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The Morning Flap: October 15, 2012

The Man Who Fell to Earth

The Man Who Fell to Earth

These are my links for October 11th through October 15th:

  • The Unraveling of Affirmative Action– For more than 40 years, the debate over affirmative action in admissions has focused on whether it amounts to unfair and unconstitutional reverse discrimination against whites (and now Asians). The implicit premise for most people on both sides has been that racial preferences bring only benefits and no costs, apart from the possible stigma of being deemed “affirmative-action admits,” to their black and Hispanic recipients. This premise was enough to make the two of us uncritical supporters of racial preferences until we began to examine the underlying facts.Key to nurturing the myth that racial preferences can only help their recipients has been a strong norm among college administrators to play down both the size of preferences they use and the difficulties these students encounter down the road. This concealment has had the unfortunate effect of misleading students and shielding preference policies from close scrutiny.
  • Elizabeth Warren obtained federal fee waivers despite high 6-figure income and 8-figure net worth– Elizabeth Warren has built her progressive rock star image and her campaign by attacking the wealthy factory owners and others who supposedly do not pay their “fair share” and take advantage of loopholes to live off of infrastructure paid for by others.Yet Warren appears to be one of those people who takes advantage.Warren falsely and without any legitimate legal basis claimed to be Cherokee for employment purposes. Warren also chintzed by failing to register for the Massachusetts Bar despite an active practice of law in Cambridge since the mid-1990s, thereby evading Bar registration dues. Howie Carr has a great column today about Warren’s class warfare phoniness.

    Add another example to the long list: Warren obtained fee waivers from at least 50 federal bankruptcy courts so she would not have to pay for access to the federal PACER system, even in years when she had a high 6-figure income and an 8-figure net worth.

  • PPP caught doing advocacy polling on race– PPP, a Democratic polling outfit, has long been viewed by suspicion by not only conservatives but by independent, credible pollsters. Now there is all the more reason to discount its “polling” as shoddy partisanship.I spoke by phone today with Wisconsin voter Dave Summers, who lives in the Madison area. He told me, “I got a survey. I don’t normally answer these calls, but I did [this time]. I started out pretty normal — President, Senate.” However, he said it then got weirder. The automatic survey asked if he had a favorable or unfavorable impression of Sean Hannity and Tucker Carlson. He said he was greatly disturbed when the automated call then asked, “Do you believe conservative media want white people to think Barack Obama hates them?” He said, “That bugged me.”I called Tom Jensen of PPP. He said that it was his poll. I asked whether this wasn’t a classic advocacy poll designed to get a specific answer. He demurred, “Well, we were asking a series of questions about conservative media.” He said that this call followed the posting on Drudge of the 2007 video in which then-Sen. Barack Obama (D- Ill.) talks about Hurricane Katrina and denying aid to residents. He claimed that since conservative media were trying to make an issue of this (in fact most conservative outlets downplayed or ignored the issue), it was important to see whether that effort (to poison the thinking of white voters, I suppose) was “successful.”

    The questions on conservative media and on white people were asked at the very end of the poll.

  • The 3 states that may decide the election– With less than a month until Election Day, the primary battlefields for the presidential campaign can be found in just three states: Ohio, Florida and Virginia.In these big three, home to a combined 60 electoral votes, President Barack Obama and Mitt Romney are spending both the most money and the most time. Over the past two weeks, the candidates and their allies have aired the most TV ads in Ohio, Florida and Virginia, in that order. And over the same period, Obama and Romney have held more than three times as many campaign events in the Big Three than they have in the other six swing states combined.
  • In second debate, Obama faces challenges on key issues– Losing ground to Republican Mitt Romney on a host of issues, President Barack Obama faces a serious challenge to put his re-election bid back on track when the two men face off on Tuesday in their second debate.Obama’s passive performance in their first debate two weeks ago and Romney’s subsequent surge have raised expectations for a more fiery encounter at New York’s Hofstra University.The Democratic president’s team has been encouraged by the feisty performance of Vice President Joe Biden last week in his debate against Republican vice presidential nominee Paul Ryan.

