Author: Californiacontrarian

Some, but not neatly all Democrats are all-in Joe Biden.
On 7/3/24, 24 Democratic governors and the Democratic mayor of Washington D.C. met with President Biden and Kamala Harris at the White House. After the meeting three… 3 … III … of these governors came out to speak to the press in support of Biden. Granted not all of the Democratic governors were physically present at the White House, but while nearly a dozen of the state leaders attended the meeting in person … only THREE spoke with reporters afterwards. To me what that implies is that only three of the twelve that were present had the wherewithal to stand up and speak to the press. If there was agreement and real support for Joe B., all of those present at the meeting would have been standing behind the governors of New York, Maryland, and Minnesota and nodding their collective heads in agreement. Bit only THREE spoke in support of Biden.
Now do not get me wrong … I want Joe Biden to be the nominee. The fact that three misguided governors said that they were behind J.B., good for them, and I hope that a lot of Americans were listening to their attempt at gaslighting.
From Reuters:
“California Governor Gavin Newsom, who participated in person, posted his reaction on social platform X: ‘I heard three words from the President tonight — he’s all in. And so am I.’”
Well, bully for you, Gavin! Why weren’t you out there speaking to the press?
This might be the one time that I can agree with California’s termed-out governor, as I also hope that Biden is “all in!”

www.californiacontrarian.com
7/4/24

By this time everyone is aware that Joe Biden did very poorly in the recent Trump-Biden debate. I watched the entire thing. Biden’s initial old man shuffle to the podium was merely a prelude of the disaster that was to come.
The one thing that I noticed and could not figure out was Biden repeatedly going to his right ear with his right hand. Could it be that Biden was having some difficulty with his IFB — interruptible foldback, which is an ear-prompter, a tiny device that sits invisibly in the ear canal. They’re readily available online.
From BlazeMedia:
There’s an IFB called Ovation, and the complete wireless package, which includes a recorder to hold prepared comments, costs around $1,000. Such a unit, properly modified, could provide direct radio access for instant communication.
IFBs transmit on radio frequencies, and those frequencies can be easily intercepted and jammed. A Trump campaign staffer would need a scanner. If Biden was using an IFB, the frequency wouldn’t be difficult to locate, unless he is using a more sophisticated device that hops frequencies.
Once located, it could be jammed — or taken over.”

Could it be that this is what happened during the recent debate?
Of course team Biden could not accuse team Trump of resorting to the chicanery of jamming Biden’s IFB frequency, because doing that would be admitting to having an illegal IFB earpiece in the first place!

From BlazeMedia:
“Of course, this isn’t the first time the idea of Biden using an earpiece has come up. In 2020, the Trump campaign complained that Biden’s camp first agreed to an inspection for illicit devices and then reneged at the last minute. A Biden spokesman denied the charge. Naturally, the unquestioning press accepted the spokesman’s statement and dismissed Trump’s claims as just another “conspiracy theory.”
Hmmm!

7/3/24
www.californiacontrarian.com

While I do say the Our Father prayer, this piece is not about a prayer or the benefits thereof. It is about recent data that confirms what a lot of us have thought all along, namely that having a father is good for a child.
The ‘growing minority’ of ‘floundering’ young men is in large part due to a rising number of fatherless or non-intact families, according to recent findings that the Institute for Family Studies published on June 13, 2024.

Citing data from two nationally representative studies, the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth (1997) and the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health, researchers found that young men raised by their two married biological parents are nearly 20 percentage points more likely to attend college rather than to end up in jail compared with respondents from non-intact families.
“Strikingly,” the researchers note, “this is the only group where graduating college is more likely than prison/jail.” 

The researchers also accounted for factors such as race and age when collecting data. However, they found that “family structure is more strongly associated with incarceration and college graduation than race for young men across both datasets.”
Beyond graduation or incarceration, the researchers note that family structure contributes to a number of other life outcomes, such as personality differences or even income.
“In a world where young men are increasingly failing to thrive,” the researchers emphasized the importance of family structures, concluding that “any effort to revive the failing fortunes of young men should put family at the forefront.”

What I found to be especially interesting is that the above referenced study specifically did not find any correlation to race. For as long as I can remember, I have rejected race as a predictor of success, and rather have preached that the quality of the elementary/high schools attended is a much better predictor of a child’s ultimate success as an adult.

In the studies referenced here two extremes are compared … incarceration vs. graduating college. Certainly one can be successful in life without going to college, and similarly adults can have a basically unfulfilling life without going to jail.

