The Michigan Wolverines will be holding their spring practice scrimage at Saline High School.
As a result of the Michigan spring camp thus far, Saline will be favored to win by 3 at home.
Tuesday, March 25, 2008
Monday, March 17, 2008
Hail to Victims!
The crisis over a "do-over" Democratic primary in Michigan badly exposes a Democratic party tied to victimology over ideology. Three specific forms of this error led to this comical collision that may yet end with a mid-November political cartoon of two skeletons in a pit -- Clinton and Obama -- with hands grasped around one another's throats.
It is astonishing to realize that a party that could shake itself of just one of the following would have avoided this problem entirely...
1. THE PROPORTIONAL DELEGATE SYSTEM
How long would the Republican primaries have raged on if so many states had not been "winner take all," allowing McCain to walk away with boatloads of delegates in several important states while not winning a majority of the vote? Crafted so that a niche candidate with a small following (read: Jesse Jackson) can "win" lots of delegates without actually winning any states, the far different Democrat system made this "Battle of Stalingrad" primary between nearly equally matched opponents a train wreck waiting to happen.
2. WOMEN VS. AFRICAN AMERICANS
If a GOP Presidential Primary boiled down to Colin Powell v. Candice Miller, it would not divide along factions of older women Republicans vs. minority Republicans. Even a primary with decidedly religious right candidate, and those who were not, couldn't -- in the end -- fracture the Republicans.
Not so with Democrats, whose tribal-coalition politics virtually assured that this profoundly unlikely battle between nearly equally matched black and female candidates would devolve to a circus act whereby has-been identity politicians from yesteryear such as Geraldine Ferraro could seize a moment in the center ring and further force the clowns to choose up sides.
3. THE EARLY PRIMARY GANGSTERS
Every four years, like mafia dons, Iowa and New Hampshire have coerced the candidates in both parties to kiss the rings of their "first in the nation" monopoly on kicking off the presidential selection process. This year, Nevada and South Carolina joined the collusion and got both parties to sign off on a silly "nobody else goes before Feb. 5" rule.
By stripping "cheaters" like Michigan and Florida of only half of their delegates, the RNC assured that both states would get real campaigns from the major competitors and thus little reason for griping from losers. It was a clear wink and nod to all involved that Iowa and New Hampshire were being listened to, but that their childish demands were not respected in any meaningful way.
Not so with Democrats. The slavish surrender to identity politics that created the porportional delegate system, and made the women voters v. black voters schism possible, also drove them to fall completely on their swords when the "Early Primary Mafia" demanded its own form of tribute.
A perfect storm entirely of their own making, derived exclusively from the victim politics that holds the party together.
It is astonishing to realize that a party that could shake itself of just one of the following would have avoided this problem entirely...
1. THE PROPORTIONAL DELEGATE SYSTEM
How long would the Republican primaries have raged on if so many states had not been "winner take all," allowing McCain to walk away with boatloads of delegates in several important states while not winning a majority of the vote? Crafted so that a niche candidate with a small following (read: Jesse Jackson) can "win" lots of delegates without actually winning any states, the far different Democrat system made this "Battle of Stalingrad" primary between nearly equally matched opponents a train wreck waiting to happen.
2. WOMEN VS. AFRICAN AMERICANS
If a GOP Presidential Primary boiled down to Colin Powell v. Candice Miller, it would not divide along factions of older women Republicans vs. minority Republicans. Even a primary with decidedly religious right candidate, and those who were not, couldn't -- in the end -- fracture the Republicans.
Not so with Democrats, whose tribal-coalition politics virtually assured that this profoundly unlikely battle between nearly equally matched black and female candidates would devolve to a circus act whereby has-been identity politicians from yesteryear such as Geraldine Ferraro could seize a moment in the center ring and further force the clowns to choose up sides.
3. THE EARLY PRIMARY GANGSTERS
Every four years, like mafia dons, Iowa and New Hampshire have coerced the candidates in both parties to kiss the rings of their "first in the nation" monopoly on kicking off the presidential selection process. This year, Nevada and South Carolina joined the collusion and got both parties to sign off on a silly "nobody else goes before Feb. 5" rule.