    Now, with Romney having virtually erased Obama’s lead in national polls just three weeks before the November 6 election, Obama is hoping to take advantage of the town hall-style format in Tuesday’s debate to make a direct pitch to voters

  • Axelrod Refuses to Say Whether Obama Met with Nat’l Security Team Before Heading to Las Vegas– After David Axelrod’s repeated assurances this morning on Fox News Sunday that “there isn’t anybody on this planet” who feels a greater sense of responsibility for our diplomats than this President, Chris Wallace asked how soon after the Benghazi attacks the President actually met with his national security team.Wallace followed up on Axelrod’s non-answer by asking whether the President managed to squeeze in a meeting with the National Security Council before jetting off to Las Vegas for a campaign rally. Given Axelrod’s inability to produce a straightforward answer to the questions, it’s pretty clear the answer is “no.”Amusing in this exchange is Axelrod’s contention that “anybody” would have said what the administration and Ambassador Rice said after the attack.
  • Axelrod bobs and weaves over Obama’s level of engagement the day of the Benghazi attack – Today on Fox News Sunday, Chris Wallace pressed David Axelrod on the question of how soon, and in what ways, President Obama tried to get to the bottom of the nature of the attack in Benghazi. As a predicate for the question, Wallace pointed out that on the day of the attack, the State Department and the intelligence community were presenting conflicting views about whether the attack was spontaneous or planned. An engaged president would immediately have tried to sort this matter out so he would know what the U.S. was dealing with.
  • Flap’s California Blog @ Flap Twitter Digest for 2012-10-14 – Flap’s California Blog – Flap’s California Blog @ Flap Twitter Digest for 2012-10-14
  • Flap’s Blog @ Flap Twitter Daily Digest for 2012-10-14 – Flap’s Blog – FullosseousFlap’s Dental Blog – Flap’s Blog @ Flap Twitter Daily Digest for 2012-10-14 #tcot
  • My Daily Twitter Digest for 2012-10-14 – Locum Tenens (Temporary) Dentist – Gregory Cole, D.D.S. – My Daily Twitter Digest for 2012-10-14
  • GetGlue – Your app for TV, Movies, and Sports – I unlocked the FOX MLB: Giants vs. Cardinals sticker on #GetGlue!
  • GetGlue – Your app for TV, Movies, and Sports – Go Cards.. #GetGlue #MajorLeagueBaseballOnFOX
  • NRCC Launches More Than $6 Million Worth of Ads | At the Races – RT @rollcall: NRCC launches $6M worth of TV ads in more than a dozen race, via @jm_dc
  • GetGlue – Your app for TV, Movies, and Sports – I unlocked the Hollywood Extra sticker on #GetGlue! @intel
  • GetGlue – Your app for TV, Movies, and Sports – Brody becomes the terrorist errand boy… #GetGlue @SHO_homeland
  • Wisdom Teeth Turf War Erupts in Utah – Flap’s Blog – Wisdom Teeth Turf War Erupts in Utah #tcot
  • Destinations / The space shuttle Endeavour moves north on Bill Robertson Lane in front of the Coliseum in Los Angeles Sunday, Oct. 14, 2012. In thousands of Earth orbits, the space shuttle Endeavour traveled 123 million miles. But the last few miles of it – The space shuttle Endeavour moves north on Bill Robertson Lane in front of the Coliseum in LA Sunday. via @pinterest
  • Dilbert for October 14, 2012 – Scoot Over – Flap’s California Blog – Dilbert for October 14, 2012 – Scoot Over
  • GetGlue – Your app for TV, Movies, and Sports – Enjoying the Sunday NFL action… #GetGlue #NFLRedZone
  • Many Dentists Violating Child Abuse Reporting Laws? – Flap’s Blog – Many Dentists Violating Child Abuse Reporting Laws? #tcot
  • Sprint reportedly agrees to sell 70 percent stake to Softbank– Sprint Nextel has reportedly reached an agreement to sell 70 percent of the wireless carrier to Japanese mobile carrier Softbank for $20 billion.Both companies’ respective boards have approved the deal, which is expected to be announced tomorrow, sources tell CNBC. Under the deal, Softbank will buy $8 billion in stock directly from Sprint, with another $12 billion purchased from existing stockholders.The tender offer’s price per share is reportedly $7.30, a 27 percent premium over the carrier’s closing stock price Friday of $5.73.

