Friday's show:
Voters and illegal immigration, the 2018 midterms and other stories
Friday, August 31, 2018
Friday's video: The midterms around the corner
Friday's video:
The midterms around the corner
2018: Trump vs Sanders: https://t.co/lBvqG2BN2G via @YouTube— Silvio Canto, Jr. (@SCantojr) August 31, 2018
A new amigo who creates jobs
We have not seen the details of the U.S.-Mexico trade agreement. So let’s wait for the text to make a final conclusion.
Nevertheless, we can say a couple of things.
First, it could be better for U.S. workers than NAFTA, as Vox points out:
So far, the new United States-Mexico Trade Agreement seems a lot like NAFTA, though Canada has yet to opt in as it continues negotiations. Agricultural products would remain tariff-free under the new deal, and there is still no required renegotiation every five years (which Trump wanted).It would be harder, however, for businesses to claim harm from unfair trade practices.But there is one striking difference from NAFTA: The new pact includes several labor rules meant to benefit workers on both sides of the border.For example, Mexico has agreed to pass a law giving workers the right to real union representation, and to adopt other labor laws that meet international standards set forth by the United Nations.American auto companies that assemble their cars in Mexico would also need to use more US-made car parts to avoid tariffs, which would help US factory workers.And about 40 percent of those cars would need to be made by workers earning at least $16 an hour — three times more than Mexico’s minimum wage.
My translation: Both sides got to claim victory. President Trump and incoming Presidente Andrés Lopez-Obrador will both claim that they are protecting their workers. Please remember that both men ran against NAFTA because it was a lousy deal! Both men are also strong nationalists.
Also, what I hear from Mexican businessmen is that everyone south of the border wants President Trump to stick it to China.
My second point is that this deal shows significant pragmatism on the Mexico side. They may not like President Trump’s style but they love what he is doing for the U.S. economy. It’s obvious that a U.S. economy growing at 4% or better is “muy bueno” for Mexico.
So what happened? The Mexicans love their new “amigo” up here or the one who is creating jobs and allowing U.S. citizens to buy more avocados and lots of other things “Hecho en Mexico”.
PS: You can listen to my show (Canto Talk) and follow me on Twitter.
More PC madness: Apollo 11 and no US flag?
This is your PC madness post for today: "New Film About Neil Armstrong Omits American Flag From Moon Landing...."
According to the movie, the US flag is not necessary because Apollo 11 "transcended countries and borders..."
What does that mean?
Yes, Apollo 11 was celebrated around the world but it was a US achievement. It was made possible by US ingenuity and leadership.
So drop the anti-Americanism and political correctness. Boycott the movie and tell movie makers that you don't appreciate their pathetic rewriting of history.
PS: You can listen to my show (Canto Talk) and follow me on Twitter.
How big will illegal immigration be in the midterms?
The latest Rasmussen Reports is very interesting:
Voters continue to believe illegal immigration is a major problem, and few feel the government is doing enough to handle it.What does it mean? It means that the public understands the value of immigration but does not support illegal immigration.
A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone and online survey finds that 68% of Likely U.S. Voters think illegal immigration is a serious problem in America today, with 43% who consider it Very Serious.
Based on this poll, and it is a poll in this season of many pollsters being wrong, the GOP should benefit from talking about the dangers of illegal immigration.
The Democrats should be careful or risk caring more for illegal immigrants than the rest of the population.
PS: You can listen to my show (Canto Talk) and follow me on Twitter.
July 2010 and the Democrat Congress votes to fund the wars
A post from July 2010:
Be careful about winning elections....you may be expected to keep your promises and actually govern!
Yesterday, the Dems voted 148-102 to support Pres BO's Afghan war effort. It passed because Republicans voted 160-32!
Yes, it passed but this is a sign of things to come.
It won't be fun for Pres BO, specially when he has to tell the base that the July 2011 deadline was just words, or telling them what they wanted to hear!
What a difference a couple of years makes. Two years ago, "hope and change" had a speech and a solution for everything.
And he had lots of "screamers" digesting every "yes we can" nonsense coming from the candidate's teleprompter.
And he will soon have to break another one, i.e. the Bush tax cuts on dividends and capital gains that expire on January 1st!