In my opinion, children raised by two married biological parents are more likely to themselves enter into a traditional marriage, and so their children are thus more likely to go to and graduate from college.
For those multitudes of children not raised by two married biological parents, it seems that their only hope is to attend good el/high schools. So why are “those that know best” not working on achieving that goal?

7/2/24
www.californiacontrarian.com

Rumor has it that the White House wants the next debate which is scheduled for September 10, to be held in the early afternoon. The spin coming from the White House is that it important to hold the coming debate at a time when those Americans who go to bed early can view it in its entirety. For instance, if the September debate is held at 1 pm EDT, then those on the west coast can watch it at 10 am. Even in Hawaii it would come on TV at 7am, and according to the White House, this means that everyone across the U.S. will be able to watch it.
Keep in mind that the same people who are trying to move the debate to a midday time, are the same ones who kept telling us that Joe Biden’s mental status was fine!
From the Daily Caller:
“Sources told Axios that the president is “dependably engaged” between the hours of 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. but is susceptible to “verbal miscues” and fatigue outside that time frame.
“The behavior the Biden aides described can be compared to a symptom of dementia called ‘sundowning.’ The term ‘sundowning’ references ‘a state of confusion’ that affects elders, particularly those with Alzheimer’s disease or types of dementia, during the evening or as the sun is beginning to set, according to the Mayo Clinic. More extreme cases of ‘sundowning’ result in anxiety, aggression, pacing, wandering and even hallucinations and trouble sleeping, the Mayo Clinic states.”

Of course from a contrarian’s viewpoint, perhaps the reason for the White House suggesting a midday debate is so that much less people will watch it!
Hmmm!
7/1/24
www.californiacontrarian.com

While Putin was amassing troops along the Ukrainian border, and Joe Biden was doing nothing, on 2/24/22, I wrote the following on my blog:

“What we basically have here is an amateur trying to match wits with a professional. Putin, the professional, has been planning his “invasion” into Ukraine for months. Who could ever think that Putin was doing this just for fun? Who could possibly fantasize that Putin was bluffing? Furthermore, who could convince himself that this Russian troop buildup was anything but the real deal. Only a rank amateur, and for all of you voted for J.B., let me break it to you gently … J.B. is a rank amateur – as rank as they come.

There is no way in hell that Biden has a chance against Putin, and soon, if not already, every rational person will realize this. At this point my hope is that Biden can find some way to save face without getting any Americans killed.”

Back then some RINOs castigated me for being too harsh on Joe Biden. However look at what we have today. It’s been over two years and actually what we have today is a “Biden-mess,” when we look at world affairs.

How do I define a “Biden-mess?”
Let’s look at the following.

Recently there have been Russian warships in Cuba.
Headline from the Miami Herald:

Biden’s response … nothing!

Likewise we have Putin visiting North Korea where the Russian President Vladimir Putin and the North Korean leader Kim Jong Un signed a new pact that includes a pledge of mutual defense if either is attacked.

Biden’s response … nothing!

Similarly, the Middle East is a “Biden mess.” Whereas , prior to Biden’s meddling Russia and Israel were on cordial terms, and now Putin is courting Iran, the arch-enemy of Israel.
Biden’s ineptitude of trying not to offend some voters in Michigan, is leading to a gradual separation of the longstanding Israel-US alliance.
Another “Biden-mess!”

And to top it off the Ukraine war is still ongoing. Putin and Russians have proposed conditions for peace. Biden’s response … zippo.

Now back to my comments of February 2022. Can anybody argue that Biden, the amateur, has been totally one-upped by Putin, the professional?
Hmmm!

Last night I watched the entire debate from stem to stern, and did not watch any of the post-debate hoopla.
First, I must say that CNN did an admirable job with the questions as well as with the general format. In addition, I would add that each of the candidates did an admirable job of not answering the questions that were asked. To me the entire debate came down to speech clarity, body language, and facial expression.
Right from the beginning how each one approached the podium was somewhat of an indicator of how the night was going to go. Joe Biden shuffled on to the stage with what I would call an “old man’s gait,” while Donald Trump briskly walked to his podium.
Many times during the debate Joe Biden looked like a deer caught in headlights … looking dazed, standing immobile without facial expression, while blankly staring straight ahead. Even though Donald Trump smirked a few times, for the most part he appeared to be in control of his emotions, and was focused on what President Biden was saying. The threat to Trump was that he would be nasty and condescending … neither of which he was. On the other hand President Biden appeared to lose his temper and raise his voice a few times … not very presidential.
Donald Trump spoke clearly and at an even pace, whereas Joe Biden often spoke rapidly and more than a few times seemingly slurred his words, enough so that I could not understand what he was saying. Biden also got confused occasionally with numbers … “millions, err billions” … “billions, err trillions.”
Finally, in my opinion, the tipping point … the thing that gave Trump the victory … was his tie – tied in a Windsor knot, whereas Biden’s tie was in a hackneyed half-Windsor.
In conclusion, the first round went to … DJT.
6/28/24