    CNET has contacted Sprint for comment and will update this report when we lean more.

    Sprint had previously confirmed that it was in discussions with Softbank regarding a “substantial investment ” by the Japanese mobile carrier.

  • Humor / Alice is mocking you….. – Today’s Dilbert:Alice is mocking you….. via @pinterest
  • ObamaCare is bad for small business– By January 2014, the states and the District must either establish their own health insurance exchanges under the Affordable Care Act (ACA), combine with other states to form a regional exchange or have the federal government set up an exchange for them.The District has opted for the first option, and this month it moved ahead with a model unlike anything pursued by any state in the nation, with the exception of Vermont: On Oct. 3, the D.C. Health Exchange Authority’s executive board unanimously approved a plan that would abolish the marketplace as we know it for firms with 50 employees or fewer and force them to obtain health insurance for their workers from the government-run exchange. Companies and associations with 100 employees or fewer would have to do so by 2016.If virtually everyone else is choosing a more cautious approach, I am compelled to ask: Is the District so much smarter than everyone else?
  • Election May Well Come Down to Colorado– Exactly 270 electoral votes are needed to win the presidency. And that win may well come down to Colorado — specifically, Jefferson and Arapahoe counties.Both are at the center of the 7th Congressional District race between incumbent Ed Perlmutter, a Democrat, and challenger Joe Coors, a Republican.If businessman Coors has a good night on Nov. 6, so will Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney, likely not only in Colorado but nationwide.
  • Live Broadcast | Red Bull Stratos – RT @NASA Congratulations to Felix Baumgartner and @RedBullStratos on a record-breaking leap from the edge of space!
  • News from The Associated Press – RT @AP #Skydiver Felix #Baumgartner lands safely after 24-mile leap to Earth in bid to break sound barrier: -MM
  • Untitled (http://www.vcstar.com/news/2012/oct/14/longtime-gop-senate-moderate-arlen-specter-dies/) – R. I. P. RT @vcstar Longtime GOP Senate moderate Arlen Specter dies
  • @ Flap Daily Twitter Digest for 2012-10-12 – Flap’s California Blog – @ Flap Daily Twitter Digest for 2012-10-12
  • @ Flap Daily Twitter Digest for 2012-10-13 – Flap’s California Blog – @ Flap Daily Twitter Digest for 2012-10-13
  • @ Flap Twitter Daily Digest for 2012-10-13 – Flap’s Blog – FullosseousFlap’s Dental Blog – @ Flap Twitter Daily Digest for 2012-10-13 #tcot
  • Day By Day October 13, 2012 – Liar, Liar – Flap’s Blog – Day By Day October 13, 2012 – Liar, Liar #tcot
  • My Daily Twitter Digest for 2012-10-13 – Locum Tenens (Temporary) Dentist – Gregory Cole, D.D.S. – My Daily Twitter Digest for 2012-10-13
  • My Daily Twitter Digest for 2012-10-12 – Locum Tenens (Temporary) Dentist – Gregory Cole, D.D.S. – My Daily Twitter Digest for 2012-10-12
  • @ Flap Twitter Daily Digest for 2012-10-12 to 2012-10-12 – Flap’s Blog – FullosseousFlap’s Dental Blog – @ Flap Twitter Daily Digest for 2012-10-12 to 2012-10-12 #tcot
  • @ Flap Twitter Daily Digest for 2012-10-11 to 2012-10-11 – Flap’s Blog – FullosseousFlap’s Dental Blog – @ Flap Twitter Daily Digest for 2012-10-11 to 2012-10-11 #tcot
  • Why Dems Loved Biden’s Boorish Behavior– The morning after the vice presidential debate, Democrats are delighted. Vice President Joe Biden’s obnoxious display was exactly what was needed to cheer them up after a week of morose speculation about why President Obama was so passive and uninspired at last week’s first presidential debate with Mitt Romney. Indeed, the more Biden giggled, smirked and interrupted Paul Ryan, the better they liked it. While his condescending and bullying behavior contradicted liberal doctrine about conservatives being the ones guilty of polluting the public square with political incivility, it embodied their complete contempt for both Republicans and their ideas. Biden’s nastiness may