By stripping "cheaters" like Michigan and Florida of only half of their delegates, the RNC assured that both states would get real campaigns from the major competitors and thus little reason for griping from losers. It was a clear wink and nod to all involved that Iowa and New Hampshire were being listened to, but that their childish demands were not respected in any meaningful way.
Not so with Democrats. The slavish surrender to identity politics that created the porportional delegate system, and made the women voters v. black voters schism possible, also drove them to fall completely on their swords when the "Early Primary Mafia" demanded its own form of tribute.
A perfect storm entirely of their own making, derived exclusively from the victim politics that holds the party together.
Tuesday, March 11, 2008
Bush Will Not Seek Third Term!
What if you spent eighteen months of a presidential campaign running against an opponent who wasn't going to be on the ballot? I've had that thought burrowing through my brain as I've watched the Democratic presidential candidate primary debates and rhetoric over the last year. It was George Bush messed up this, and messed up that, and it takes a Clinton to clean up after a Bush, and we need change, and ... etc...
But with still no certain Democratic nominee, and less than eight months to the election, the hyper-Lefties over at the American Prospect have veered dangerously close to the startling realization that George Bush may in fact NOT be on the ballot when they need him...
As much as Democrats love their two candidates, the really animating issue is getting rid of Bush, and they are completely open on how, and evenly divided on with whom. Without Bush-loathing as the organizing principle of their unity, Democrats could find themselves on shaky ground: the party's old personality disorders may begin to resurface.
But with still no certain Democratic nominee, and less than eight months to the election, the hyper-Lefties over at the American Prospect have veered dangerously close to the startling realization that George Bush may in fact NOT be on the ballot when they need him...
As much as Democrats love their two candidates, the really animating issue is getting rid of Bush, and they are completely open on how, and evenly divided on with whom. Without Bush-loathing as the organizing principle of their unity, Democrats could find themselves on shaky ground: the party's old personality disorders may begin to resurface.
It's been 40 years since neither a sitting President, nor his VP, was on the ballot. And even then, the Democrats were tearing themselves apart running against the guy who wasn't running -- in that case one of their own, President Lyndon Johnson.
Campus Activism
Two stories in two different state university campus newspapers this week create quite a contrast regarding the future of conversations about race on Michigan university campuses.
First, there is The South End, the Wayne State University paper telling on Wednesday about the plight of the on-campus NAACP chapter...
...at the chapter's NAACP 99th Birthday Celebration, . . . empty seats outnumbered occupied ones.
[of] The chapter's 30 paying members, fewer than 10 showed up for the Feb. 12 event. This pattern has been common. ... on average, four or five members attend the organization's regular bi-weekly meetings.
And on it went, details of how a nearly century-old, brand-name civil rights movement, on a large public university campus, in the middle of a large and overwhelmingly black city, struggles to muster even a handful of regulars who care enough to attend a regular meeting.
But five days later in Ann Arbor, a slightly different story is told by the Michigan Daily...
Ward Connerly, the outspoken affirmative action critic who helped set legislation in motion that banned affirmative action in the state of Michigan, spoke at the Law School this weekend. A crowd of about 250 students, activists and professors gathered in Hutchins Hall Saturday morning to hear Connerly speak on a panel that also included University Law Prof. Sherman Clark and Yeshiva University Law Prof. Marci Hamilton.
So, there's still a lot of people willing to get up on a Saturday morning and listen to differing views on how to advance race relations. It's just that the NAACP doesn't seem to have a seat at the table -- the article makes zero mention of the NAACP involvement in this event.
But the paper mentions another group that did demand a seat at the table...
About 20 members of By Any Means Necessary, a pro-affirmative action group, protested outside before the event. As Connerly began his opening remarks, some of those members interrupted... by shouting over him.
And also...
During the question and answer session that followed the panel discussion, BAMN members repeatedly asked questions and occupied the microphone lines to speak. BAMN coordinator Neil Lyons called Connerly a fraud and a liar.
Which resulted in this...
As the noise escalated during Connerly's remarks, the auditorium lights flickered briefly and BAMN members' microphones were turned on and off in an attempt to settle BAMN and the rest of the crowd.