www.californiacontrarian.com

If you know who anyone believes that the timing of all of these anti-Trump lawsuits is purely coincidence, you might want to try to sell them a bridge! It has always been my suspicion that the timing all of these simultaneous lawsuits has been a coordinated effort … but by whom?
From the Daily Caller:
“The Democratic National Committee (DNC) has sent millions of dollars to law firms that are intimately involved in an ‘unprecedented lawfare’ campaign against former President Donald Trump, according to Federal Election Commission (FEC) records reviewed by the Daily Caller.”

(Hmmm! Could it be that the same DNC who was behind the anti-Trump Russian collusion propaganda has had their fingers in the present lawfare?)

“The DNC has paid close to $2 million since August of 2021 to Kaplan Hecker & Fink LLP for “legal services,” according to the DNC’s FEC filings. Kaplan Hecker & Fink LLP founding partner Roberta A. Kaplan represented E. Jean Carroll in her sexual assault and defamation suits against Trump.
The DNC did not pay the firm for any services from its founding in 2017 until August of 2021.”

The DNC has also paid Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr LLP several million dollars for “legal services” since 2021, according to FEC filings. ABC News previously reported the firm has “represented the DNC for a long time.” Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale And Dorr LLP has filed numerous Amicus briefs in the United States v. Donald Trump case, which concerns Trump’s potential criminal liability for actions related to the 2020 election and Jan. 6, and currently sits before the Supreme Court.
Several alumni from Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr have ended up with major roles in the Biden administration, including Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas and Ambassador to Mexico Ken Salazar. Former Special Counsel Robert Mueller is also a WilmerHale alumnus.
(Perhaps, an example of ‘you scratch my back, and I’ll scratch yours’?)

“There is now clear and explosive evidence that the Biden DNC is paying Democrat law firms to engage in in this unprecedented lawfare and election interference against President Trump,” Mike Davis, a legal adviser to Trump and the founder and president of the Article III Project, told the Caller.”

So to me it is all becoming clearer. Since the public would not believe another Russian interference brouhaha, years ago the DNC decided that they might as well try to sell the American public another far out yarn. After all if fabrications and deception worked once, why not try something similar again?
6/27/24
www.californiacontrarian.com

Let’s play a little game of “what if.”
What if President Joe Biden has a poor showing in the first presidential debate on June 27 of this year? What if he demonstrates some elements of confusion during this debate? What if he gets flustered or angry?
What if it’s pretty clear during the debate that he should not be the Democratic candidate?
What are the Dems going to do on June 28? At this point they will have a little over seven weeks to decide what to do, as the Democrat’s Convention does not begin until August 19.
Personally, I suspect that this not so coincidental timing might have been the Dem’s plan all along … Be able to evaluate Biden’s debate performance well in advance of having to make a final decision on who was going to be their nominee. Why such an early date for the first debate? Why such a late starting date for their convention in Chicago?
What if Biden bombs the debate. What are the options then?

Option one is to do nothing … basically throw in the towel, and just continue with J.B as their candidate. If Biden tanks in the debate, I am pretty certain that they will not just give up!
Option two is to convince Joe Biden to withdraw his name from the nomination. If this were to occur, what would be the reason? They could never say that JB’s mental state is a real issue as they have been telling us for almost four years that Biden’s mental state is just fine. They could not say that they now realize that he is too old to be president, as they have been saying all along that his age is not a concern.
Realistically, they are not many options left. Of course, if he were to die sometime in the following month, then they would not have to invent an excuse. We all hope that this excuse would not have to be used. However, what if Biden developed an illness prior to the August 19th Democrat Convention? If this were to occur, it would be obvious that he was no longer fit to be President. He would not have to immediately step down, but rather “for the good of the country,” he would voluntarily withdraw his name as the Democratic nominee in this coming November’s election.
Who would replace him on the ballot in November? At this point a lot of Dems would not care, as anything would be better than J.B.
The other advantage for Biden is that he could pardon his son, Hunter, or commute his sentence. As long as he does either while he is still President, and no one would much care!