I'd bet he does!
This is one fairy tale that has gone off script!
PS: You can listen to my show (Canto Talk) and follow me on Twitter.
September 2010: Let's talk about the 2010 elections!
A post from September 2010:
We sat down with Richard Baehr of American Thinker to review the polling data for the 2010 elections.
Richard alerted us to some good news for Republicans in the West Virginia and New York Senate races.
We also looked at the governors' races, a largely unreported story in 2010! Could the Republicans sweep the Midwest, including Illinois?
During the interview, Richard brought George Will's new article to our attention:
"Political analyst Charles Cook doesn't hire dummies, and one of his talented associates, David Wasserman, has this theory: Democratic members of Congress who are in peril are disproportionately from districts where Democrats preferred Hillary Clinton over Obama in 2008.It sounds like the folks "clinging to their guns and religion" are a bit restless this year!
She decisively beat Obama in the 8th District with 63 percent, and in November 2008 her voters were not Obama swooners: They simply hired him to fix the economy."
Click here for our interview with Richard Baehr:
November 2010: The night that "Obama-mania" ended in the US!
A post from November 2010:
It wasn't supposed to be this way. However, US voters have sent Pres BO, and all of the Obama-mania around the planet, an unpleasant message.
The voters were clear:
We do not want to look like another "welfare state" European country.
We do not want socialized medicine! (Democrats who voted for their party's signature domestic achievement dropped like flies throughout the evening, adding credence to Republicans' claim that the American public wants them to repeal healthcare reform.)
We want the federal government to get out of our lives!
We want an administration that will protect our borders rather than one that sues a state in the middle of the border crossfire.
Last night, Dems went down because the Arizona lawsuit and BO-Care turned into huge burdens for the party!
Here are more reactions to last night's election:
Rep Grayson, a first rate jerk in the US House, was defeated! He will probably now join the MSNBC prime time schedule.
Conservative Hispanics had a huge night: Flores and Canseco in Texas! We have new Hispanic governors in New Mexico and Nevada. And there is always Rubio in Florida.
Where does Pres BO go from here?
He now has a Dem minority in the House that is more leftist and liberal than ever! How long before they break with Pres BO on Afghanistan?
He also must deal with a Republican majority that is more conservative and willing to challenge him directly.
On the negative side, we passed up a great opportunity to pick up a seat in Nevada?
Click here for our show:
Conservative Hispanics had a huge night: Flores and Canseco in Texas! We have new Hispanic governors in New Mexico and Nevada. And there is always Rubio in Florida.
Where does Pres BO go from here?
He now has a Dem minority in the House that is more leftist and liberal than ever! How long before they break with Pres BO on Afghanistan?
He also must deal with a Republican majority that is more conservative and willing to challenge him directly.
On the negative side, we passed up a great opportunity to pick up a seat in Nevada?
Click here for our show:
November 2010: A very good Election Day for the GOP!
A post from November 2010:
Making predictions in mid-terms is risky.
However, I am very confident to write this: The GOP will win the House but fall short in the US Senate.
What number? 45-50 seats in the House! (They need 39)
6-8 in the US Senate! (They need 10)
Let's put our money on Gallup:
"The results are from Gallup's Oct. 28-31 survey of 1,539 likely voters. It finds 52% to 55% of likely voters preferring the Republican candidate and 40% to 42% for the Democratic candidate on the national generic ballot -- depending on turnout assumptions.
Gallup's analysis of several indicators of voter turnout from the weekend poll suggests turnout will be slightly higher than in recent years, at 45%.
This would give the Republicans a 55% to 40% lead on the generic ballot, with 5% undecided."
Charlie Cook is predicting 50-60 in the House and 6-8 in the Senate.
Like previous mid-terms, it will come down to "turnout". Therefore, we should know something about "turnout" in the late afternoon.
No matter what, Pres BO will have a very different Congress.
Click here for our chat with Bill Katz & Clifford Bazar:
August 2010: It is looking good for the Republicans in the US Senate, too!
A post from August 2010:
A few months ago, it was inconceivable to say that the Republicans had a chance to win the US Senate.
It looks possible today!
