● The NFL protest movement was dead. It never got above about a 100 players. The owners largely disallowed it behind the scenes. The fans fought back. The open protestors were becoming increasingly desperate that no one supported them or cared what they had to say. And then Moron Trump decides to pick a fight with this nearly dead movement. So now hundreds of players have signed up. Some owners stood with the players. The league re-affirmed that whining about leftist crap is a right under their CBA. Gee, thanks Trump. BTW, Drudge somehow thinks Trump is winning, but as is so often the case, he doesn't know anything.
● Hillary continues to show just how out of touch and useless she is. Interestingly, her pollster blasted her this weekend, claiming she failed to run a competent campaign despite getting all the advice she needed to do so - an opinion which was already kind of obvious. Then George Clooney blasted her this week as a bad candidate who he realized just wasn't a good communicator and who failed to step up her game. I get that the pollster is trying to salvage his rep and Clooney is trying to convince his donor circle that they can trust him next time, but all of this really just shows that Hillary is incompetent and everyone on the left knew it too.
● Obamacare. Obamcare. Ug. A new plan appears to repeal Obamacare, and the usual suspects strike. Paul Rand declares that fate is in the stars and thus be he forbade from supporting this noxious potion lest ephemeral change be made. John McCain, true to character, immediately tries to destroy his allies and give aid and comfort and a little love to his enemies. Susan Collins of Maine says, "Oh, is it my turn to waffle? I do love waffling. I can support this... unless I can't." And now Ted Cruz joins the fun, "God ain't said this bill is perfect and I don't vote unless it's perfect." The GOP is simply incapable of doing anything, and these are your culprits. It's like a collection of mental patients.
● Maureen Dowd let slip this weekend the reason the media is piling on about "fake ads" on Facebook from Russian sources. At first, this seemed to be part of the anti-Trump attack, but Dowd let slip that this is actually an attack on Mark Zuckerberg to beat him up before he tries to run for President. Clearly, they fear him and they fear that he's on the right. Watch for more of this.
● The "far right" (read nationalist) party in German has made it into their parliament for the first time since Hitler. Not coincidentally, someone paid more than $6,000 for a pair of Hitler's underwear at auction. I suspect that all the German parties will mishandle this. The SPD (center left) seems to want to vanish until this issue is over.
● Long Duk Dong in North Korea seems incapable of rational thought. I'm thinking China snuffs him soon. Both China and Paper Tiger Putin have moved combat troops to the area.
● Every Democrat in California is now promising a single payer health plan even though it's impossible for rational people to see the problems with it.
Strange world.
28 comments:
I'll just point out that Trump fanned the NFL flames, an issue that won't hurt him with his base in the slightest, and will probably firm up whatever was softening, just in time to keep the North Korean quake low in the news for the weekend. If he were capable of timing such things on purpose, it'd really make one wonder.
Andrew - I thought that CA voters already go the chance at "single-payer" in the state and they voted against?
NK should be China and Russia's problem. But then, I seem to remember that Clinton (Bill, not Hill) made one of those famous deals/treaties with Long Duk Dong The Elder in which they weren't allowed to develop nukes...Bill ballyhooed for years about it...
And Zuckerberg/Facebook Russia-gate...isn't The Zuck just a little too helpful after the fact about the whole Russian advertisers sneaking in and stealing the election stuff?
I stil think this whole Dem/Liberal "Russia Is The Evil Empire, No, Really, This Time We Mean It. We Know We Laughed Hysterical At the Whole Thing Before, But Now It's Really Real" schtick is dangerous, but entertaining too.
Trump & the NFL, helps him with the part of the base that watches Fox News —and no one else. It hurts the NFL, yes, but it also makes Trump look petty.
The only thing that helps him is that the left often often behaves just as obnoxiously, and are too busy indulging in a primal scream to notice it.
Honestly, this whole stupid mess reminds me why I've more or less checked out of politics.