6/26/24
Californiacontrarian.com

On Sundays I write about someone who deserved our praise because of something he/she did. Today that honoree is Branson Baker.
Remember the horrific grouping of tornadoes that hit in Oklahoma in late April.
From CBS, Fort Worth:
“The only way he found his way back was with lightning strikes that lit the road. He ran as fast as he could, as hard as he could, he made a mile in 10 minutes. That’s pretty impressive for a little kid,” said Branson’s uncle, Johnny Baker. “The last thing Branson told them was, ‘Mom, dad, please don’t die, I will be back.'”
From C&C:
Remember the big Oklahoma twister in the news a couple weeks ago? Afterwards, CBS Fort Worth ran a delightful local-interest story headlined, “9-year-old’s heroic act saves parents after Oklahoma tornado: “Please don’t die, I will be back”.”

Alert Oklahoma resident and baseball fan Branson Baker, 9, was evacuating during the storms with his parents just north of Marietta when they encountered one of the state’s seventeen fierce tornados. In what must have been a terrifying trial, the twister tossed the little family’s truck right into a tree.
It was ugly. According to the family’s GoFundMe, the accident broke Wayne Baker’s back, neck, sternum, ribs, and arm, and he lost part of a finger. It broke Lindy Baker’s back, neck, jaw, ribs, and right hand, and punctured her lung.
But miraculously, little Branson was unhurt.
Nine-year-old Branson managed to squirm out of the mangled truck and didn’t waste a moment. Over the roar of the storm, he shouted “Mom, dad, please don’t die, I will be back!” He then raced more than a mile over difficult terrain in pitch darkness — keeping his bearings using lightning flashes — and ran to a neighbor’s house to get help. The young man might even have set a ground speed record for his age bracket, clocking in at a tidy and impressive ten minutes over land and easily beating the field.
Branson’s parents are recovering in the hospital.

“Be like Branson.”

6/23/24

I just recently watched a few NBA basketball games … the first time in many years. I have never watched regular season NBA games after Michael Jordan retired, and have not watched any NBA playoff games in many years.
FYI: The most watched NBA game with 36 million viewers, was in 1998 … the 6th and final game of the playoffs between the Chicago Bulls and the Utah Jazz, in which Michael Jordan hit the winning shot.
But that was then (36 million TV viewers), and this is now.
From Imprimus:
In the 2020 NBA finals LeBron James’ Los Angeles Lakers defeated the Miami Heat in 6 games. The TV viewing audience for that 6th game was 7.4 million. This means that the NBA had lost 80% of its viewers, despite the fact that between 1998 and 2020 the population of the U.S. had increased by 30%!
This dramatic drop did not surprise me as although many years back I would watch some playoff games when the games actually counted, I had not watched any NBA playoff games since the NBA became “woke.”
Lest you have forgotten, in 2020 the league painted the slogan, “Black Lives Matter” on its basketball courts. Then the players in both the NBA and the WNBA began replacing the names on their jerseys with left-wing political slogans. Likewise back in 2017 the NBA pulled its All Star Game out of Charlotte, North Carolina because the legislature passed a bill to keep men out of women’s bathrooms! Finally after that ludicrous act in 2017, by 2020, I had both stopped watching any NBA games, and also refused to read anything NBA-related in the newspapers.
That was then.
Now one of my daughters, her husband and their kids are now avid enthusiastic Boston Celtics fans. For those unaware, the Boston Celtics play in the NBA, so I thought that perhaps I would watch a game. In fact I have watched a few. I have to admit that the games were entertaining, and to boot, there was no graffiti on the courts or on the uniforms. For those not aware, the Boston Celtics won the championship in five games.
The Boston Celtics head coach, Joe Mazzulla, is not confused about who deserves the praise after winning the NBA championship … and it was not Black Lives Matter or anything to do with the trans insanity!
During Game 5 of the NBA finals, Mazzulla wore a black crewneck shirt on the court sideline. But after his team defeated the Dallas Mavericks in a 106–88 rout, Mazzulla stripped off the long-sleeve shirt to reveal a second shirt underneath.
This is now …
“But first … let me thank God,” the shirt said.

Could it be that the NBA has awakened from its “woke” insanity?

6/20/24
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