So, where does one find 20 or so hijackers to take control of an otherwise civil and well attended debate on race relations at the University of Michigan?
Answer...
"You can't argue racism and racist policy in public and get away with it!" yelled Joyce Schon, a second-year law student at Wayne State University and a BAMN organizer, from her seat.
Joyce obviously has enough time to take a break from her law studies and organize her rabble full of ruffians and roadtrip to Ann Arbor. But I somehow bet she doesn't make the time to attend those NAACP meetings right in her own back yard.
First, there is The South End, the Wayne State University paper telling on Wednesday about the plight of the on-campus NAACP chapter...
...at the chapter's NAACP 99th Birthday Celebration, . . . empty seats outnumbered occupied ones.
[of] The chapter's 30 paying members, fewer than 10 showed up for the Feb. 12 event. This pattern has been common. ... on average, four or five members attend the organization's regular bi-weekly meetings.
And on it went, details of how a nearly century-old, brand-name civil rights movement, on a large public university campus, in the middle of a large and overwhelmingly black city, struggles to muster even a handful of regulars who care enough to attend a regular meeting.
But five days later in Ann Arbor, a slightly different story is told by the Michigan Daily...
Ward Connerly, the outspoken affirmative action critic who helped set legislation in motion that banned affirmative action in the state of Michigan, spoke at the Law School this weekend. A crowd of about 250 students, activists and professors gathered in Hutchins Hall Saturday morning to hear Connerly speak on a panel that also included University Law Prof. Sherman Clark and Yeshiva University Law Prof. Marci Hamilton.
So, there's still a lot of people willing to get up on a Saturday morning and listen to differing views on how to advance race relations. It's just that the NAACP doesn't seem to have a seat at the table -- the article makes zero mention of the NAACP involvement in this event.
But the paper mentions another group that did demand a seat at the table...
About 20 members of By Any Means Necessary, a pro-affirmative action group, protested outside before the event. As Connerly began his opening remarks, some of those members interrupted... by shouting over him.
And also...
During the question and answer session that followed the panel discussion, BAMN members repeatedly asked questions and occupied the microphone lines to speak. BAMN coordinator Neil Lyons called Connerly a fraud and a liar.
Which resulted in this...
As the noise escalated during Connerly's remarks, the auditorium lights flickered briefly and BAMN members' microphones were turned on and off in an attempt to settle BAMN and the rest of the crowd.
So, where does one find 20 or so hijackers to take control of an otherwise civil and well attended debate on race relations at the University of Michigan?
Answer...
"You can't argue racism and racist policy in public and get away with it!" yelled Joyce Schon, a second-year law student at Wayne State University and a BAMN organizer, from her seat.
Joyce obviously has enough time to take a break from her law studies and organize her rabble full of ruffians and roadtrip to Ann Arbor. But I somehow bet she doesn't make the time to attend those NAACP meetings right in her own back yard.
Sunday, March 9, 2008
More Honorable Democrats?
This morning's Detroit News brings word that some Detroit City Councilmembers are going to take a tough stand against the mayor following the text message scandal...
Last week, the city council decided to postpone a decision asking the mayor to resign. The mayor will give his state of the city address on Tuesday, and several council members said they will shun the mayor by refusing to sit behind him on stage in Orchestra Hall when he gives his speech.
Compare to another Democratic politician who got caught in a sex scandal, which led to perjury, and then to calls for his removal from office, and then him using the powers of his office to trash the reputations of innocent people caught up in the scandals of his making.
I don't recall the Democrats of the day standing up to the situation and shunning the bad boy. Maybe Detroit politicians are just that much more honorable.
Last week, the city council decided to postpone a decision asking the mayor to resign. The mayor will give his state of the city address on Tuesday, and several council members said they will shun the mayor by refusing to sit behind him on stage in Orchestra Hall when he gives his speech.
Compare to another Democratic politician who got caught in a sex scandal, which led to perjury, and then to calls for his removal from office, and then him using the powers of his office to trash the reputations of innocent people caught up in the scandals of his making.
I don't recall the Democrats of the day standing up to the situation and shunning the bad boy. Maybe Detroit politicians are just that much more honorable.