From David A French:
-----------------------------------
In the space of less than 24 hours this weekend, the president of the United States did more to politicize sports than ESPN has done in a decade of biased, progressive programming. He singled out free speech he didn’t like, demanded that dissenters be fired, and then — when it became clear that private American citizens weren’t going to do what he demanded — he urged the economic boycott of their entire industry.
He told his political opponents on the football field — men who have defined their lives and careers by their mental and physical toughness — to essentially, “Do what I say or lose your job.” In so doing, he put them in straits far more difficult to navigate than anything Colin Kaepernick has wrought: Stand and they are seen to obey a man who just abused his office, and millions of Americans will view them as a sellout not just to the political cause they love but also to the Constitution itself; kneel and they defy a rogue president, but millions of Americans will view them as disrespecting the nation itself to score political points against a president those Americans happen to like.
At one stroke, thanks to an attempted vulgar display of strength, Trump changed the playing of the anthem and the display of the flag from a moment where all but the most radical Americans could unite to one where millions of well-meaning Americans could and did legitimately believe that the decision to kneel represented a defense of the ideals of the flag, not defiance of the nation they love.
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LINK
The part of Trump being petty...this is not a big surprise. What he is exposing very well though, is how petty anti-Trumpers are and that includes the NeverTrumpers like French. Why do these idiots keep taking the bait? I boggles my mind. It's almost as if it's on purpose from both sides. This game is getting really old.
Trump is a populist, populists continually engage in high profile, petty feuds which strike normal people as insane but get their 'persecuted' base cheering. *Sigh* I remember Marion Barry.
As for North Korea, it's useful for China and Russia, distracting the world from their malfeasance and allowing them to play the role of useful intermediary.
As I've said before even a bloodless collapse is a horrifying prospect for South Korea. There is a far vaster gap between income, lifespans and height than there was between East and West Germany.
So the only country North Korea has to worry about us the US but it looks like we are going to do what we always do, talk tough and tighten sanctions. Given the options it's not an unreasonable strategy (if a president thinks his job is going too well, he ought to start a war/occupation) but it's not one that is going to scare NK into abandoning nukes.
I'm enjoying the Trump/NFL imbroglio.Andrew, everything you said about it was correct but sometimes fun isn't logical. One of the reasons I voted for Trump was because I wanted to put the bull in the china shop(no pun intended) and watch him go. As far as I'm concerned he hasn't disappointed. And Kit, I seriously doubt the players are thinking this through that deeply.They just come off as spoiled jerks. As everybody here knows,freedom of expression means freedom for the expressions that we disagree with. However, it doesn't mean freedom from consequences. And what audience is Roger Goodell going for anyway? Last year, when five,count 'em guys, FIVE police officers were murdered in one day in Dallas and the Cowboys wanted to wear a support the blue emblem on their helmets he flatly forbade it. That was one team for one game. Now he's the champion of free speech? I love this stuff. The average age of a player in the NFL is 26.8 years. Let them hear some boos. Let them learn that everybody isn't going to kiss their ass no matter what they do.The bull I helped put in the china shop is doing what bulls in china shops do and I for one am enjoying it. In other news, Anthony Weiner got 21 months in prison today. Bev, I don't know if you read the New York Post but their coverage was hilarious. Apparently he broke down and cried in court, therefore failing to keep a stiff upper lip. Couldn't resist.
GypsyTyger
An alternative perspective, also from Nat'l Review:
Regarding Trump’s fire-the-NFL-protesters line last night that Teddy noted, it is a classic example of Trump’s, at times, gut-level political savvy. This kind of thing is why he’s president.
Finally, when Trump is criticized and doesn’t back down it is taken by his supporters as a sign of strength. If a political consultant came up with this strategy, he’d deserve a huge raise. But it’s just Trump himself operating on instinct.
LINK
Also in response to French's article, this tweet from Instapundit:
In one week, Trump got Dems to do a 180 on offensive speech. Is there anything his tweets can't do?