Richard Baehr joined us for a discussion of US Senate races in 2010.
We spoke about California, where Sen Boxer is currently under 50%.
What about the House?
Richard also pointed out that the Republicans are doing well in the "generic vote", specially the last Rasmussen poll that has the GOP up by 12!
Check out Richard's archives!
Click here for the show. Richard is in our third segment:
August 2010: Good night for Republicans and the US Senate?
A post from August 2010:
Who would have believed this a year ago?
It looks like the Republicans will pick up 6-7 seats.
Nate Silver, a pollster who got lots of predictions right in 2008, wrote this:
"The Democrats now have an approximately 20 percent chance of losing 10 or more seats in the Senate, according to the model, which would cost them control of the chamber unless Gov. Charlie Crist of Florida, who is running for the Senate as an independent, both wins his race and decides to caucus with them. "The Dems' Senate problems are just like all of their electoral problems: The economy and a growing perception that the Obama administration is just spending a little too much money.
We are not popping champagne yet. In fact, I have not even ordered my champagne either.
However, you have to like the Republicans' position.
Here is the bottom line: I'd rather be in the Republican campaign manager than one for the Dems.
Click for "Thursday's thoughts":
Thursday, August 30, 2018
Thursday's show: Sessions vs Trump, US-Mexico trade deal, Social media. Brazil plus more
Thursday's show:
Sessions vs Trump, US-Mexico trade deal, Social media. Brazil plus more
Thursday's video: Violence in Brazil
Monday's video:
Violence in Brazil
Violence in Brazil: https://t.co/qNagh2q4Dd via @YouTube— Silvio Canto, Jr. (@SCantojr) August 30, 2018
The Sessions-Trump feud: Just a show?
Maybe I’m too “clever by half,” as the British say.
Or thinking too much! (Remember that I was not a Trump supporter in the primaries, and he proved me wrong every time.)
Or maybe I’ve finally figured out how President Trump works.
We have a family member who is a successful magician. He once quoted Ben Okri:
“The magician and the politician have much in common: they both have to draw our attention away from what they are really doing.”
Over the last few weeks, we’ve seen the President attack the attorney general “tweet by tweet”. They are even talking in the U.S. Senate about replacing Sessions with a tougher Attorney General.
What if the whole thing is a show? Let me explain.
AG Sessions is the current leader for the Time person of the year, with the headline about “the man who wouldn’t be pushed around by President Trump”.
The left is suddenly in love with the quiet man from Alabama. He is going to save us from Trump or something like that. The AG is now the check on Trump.
So what’s going on?
As President Trump and AG Sessions go back and forth, the DOJ is in fact investigating the Clinton Foundation. Furthermore, the DOJ is also looking into the FBI and the Clinton emails case. And there are further reports from Inspector General Michael Horowitz.
So what happens if the new candidate for Time person of the year, the new darling of the left, drops a huge nuclear bomb down the road about the Clinton Foundation? What if there are indictments? Or what if AG Sessions concludes that the FBI investigation of the Clinton e-mails was a farce and takes corrective action?
How does the left now in love with AG Sessions suddenly claims that his actions were politically motivated?
Again, I don’t have any information, but my instincts tell me that this “Sessions vs. Trump” is just too cute.
I am confident that President Trump will tweet down the road that “Jeff did a good job after all”! AG Sessions will tweet back “Thank you Mr. President”.
PS: You can listen to my show (Canto Talk) and follow me on Twitter.
Law and order with a Brazilian flavor.........
"A leading candidate in Brazil's presidential election said police should be given license to kill criminals and those who do should receive medals not face prosecution.I understand Mr. Bolsonero. The violence is out of control in major cities.
Hard-right candidate Jair Bolsonaro said in an interview Tuesday night that he would "leave good people out of range of the shooting" and go at criminals full steam.
"This kind of people (criminals), you cannot treat them as if they were normal human beings, ok? We can't let policemen keep dying at the hands of those guys," Bolsonaro said on TV Globo's main nightly news program.
""If he kills 10, 15 or 20 with 10 or 30 bullets each, he needs to get a medal and not be prosecuted.""
At the same time, he is overreaching with these comments.