Saturday, March 8, 2008
Cushy Council Jobs
The Detroit News editorial page is all knotted up over Detroit City Council member Monica Conyers using $12,000 from her taxpayer-financed office allotment so as to send her former chief of staff to Lisbon and Hong Kong for what was supposed to have been legitimate city business regarding pension funds [insert Teamsters joke here].
Okay, yes, that's stinky and suspicious. But the News' fixation on this particular little tree sends them whizzing past a towering forest of taxpayer waste with barely a raised eyebrow. The article does do a drive-by on facts regarding the big picture, but fails to tie it together...
...council members' own office accounts have few restrictions on spending. Council members are allocated $650,000 to spend pretty much as they wish on running their offices.
What's missing?
That $650,000 office allotment is about SIX TIMES larger than what the average member of the Michigan House of Representatives gets for the same purpose -- paying the bills of running their legislative office. And it's also noteworthy to point out that Michigan lawmakers are the second highest paid in America, while Detroit is one of the poorest big cities in the nation.
So, yeah, $12,000 to send the help on a world tour is one bad cough from a patient that's been hacking for years. Ten council members getting at least a half million each more than than they need every year is the pneumonia in plain sight that the Detroit News is ignoring.
Okay, yes, that's stinky and suspicious. But the News' fixation on this particular little tree sends them whizzing past a towering forest of taxpayer waste with barely a raised eyebrow. The article does do a drive-by on facts regarding the big picture, but fails to tie it together...
...council members' own office accounts have few restrictions on spending. Council members are allocated $650,000 to spend pretty much as they wish on running their offices.
What's missing?
That $650,000 office allotment is about SIX TIMES larger than what the average member of the Michigan House of Representatives gets for the same purpose -- paying the bills of running their legislative office. And it's also noteworthy to point out that Michigan lawmakers are the second highest paid in America, while Detroit is one of the poorest big cities in the nation.
So, yeah, $12,000 to send the help on a world tour is one bad cough from a patient that's been hacking for years. Ten council members getting at least a half million each more than than they need every year is the pneumonia in plain sight that the Detroit News is ignoring.
Thursday, March 6, 2008
The Postman Never Rings Twice
Another postman was busted for keeping mail at his house and not delivering it. This one had 300 tubs of mail with more than 16,000 letters in his Southfield, MI, home. The Detroit News says it dates back to 2002...
"According to the caller, the mail dated back to 2002 and consisted of mail from the Michigan Department of Treasury, child support, tax returns, utility bills and magazines," the affidavit said.
The mailman in question has had the same route for 16 years. How does one get away with not delivering so much mail to the people on that route for five of those years? The nature of the neighborhood may provide a clue:
Affected households are in Detroit's 48208 ZIP code, in an area just west of Wayne State University, near the intersection of I-94 and the Lodge Freeway.
...
Much of the undelivered mail was third-class mail and mail addressed to vacant homes, said Ed Moore, a postal spokesman in Detroit. Letter carriers are supposed to return any undelivered mail to the post office, not take it home, he said.
If a letter falls in an empty city, apparently it doesn't make a sound.
"According to the caller, the mail dated back to 2002 and consisted of mail from the Michigan Department of Treasury, child support, tax returns, utility bills and magazines," the affidavit said.
The mailman in question has had the same route for 16 years. How does one get away with not delivering so much mail to the people on that route for five of those years? The nature of the neighborhood may provide a clue:
Affected households are in Detroit's 48208 ZIP code, in an area just west of Wayne State University, near the intersection of I-94 and the Lodge Freeway.
...
Much of the undelivered mail was third-class mail and mail addressed to vacant homes, said Ed Moore, a postal spokesman in Detroit. Letter carriers are supposed to return any undelivered mail to the post office, not take it home, he said.
If a letter falls in an empty city, apparently it doesn't make a sound.
Saturday, March 1, 2008
Death of a Newborn Panic
The Indian Outsourcing Panic of the 2000's, like the "Japan, Inc." peril of the 1980's, may already be running out of gas because Indians are getting too rich. In the digital revolution, it seems that even American stereotypes of who is going to steal our "jebs!" is subject to Moore's Law, according to a new article put online by Forbes: "The Coming Death of Indian Outsourcing."