9/25/17, 9:18 AM
GypsyTyger - Yes, Anthony Weiner was sentenced today to 21 months in prison and has to report to prison in November. I am not sure why he gets to wait. I chalk it up as the privilege of the political class. Though I am not sure he won't do something drastic to avoid going to prison.
Bev, I have the same concern you do. I'll be glad when the door shuts behind him. Although it's not uncommon to give someone some time between sentencing and surrender to put their affairs in order. I think that's probably what happened.
GypsyTyger
Tyranmax,
It's good for him, but it's bad for the country.
"In one week, Trump got Dems to do a 180 on offensive speech. Is there anything his tweets can't do?"
And he got conservatives to do one, too. Just in the other direction. But don't worry, the lines will readjust when there is a culture war battle.
Because no one really cares about free speech anymore, save for a select few. They only care about making sure the other guy can't speak. That is what Trump revealed about all these "conservatives" on Fox News. They're support for free speech is just as hollow as the liberals who claim it on behalf of the New York Times but want to deny it to Citizens United.
Kit and tryanmax, I think that just shows how pathetic our political class is. Trump is essentially a baboon and yet he has everyone dancing to his tunes time and again. Our system is like a game of Simon Says at a sanitarium.
GypsyTyger, I get your point, but this has been a failure all around. Trump's attack took an issue the left had been pushing hard in the black community but which had all but died because the public rejected it, and now revived it and given it enough supporters that it will become something.
He should have picked other targets.
Kit, This issue has blurred free speech beyond the point of recognition. The left has made it consequence free leftist speech, but thought-crimes for other speech.
The right and the media have hopelessly confused government with private industry and freedom of speech with freedom from consequence and with right to be heard.
Bev, I don't know what to make of the Zuck, but I know he's running and I know the media likes to make him into some sort of super-villain.
Zuckerberg is totally not a lizard alien. I mean, how can you say he has two sets of eyelids if one set is underneath the other? It doesn't make sense.
***NEWS BREAK***
Saudi Arabia's new King has just issued an order allowing all women have drivers licenses. Now, this may seem like a joke, but this is a pretty big deal in Saudi Arabia. And by all counts, the new King is young and progressive in a meaningful way. I give him a year or two before the hard=liners find a way to stop him permanently.
****end trasmission***
I can vouch for Zuckerberg is totally not a lizard alien. Bush was/is, but not Zuckerberg. Actually there really IS no Zuckerberg. Have you actually ever seen him in real life, not just a photograph.
However, I am convinced Trump may be a hologram...still working on that theory.
Bev, according to holographic universe theory, we're all holograms. Let that sink in...
As if I don't have enough issues, now I might not even be real?
All hail the return of "Dissent is patriotic!" after an 8ish year sabbatical.
Bev......the new Saudi CROWN PRINCE is young and progressive. They still have King Salman who is the new Crown Prince’s father. CP name is Mohammed Bin Salman, the push behind Vision 2030, the KSA plan for transforming their country.
I think these highly privileged players in the nfl should think just a bit on the flag raising picture of Iwo Jima. I haven’t watched an NFL game in over two years.
Patriot - my mistake. But the Crown Prince must have influence to convince his father the King to effectuate this new progress. That is a good move forward.
EP - dissent has always been a foundation of our Republic. The pendulum swings back and forth to who gets top billing in the "patriotic" games.
Bev....... not trying to be holier than thou on this😄. I think we are just beginning to see the influence MbS is going to have on KSA for many decades to come. Once his father passes he will be king and the King of Saudi Arabia wields tremendous power not only in his country but globally.
I see this as a good thing for them and for the US.
(I actually think it was Trump communing with the orb that did it!)
Saudi Arabia is letting women drive? Is nothing sacred?!! ;-)
And now liberals are trying to say that Saudi Arabia has done more for women in 2017 than the US. We've gone from participation trophies to most improved certificates.
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