A better idea may be to declare "martial law" in certain areas and go after the gangs with full military force. Secondly, Brazil has to tackle its porous borders!
PS: You can listen to my show (Canto Talk) and follow me on Twitter.
Wednesday, August 29, 2018
Wednesday's show: A look at the Cruz-O'Rourke campaign with Sylvia Guzman
Guest: Sylvia Guzman, North Texas conservative activist......
We will look at the Cruz vs O'Rourke race for the US Senate.......The status of DACA...........and other stories.
Wednesday's video: The primaries in Florida & Arizona
Wednesday's video:
The primaries in Florida & Arizona
The primary season is over: https://t.co/OZ3VLTn27V via @YouTube— Silvio Canto, Jr. (@SCantojr) August 29, 2018
Man, woman, and whatever
A couple of days ago, we heard that the Democrat National Committee had rewritten the rules to have equal representation, or the same number of men and women in every committee.
Well, not so fast, as we see in news reports:
Members of the Democratic National Committee (DNC) voted on Saturday to modify its charter to define gender as being determined by self-identification and to include a classification for gender non-binary members.The previous charter required that all committees be divided evenly between men and women but, under the newly adopted system, committees “shall be as equally divided as practicable between men and women (determined by gender self-identification) meaning that the variance between men and women in the group cannot exceed one (1).”Additionally, gender non-binary members will count as neither male nor female, while the remaining, gendered members will be divided evenly between male and female.“At the root of our diverse party is a commitment to inclusion and opportunity,” DNC Chair Tom Perez said in a statement to CNN.“By adopting this amendment, the Democratic National Committee is ensuring every Democrat feels welcome and embraced for who they are. This action reaffirms our solidarity with the LGBTQ community and challenges governments, employers, and organizations across the country to do the same.”
Are you confused? I am. Nevertheless, it is a classic example of why this party has lost so much of the country.
First, who cares what the gender makeup of a committee is? The objective is to find a group of people who care to be involved and share some of the party’s values. This is more diversity insanity to say the least.
Second, my own experience is that party activists are motivated by issues, not anything else.
As a side note, they had a little celebration in South Texas to remember that President Lyndon B. Johnson was born this week in 1908. Wonder what he’d thought of all of these rules?
PS: You can listen to my show (Canto Talk) and follow me on Twitter.
Did the Chinese read Hillary's emails?
What happens when you conduct the business of The State Department in a private server?
First, you are breaking State Department rules.
Second, the Chinese may read your emails: "Chinese company reportedly hacked Clinton's server, got copy of every email in real-time..."
We need an explanation as to why President Obama did not force Secretary Clinton to shut down the private server and live by the company rules.
PS: You can listen to my show (Canto Talk) and follow me on Twitter.
Your "blue wave" update.......
Your "blue wave" update: More Republicans voted in the Florida and Arizona primaries on Tuesday.
Also, the Democrats nominated real left wingers for governor in FLA & AZ.
We will see what happens in November.
November 2008: It was a good win but not a landslide!
In sports, as in presidential elections, a win is a win.
First of all, we salute Pres. elect Obama. We wish him well. We want him to succeed because we want the country to do well.
Nevertheless, this is not a landslide by any means.
Nixon '72 and Reagan '84 got 60% of the popular vote and over 500 EV's.
LBJ '64 and Bush '88 got over 400 EV's.
Obama beat McCain, 52-47%, a good victory but not a landslide. He will finish with about 355 EV's, a strong number but not close to a landslide.
Obama beat McCain in Florida, Virginia, Ohio by very close margins. Also, the Dems did not get the "magic 60" in the Senate.
What does this mean? It means that Obama has to deliver and stay near the center. Obama will make a huge mistake if he governs to the left or lets Congress move him to the left.
So what now?
The Republicans have to regroup as we did after losing to Carter '76 and Clinton '92.
We must look for new leaders and remember the lessons of 1976 and 1992.
We came back very quickly in the 1978 and 1994 midterms. In both instances, we had a clear message. We also benefited from having Dems control the Congress and the White House.
Governing is hard, as the Dems learned under Carter and Clinton.
Again, we wish Pres. elect Obama well. We will support and oppose him.
