{"id":66864,"date":"2019-02-03T22:03:51","date_gmt":"2019-02-04T03:03:51","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/?p=66864"},"modified":"2019-02-03T22:04:01","modified_gmt":"2019-02-04T03:04:01","slug":"the-daily-gouge-archive-friday-february-1st-2019","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/?p=66864","title":{"rendered":"The Daily Gouge Archive, Friday, February 1st, 2019"},"content":{"rendered":"

It’s Friday, February 1st, 2019…one day before Punxsutawney Phil reckons whether we’ll endure six more weeks of this wicked winter…<\/strong><\/p>\n

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…courtesy of anthropogenic global warming<\/em><\/span>.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Yeah,…whatever!<\/strong><\/p>\n

Now, here’s The Gouge<\/em>!<\/strong><\/p>\n

First up, writing at the WSJ<\/em>, Kim Strassel details the difference between…<\/strong><\/p>\n

Grande vs. Keurig Billionaires<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/h1>\n

Schultz\u2019s independent run makes more sense than Bloomberg\u2019s Democratic one<\/span><\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/span><\/h3>\n

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“Billionaire Michael Bloomberg lectured billionaire Howard Schultz Monday on the proper way to run for president. Third-party campaigns are a nice thought, explained Mr. Bloomberg, but the Starbucks baron is indulging in too grande-venti-trenta of an ambition: \u201cThere is no way<\/span> an independent can win<\/span><\/em>.\u201d<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

The New York mogul wasn\u2019t alone in his condemnation. The entire Democratic and media establishment went into meltdown mode<\/em><\/span>, castigating Mr. Schultz as out of touch and a menace to those candidates who might deliver the country from Donald J. Trump<\/span><\/em>.<\/span> Yet the criticism was particularly rich<\/em><\/span> coming from Mr. Bloomberg<\/em><\/span>, whose own<\/em><\/span> path to the White House is as tiny as a Keurig pod<\/em><\/span>.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

…For all his close study of independent runs, the joke is that Mr. Bloomberg has still missed the mark. He\u2019d arguably get a better hearing among Republican voters<\/span> in a GOP challenge to Mr. Trump than he will from the ascendant progressives he\u2019s<\/span> thrown in with<\/em>.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Mr. Schultz cheerfully noted Thursday that Democratic fury at his announcement is proof that he \u201cmust<\/em><\/span> being doing something<\/em><\/span> right.\u201d<\/strong><\/span> Good for him. He\u2019s at least pursuing a route to the White House that has\u00a0some\u00a0<\/em>chance for success. Which puts him several grandes and ventis ahead of that other billionaire.<\/strong><\/span>“<\/p>\n

Though, Bloomberg’s obvious shortcomings<\/em><\/span> notwithstanding, Schultz is still<\/em><\/span> one can short of a six-pack!<\/strong><\/p>\n

Next up, as\u00a0NRO<\/em>‘s Jack Crowe informs us, the…<\/strong><\/p>\n

Chicago Police Are STILL Unable to Find Footage of Alleged Racist Attack on\u00a0Empire<\/i>\u00a0Actor<\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/h1>\n

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“…Jessie Smollett said he was assaulted and suffered a cracked rib but condo surveillance video shows Smollett walking past security to the elevator.<\/strong> Without telling them<\/em><\/span> he had just been attacked<\/em><\/span> by thugs who \u201cbeat the hell out of him\u201d and \u201cbroke his ribs.\u201d<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

…The next time<\/em><\/span> Smollett is seen on surveillance camera, he is entering a condo building.<\/span> Police say he now<\/em><\/span> has a rope around his neck<\/span><\/em> and is “wearing it like a neck tie<\/em><\/span>“.<\/span><\/strong> About a minute (maybe less) has passed since he was seen on video.<\/p>\n

…And Jessie Smollett says he was talking to his manager during the assault, but he won\u2019t turn over his phone<\/em><\/span><\/strong><\/span>…”<\/p>\n

Which hasn’t prevented the biggest bovines in the lowing herd from weighing in before the facts are known:<\/strong><\/p>\n

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Holy “The Cambridge Police Acted Stupidly<\/em><\/span><\/a>“, Batman!\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong>As Kyle Smith recounts at NRO<\/em>:<\/strong><\/article>\n

“…At some point the police were contacted and Smollett was interviewed in a friend\u2019s apartment at 2:42\u00a0a.m.<\/span>\u00a0He asked police to turn off their body cameras so the encounter would not be recorded<\/em><\/span>. At this<\/em><\/span> point, he was still wearing the rope around his neck<\/em><\/span>, police said.<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

So let\u2019s recap<\/span><\/em> what Smollett says happened, together with what Chicago reporters have heard from police. Two men recognized a gay black actor from a TV show at 2\u00a0a.m.<\/span>\u00a0on a Chicago street during an extreme cold snap while he was on his phone<\/em><\/span>.<\/span> Instead of taking the phone from him, they began to shout slurs at him<\/span><\/em>. The assailants happened to have a rope and an unknown liquid with them<\/span><\/em>.<\/span> They put a rope around his neck, but instead of strangling<\/span> him with it, they just left it there and then ran away<\/span><\/em>. Instead of calling the police immediately on the phone<\/em>, Smollett walked into an apartment building and past security, without informing anyone about the alleged assault<\/span>, and<\/span> he kept<\/span> the rope around his neck for some three-quarters of an hour<\/span><\/em>.<\/span> He neglected to tell the police about the MAGA remark<\/span> in this first interview, revealing it only later in a subsequent interview<\/span><\/em>. He took himself<\/em><\/span> to Northwestern Memorial Hospital that morning and was released later in the morning.<\/span> TMZ posted a picture of Smollett with a small scratch or cut beneath his right eye.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

That\u2019s pretty much all we know<\/em><\/span>.<\/strong><\/span> Here\u2019s hoping we find out more<\/em><\/span>.<\/strong><\/span>“<\/p>\n

Smith’s account also includes this sage suggestion from a local FOX<\/em> reporter:<\/strong><\/p>\n

“On Tuesday, in response to a Joe Biden tweet expressing outrage over the alleged hate-crime assault on Smollett, longtime Chicago TV reporter Rafer Weigel of Fox 32 wrote: \u201cMight be best to tone down the outrage<\/span> on the Jussie Smollett\u00a0story until more evidence comes in to suggest it actually happened<\/span><\/em>.\u201d Later the reporter added: \u201cTo be clear<\/span>. I am not accusing<\/span> Smollett\u00a0of lying<\/span><\/em>.<\/span> I\u2019m saying<\/em><\/span> the Chicago PD\u00a0and<\/em><\/span> Chicago FBI have been working round the clock<\/span> & have found nothing to support it<\/span><\/em>. And\u00a0<\/span><\/strong><\/span>given the extremity of his claims<\/em><\/span><\/strong>\u00a0and where they allegedly took place it<\/em><\/span> has them<\/em> skeptical<\/em><\/span>.\u201d<\/span><\/strong><\/span>“<\/p>\n

Color us not simply “skeptical”, but\u00a0decidedly doubtful<\/em><\/span>!<\/strong><\/p>\n

Turning from the decidedly doubtful to the indescribably despicable, writing at his Morning Jolt<\/em>, Jim Geraghty relates…<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Democrats\u2019 Brutal Honesty and Honest Brutality About Abortion<\/strong><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/h1>\n

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