Manufacturing concerns in Michigan are targeted for a particularly ironic comparison...
All 150 TruAdvantage employees in India were laid off. That's been a familiar tale in Detroit--but no so far in India. But that's changing.
Changing how?
As the 1:3 cost structure becomes 1:1.5, it will soon become inefficient to use Indian labor. Why not Oklahoma or British Columbia? For many Europeans, Eastern Europe has already become more compelling than India. The pure labor arbitrage equation will no longer balance.
ADP, the largest U.S. payroll services provider, has 45,000 employees worldwide, of which only 2,500 are in India. It has around 1,000 workers in El Paso, Texas, it's expanding a location in Augusta, Ga., and it's opening a facility in Jackson, Miss. It's also growing a location in Halifax, Canada. ADP isn't moving its workforce to India--it's hedging its bets geographically. On a recent earnings call, ADP's chief executive used terms such as "smartshoring," and "nearshoring" to describe the strategy.
I have an idea. Perhaps American doomsayers should begin outsourcing anxiety production to Indian workers -- if they can afford it.
Manufacturing concerns in Michigan are targeted for a particularly ironic comparison...
All 150 TruAdvantage employees in India were laid off. That's been a familiar tale in Detroit--but no so far in India. But that's changing.
Changing how?
As the 1:3 cost structure becomes 1:1.5, it will soon become inefficient to use Indian labor. Why not Oklahoma or British Columbia? For many Europeans, Eastern Europe has already become more compelling than India. The pure labor arbitrage equation will no longer balance.
ADP, the largest U.S. payroll services provider, has 45,000 employees worldwide, of which only 2,500 are in India. It has around 1,000 workers in El Paso, Texas, it's expanding a location in Augusta, Ga., and it's opening a facility in Jackson, Miss. It's also growing a location in Halifax, Canada. ADP isn't moving its workforce to India--it's hedging its bets geographically. On a recent earnings call, ADP's chief executive used terms such as "smartshoring," and "nearshoring" to describe the strategy.
I have an idea. Perhaps American doomsayers should begin outsourcing anxiety production to Indian workers -- if they can afford it.
Friday, February 29, 2008
Victoria's Secret: Taliban
First the new mayor of New York goes to war on fatty foods and smoking. Now Victoria's Secret has decided that they're "too sexy."
According to the WSJ today...
The chief executive of the brand known for its provocative televised fashion shows and alluring stores made an admission yesterday. In her mind, the brand has become "too sexy" -- or at least the wrong kind of sexy.
One day soon, our Islamofascist enemies will simply give up and declare that America is no longer a nation that disagrees with their "values" enough to justify all the drama.
According to the WSJ today...
The chief executive of the brand known for its provocative televised fashion shows and alluring stores made an admission yesterday. In her mind, the brand has become "too sexy" -- or at least the wrong kind of sexy.
One day soon, our Islamofascist enemies will simply give up and declare that America is no longer a nation that disagrees with their "values" enough to justify all the drama.
Thursday, February 21, 2008
Pot-head Gunfighters Need Not Apply
The embattled mayor of Detroit wants to hire hundreds more cops to ward off crime troubles which he confesses are all over the city.
There's a problem...
He added that the city is struggling to find new officers -- especially those who are black or are Detroiters -- because they can't pass the drug test for marijuana.
"If you can't stop for 10 days, we don't want you driving a truck or carrying a gun," Kilpatrick said.
There's a problem...
He added that the city is struggling to find new officers -- especially those who are black or are Detroiters -- because they can't pass the drug test for marijuana.
"If you can't stop for 10 days, we don't want you driving a truck or carrying a gun," Kilpatrick said.
Monday, February 18, 2008
The Greens Killed Fuel Efficiency
Political legends are filled with wild conspiracy theories about magic cars and engines that got zillions of miles per gallon, but got blocked from the market place by (take your pick) greedy oil companies or greedy car companies.
Well, I've found one that I believe.
As the wild story goes, Chevrolet had a 29 MPG car in 1960 ready for mass production. This fun little car even had a convertible option. GM had every reason to believe this car would sell 250,000 units for a half dozen years or more.
