BloggeRhythms

Today is one in which one has to wonder of those on the left have any inkling of what really goes on in the real world, or simply live in a fantasyland of their own making. The question arises because as the economy continues to improve dramatically and the U.S. may have just thwarted a nuclear weapon test by North Korea while illegal immigration is now lower than its been in 17 years, thousands of protesters marched across the nation. They're demanding that the president release his tax returns so the public can examine his business ties and determine whether he has links to foreign powers.  

Now, whether or not those returns will be released isn’t known at present, but perhaps an arrangement can be reached for simultaneous disclosure of that information in return for the never seen college applications, transcripts, passport records and, most famously, a birth certificate from Trump's predecessor, Obama.

In the meantime, while the protestors were busy marching some very interesting things took place which they likely missed, so here’s an update for them.

The first comes from rasmussenreports.com where the Rasmussen Reports daily Presidential Tracking Poll for Monday shows that 50% of Likely U.S. Voters approve of President Trump’s job performance. Fifty percent (50%) disapprove. 

“This is the first time the president’s overall approval rating has been back in the 50s in nearly a month. Just after his inauguration, Trump’s job approval peaked at 59% and remained in the 50s every day until early March. It’s gone as low as 42% since then.” 

A sidebar note from Rasmussen shows that a month ago, only 43% of voters felt Judge Neil Gorsuch  deserved the U.S. Supreme Court  job, “but that’s more positive than voters felt about both of Obama’s choices for the high court – Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan.” 

Then came an article from FoxNews.com reporting that: “Deputy National Security Adviser K.T. McFarland on Sunday declined to say whether the U.S. cyber-sabotaged North Korea’s failed missile launch, saying only that it was “a fizzle.”

In a dramatically different posture than unbridled Obama personnel, McFarland told “Fox News Sunday,” “You know we can’t talk about secret intelligence and things that might have been done, covert operations. I really have no comment.

“Still, McFarland, a former Fox News contributor, said the failed non-nuclear missile test Sunday by the rogue nation was one of about 30 failed attempts and that cyberwar is now a big part of the geo-political landscape. 

“I do think we are entering a whole new era, not just with North Korea but with everybody,” she said, amid speculation the U.S. foiled the launch with a cyber-attack. 

“With any country, major country, we are entering a cyber platform, a cyber battlefield. That is where a lot of the wars of the future are going to be fought.” 

While the possibilities improve for prevention of North Korean nuclear missile usage, Howard Kurtz pointed out @FoxNews.com today that: “At the same time, many journalists and commentators are welcoming Trump’s change of heart on a spate of key issues. He is moving in a more moderate direction, which is precisely what they want. He is putting his presidency more in line with the Washington consensus, which is exactly what they had hoped for. 

“Here’s a rule of thumb: When an office-holder flips toward what the media deem a more extreme position, he is pandering or selling out. When the official flips toward a more moderate stance, he is growing and evolving.” 

Examples then follow of issues where changes of thought have taken place including, the bombing of Syria in retaliation for the chemical attack, Trump's saying that China was not a currency manipulator, that NATO was not obsolete and that the Ex-Im Bank serves a valuable function. 

Kurtz goes on to note: “Trump tries to explain some of this away by saying, for instance, that NATO is improving. He has been told that China has stopped manipulating his currency, but also may realize he needs Beijing to pressure North Korea on the nuclear front. 

“I understand that some conservatives feel that Trump is going back on his word, but most are inclined to cut him some slack. 

“Still, isn’t having a president who listens and takes advice a good thing?” 

In order to support his point regarding Trump's adapting to his new office, Kurtz employs an article from The New York Times  that “casts Trump as a novice who is learning the complexities of governing: 

“What made sense on the campaign trail may have little bearing on reality in the Oval Office, and the education of a president can be rocky even for former governors or senators. For Mr. Trump, the first president in American history never to have served in government or the military, the learning curve is especially steep. 

“The past week has made that abundantly clear. He discovered that President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia may not be the ‘best friend’ he imagined and that staying out of the civil war in Syria was harder than he assumed. He acknowledged that 10 minutes of listening to China’s president made him realize he did not fully understand the complexity of North Korea. He dropped his opposition to the Export-Import Bank after learning more about it. And he said he no longer thought NATO was ‘obsolete.” 

Thus, we have another confirmation of the leftist press’s continual effort to paint one they wholeheartedly dislike as unfit for the job he now holds. That's despite his efforts to find the most appropriate solution for situations as they develop under his leadership, regardless of prior conclusions. Yet, when his predecessor always took a political tack regardless of practical considerations, those actions were always praiseworthy to the MSM. 

Nonetheless, despite the MSM’s efforts on the left’s behalf, another type of measure shows Trump individually along with the Republican party itself, still rate quite well with political contributors. 

Bill Allison and John McCormick report @bloomberg.com via Drudge: “Trump’s campaign and joint fundraising committees, which reported their first quarter fundraising totals to the FEC on Friday, took in $10.3 million from small-dollar donors, an unprecedented amount for a president who won’t face voters again until 2020. House Republican campaigns raised $2.1 million from small donors during the same period. 

“Political polarization in Washington produced a fundraising record as donors to both parties flooded U.S. House campaigns with $96.1 million in the first quarter of 2017, according to an analysis of filings with the Federal Election Commission. 

“That’s a 45 percent increase over the $66.2 million raised during the same period two years ago, the previous record. The maximum contribution amount to campaigns was the same during both periods. Republican incumbents and challengers raised $49.8 million, while Democrats pulled in $46.3 million.” 

While the current numbers indicate Republican success in voter satisfaction,  Michael J. Knowles' book "Reasons To Vote For Democrats," in which all of the pages are blank hits book stores today.  

According to FoxNews.com, “Knowles is a Yale graduate and correspondent for the Daily Wire, a conservative website. He self-published the book, which contains only headers and a bibliography, along with 266 empty pages. The book, a clear attempt to troll Democrats, has set the internet on fire and vaulted to the No. 1 bestseller spot on Amazon.” 

Thus, as leftists demonstrate to demand Trump's tax returns which they are quite sure will damage him greatly, and the MSM continues with its onslaught of negativity toward him, a quote from Mark Twain comes to mind as found on thisdayinquotes.com: “According to a widely-repeated legend, one major American newspaper actually printed his obituary and, when Twain was told about this by a reporter, he quipped: “The reports of my death are greatly exaggerated.” 

That’s it for today folks. 

Adios