic voters appear to be rejecting the idea that women should run the country. Five of the top six Democratic primary candidates are men, according to the RealClearPolitics national polling average.
DAYS SINCE JOE BIDEN DID A SUNDAY SHOW: 1,101. Come back, Joe!
"You know who really doesn’t have it? Joe Biden." —Former President Barack Obama
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