Sound far-fetched? Well, GM did have such a car. They knew it would sell so well because it DID sell 250k units (and sometimes more) through 1965 -- 1.8 million would be on the road before production ceased in 1969.
So, is this a story of GM wiping out a promising technology to protect the oil companies? Or the greedy American consumers selling out fuel efficiency for gas guzzlers right before the oil shocks of the early 70's.
Not quite.
Ralph Nader, future presidential candidate of the Green Party, is at fault. According to the Wall Street Journal...
Corvairs got about 29 miles per gallon on the highway, incredible back then and not bad even today.
And...
In late 1965 this was described by a young, obscure lawyer named Ralph Nader in a book called "Unsafe at Any Speed." The book became a bestseller, Mr. Nader became a celebrity, and the Corvair, within a few years, became history.
So, there you have it. Operatives of the Green Party USA conspired 48 years ago to take fuel efficient cars off the market.
Sound wacky? You probably wouldn't believe that the same secret cabal, led by the same wicked overload, has also been conspiring ever since to crank up greenhouse gases by keeping nuclear power plants off the market, would you?
Of course you wouldn't. Too many facts get in the way of a good story.
Well, I've found one that I believe.
As the wild story goes, Chevrolet had a 29 MPG car in 1960 ready for mass production. This fun little car even had a convertible option. GM had every reason to believe this car would sell 250,000 units for a half dozen years or more.
Sound far-fetched? Well, GM did have such a car. They knew it would sell so well because it DID sell 250k units (and sometimes more) through 1965 -- 1.8 million would be on the road before production ceased in 1969.
So, is this a story of GM wiping out a promising technology to protect the oil companies? Or the greedy American consumers selling out fuel efficiency for gas guzzlers right before the oil shocks of the early 70's.
Not quite.
Ralph Nader, future presidential candidate of the Green Party, is at fault. According to the Wall Street Journal...
Corvairs got about 29 miles per gallon on the highway, incredible back then and not bad even today.
And...
In late 1965 this was described by a young, obscure lawyer named Ralph Nader in a book called "Unsafe at Any Speed." The book became a bestseller, Mr. Nader became a celebrity, and the Corvair, within a few years, became history.
So, there you have it. Operatives of the Green Party USA conspired 48 years ago to take fuel efficient cars off the market.
Sound wacky? You probably wouldn't believe that the same secret cabal, led by the same wicked overload, has also been conspiring ever since to crank up greenhouse gases by keeping nuclear power plants off the market, would you?
Of course you wouldn't. Too many facts get in the way of a good story.
Tuesday, February 12, 2008
Workers of the World -- RETIRE!
You have nothing to lose but your six-figure buyouts!
The direct descendants of the good 'ole Daily Worker (now the "People's Weekly World" -- apparently they've bargained for more than just weekends off) are really worried about the GM buyouts just announced. The labor movement in the United States is definitely hitting a recruitment rough patch when the venerable old communist newspaper is lamenting injustices such as this:
"Workers with less seniority, in turn, are frightened or lured into taking one time cash payments of $100,000 - $140,000 and give up their good paying union jobs forever."
The direct descendants of the good 'ole Daily Worker (now the "People's Weekly World" -- apparently they've bargained for more than just weekends off) are really worried about the GM buyouts just announced. The labor movement in the United States is definitely hitting a recruitment rough patch when the venerable old communist newspaper is lamenting injustices such as this:
"Workers with less seniority, in turn, are frightened or lured into taking one time cash payments of $100,000 - $140,000 and give up their good paying union jobs forever."
Thursday, January 31, 2008
No Governors Need Apply...
Consider this...
Bush 2 (Gov)
Clinton (Gov)
Bush 1 (former Veep)
Reagan (Gov)
Carter (Gov)
Ford (former Veep)
Nixon (former Veep)
Johnson (former Veep)
Kennedy -- Senator
Eisenhower (military)
Truman (former Veep)
F.D. Roosevelt (Gov)
Hoover (Commerce Secy)
Coolidge (Gov)
Harding -- Senator
Wilson (Gov)
Taft (Secy of War)
Versues this...