have re-invigorated a Democratic base that wanted nothing so much as to tell their opponents to shut up, even if it may have also alienated a great many independents. But with the main focus of the election still on the remaining two presidential debates, it’s not clear that President Obama can profit from Biden’s example.The reason for this is not very complicated. The Democrats cheering on Biden’s bullying, while ignoring the fact that he had nothing to offer on the future of entitlements and his disgraceful alibis about Libya, did so because at bottom they really do not feel Republicans or conservatives are worthy of respect or decency. Though they rarely own up to it, they don’t think Republicans are so much wrong as they are bad. By contrast, most Republicans think Democrats are wrong, not evil. Ryan, whose polite behavior was entirely proper but was made to appear passive and even weak when compared to his bloviating opponent, demonstrated this paradigm by patiently trying to explain his positions even when he was constantly interrupted.
  • Political Cartoons / What is so funny, “Slow” Joe Plagiarizing Biden? – What is so funny, “Slow” Joe Plagiarizing Biden? via @pinterest
  • Day By Day October 12, 2012 – Joker – Flap’s Blog – Day By Day October 12, 2012 – Joker #tcot
  • White House defends Biden on Libya– The White House is defending Vice President Biden over his debate statement that “we weren’t told” about requests for more security at a U.S. Consulate in Libya before the Sept. 11 attack that killed Ambassador Christopher Stevens and three others.White House press secretary Jay Carney said Biden was referring to President Obama, the White House and himself, as opposed to the State Department and other parts of the government.Biden “was speaking directly for himself and the president,” Carney said. “He meant the White House.”
  • Poll: Romney Opens 7-Point Lead in Florida– Mitt Romney’s 7-point lead in the TBT/Herald/Mason-Dixon poll is the latest sign of a Florida surge:The survey conducted this week found 51 percent of likely Florida voters supporting Romney, 44 percent backing Obama and 4 percent undecided. That’s a major shift from a month ago when the same poll showed Obama leading 48 percent to 47 percent — and a direct result of what Obama himself called a “bad night” at the first debate.The debate prompted 5 percent of previously undecided voters and 2 percent of Obama backers to move to Romney. Another 2 percent of Obama supporters said they are now undecided because of the debate.
  • Biden’s Benghazi Gaffe Makes Admin Scramble to Duck Responsibility – Was there an embarrassing gaffe in Thursday night’s debate? Vice President Biden gave a bungled and misleading answer about the situation in Benghazi in which he stated that “we” did not know security requests had been made. Biden’s statement is being artfully spun this morning in a way that rescues the vice president from himself at the expense of the State Department and, quite possibly, the truth.
  • Introducing the 2012 Cook Political Report Partisan Voter Index – RT @philipaklein: Here’s a link to the Cook Report’s new partisan voting index of all the congressional districts
  • Romney takes seven-point lead in new Florida poll – RT @cmarinucci: RT @FixAaron: Romney takes seven-point lead in new Florida poll – The Fix
  • Capitol Alert: Molly Munger says Jerry Brown using ‘impostor strategy’ to win votes – Molly Munger Vs. Jerry Brown – says Governor using an “impostor strategy” #tcot #catcot
  • Twitter / dannysullivan: Bored in the dentist’s chair … – Better bored than…RT @dannysullivan: Bored in the dentist’s chair 🙂
  • Montana poll shows Montana senate race a remains tight; Fox leads in attorney general’s race – Montana Sen: Denny Rehberg (R) 43% Vs. Sen. Jon Tester (D) 40% #tcot
  • Poll Watch: California Proposition 37 in Free Fall – Flap’s Blog – Poll Watch: California Proposition 37 in Free Fall #tcot
  • Pre-Debate Poll Watch: Ryan and Biden Both With Lackluster Favorability – Pre-Debate Poll Watch: Ryan and Biden Both With Lackluster Favorability #tcot