We won't engage in the kind of irrational behavior that depicted the angry left during the last 8 years.
Tuesday, August 28, 2018
Tuesday's show: The Catholic Church plus the state of the Trump presidency with Leslie Eastman
Guest: Leslie Eastman, conservative activist and contributor to Legal Insurrection......We will look at the crisis in the Catholic Church......The state of the Trump presidency 90 days before the midterms........and other stories..
Tuesday's video: Trump holding on to his support
Tuesday's video: Trump holding on to his support
Trump holding on to his support: https://t.co/nDTzaBARVl via @YouTube— Silvio Canto, Jr. (@SCantojr) August 28, 2018
My church in crisis……..
On Sunday, we attended mass, took communion and enjoyed coffee and donuts with fellow parishioners afterwards.
It didn’t feel right. There was tension in the air and everyone knew that our church is in crisis.
The latest bomb goes right to the top or to Pope Francis himself:
In an extraordinary 11-page written testament, a former apostolic nuncio to the United States has accused several senior prelates of complicity in covering up Archbishop Theodore McCarrick’s allegations of sexual abuse, and has claimed that Pope Francis knew about sanctions imposed on then-Cardinal McCarrick by Pope Benedict XVI but chose to repeal them.Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò, 77, who served as apostolic nuncio in Washington D.C. from 2011 to 2016, said that in the late 2000s, Benedict had “imposed on Cardinal McCarrick sanctions similar to those now imposed on him by Pope Francis” and that Viganò personally told Pope Francis about those sanctions in 2013.Archbishop Viganò said in his written statement… that Pope Francis “continued to cover” for McCarrick and not only did he “not take into account the sanctions that Pope Benedict had imposed on him” but also made McCarrick “his trusted counselor.” Viganò said that the former archbishop of Washington advised the Pope to appoint a number of bishops in the United States, including Cardinals Blase Cupich of Chicago and Joseph Tobin of Newark.Archbishop Viganò, who said his “conscience dictates” that the truth be known as “the corruption has reached the very top of the Church’s hierarchy,” ended his testimony by calling on Pope Francis and all of those implicated in the cover up of Archbishop McCarrick’s abuse to resign.
We call that allegation the Catholic version of a bombshell!
Pope Francis is not helping by remaining silent. I understand that you don’t want the Pope getting into a media battle of words with a nuncio but a little statement would be nice. Maybe a “tweet” denying everything would help!
As I mentioned to a friend after mass, our Church faces two challenges:
1) We don’t understand how social media can take an allegation around the world in seconds. Millions saw the Drudge links on Sunday and the church did not answer any of them. We need the equivalent of Clinton’s “war room” to counter every attack as soon as they are made.
2) Despite previous scandals, we did not implement “zero tolerance” policies everywhere. To be fair, our archdiocese did and a priest was recently put on leave for inappropriate behavior (not with kids thankfully).
Where does this go? The Vatican needs to come clean and put everything on the table. Unlock the files and admit everything. At this point, covering up behavior will only sink the Vatican further in the hole.
So come clean, Pope Francis. Clean house and show the faithfull that you are in charge.
This is a lot worse than climate change and income distribution.
PS: You can listen to my show (Canto Talk) and follow me on Twitter.
How did the Jacksonville killer pass a background check?
Once again, we hear the "we need gun laws" refrain.
How did the Jacksonville killer pass a background check?
We've learned that the young man had been treated for mental illness, according to news reports:
The suspect in a deadly shooting at a Florida video game tournament had previously been hospitalized for mental illness, according to court records in his home state of Maryland reviewed by The Associated Press.So we want new laws? Why aren't we enforcing the laws we have? Why is a young man with mental health story allowed to buy a gun?
Divorce filings from the parents of 24-year-old David Katz of Baltimore say that as an adolescent he was twice hospitalized in psychiatric facilities and was prescribed antipsychotic and antidepressant medications.
The records show Katz’s parents disagreed on how to care for their troubled son, with his father claiming his estranged wife was exaggerating symptoms of mental illness as part of their long and bitter custody battle. The couple divorced in 2007.
PS: You can listen to my show (Canto Talk) and follow me on Twitter.