Obama -- Senator
Clinton -- Senator
McCain -- Senator
Romney (Gov)
Barring a comeback for Romney (or an altering of the laws of the known universe for Huckabee or Ron Paul), the nominees of both major parties and thus the likely next President will have "United States Senator" as his or her primary political resume line for the first time since 1963 and only the third time in the last century.
That's quite a long dark period for the world's most exclusive country club.
Bush 2 (Gov)
Clinton (Gov)
Bush 1 (former Veep)
Reagan (Gov)
Carter (Gov)
Ford (former Veep)
Nixon (former Veep)
Johnson (former Veep)
Kennedy -- Senator
Eisenhower (military)
Truman (former Veep)
F.D. Roosevelt (Gov)
Hoover (Commerce Secy)
Coolidge (Gov)
Harding -- Senator
Wilson (Gov)
Taft (Secy of War)
Versues this...
Obama -- Senator
Clinton -- Senator
McCain -- Senator
Romney (Gov)
Barring a comeback for Romney (or an altering of the laws of the known universe for Huckabee or Ron Paul), the nominees of both major parties and thus the likely next President will have "United States Senator" as his or her primary political resume line for the first time since 1963 and only the third time in the last century.
That's quite a long dark period for the world's most exclusive country club.
Wednesday, January 30, 2008
NOW they tell us...
So the National Organization for Women thinks Ted Kennedy has shafted them with the "ultimate betrayal" over his decision to endorse a man (Obama) over a woman (Clinton):
The head of the New York state chapter of NOW — Marcia Pappas — called Kennedy's move — "the ultimate betrayal." She says women have forgiven, stuck up for and stood by Kennedy despite his being late in his support of issues such as Title Nine and the Equal Rights Amendment — and now are being repaid with what she calls "his abandonment."
Those are some sharp gals over at NOW. Almost 40 years after Chappaquiddick, they have come to the startling realization that ole Teddy puts his own political hide ahead of any woman who gets in the way.
It's funny, though. If NOW was really so concerned about Democratic males damaging Hillary's political dreams by betraying NOW's principles, then they might have spoken out a bit more about the Clinton White House's internship program.
The head of the New York state chapter of NOW — Marcia Pappas — called Kennedy's move — "the ultimate betrayal." She says women have forgiven, stuck up for and stood by Kennedy despite his being late in his support of issues such as Title Nine and the Equal Rights Amendment — and now are being repaid with what she calls "his abandonment."
Those are some sharp gals over at NOW. Almost 40 years after Chappaquiddick, they have come to the startling realization that ole Teddy puts his own political hide ahead of any woman who gets in the way.
It's funny, though. If NOW was really so concerned about Democratic males damaging Hillary's political dreams by betraying NOW's principles, then they might have spoken out a bit more about the Clinton White House's internship program.
Saturday, January 5, 2008
The Coming Democratic Primaries
Here is the future of the Democratic race:
The old Corleone... er.... Clinton habits will spring to the center, now. If Obama has ever so much as been in a room with pot smokers, expect to hear background rumors that he's the second coming of Pablo Escobar. If he's so much as flirted with a pretty girl or been professionally -- but not romantically -- close to an attractive female co-worker, prepare for rumors of five-in-a-bed nights with hookers. If he's ever made a nickel in the stock market, he gets accused of Enron values.
Remember every woman who tried to tell her story of bad moments with Bill, and the respose from the Clinton protectors: massive campaigns of personal destruction. Cattle futures, Whitewater... People with as many ethical blind spots as these assume that everyone is as dirty as them, and fight accordingly. WINNING and POWER are all that matters, not for any ideological reason, but because power is all that matters to Clintons.
And now, they are looking into the dark abyss of being washed from the stage forever. That might yet happen, but it won't be with a whimper. Even if she loses NH, she is flush with money and isn't going away soon.
The Earth will be scorched. The Sopranos spoof with Hillary and Bill was unintentionally revealing of their default strategic mode as "political" actors. That's how they do.
The old Corleone... er.... Clinton habits will spring to the center, now. If Obama has ever so much as been in a room with pot smokers, expect to hear background rumors that he's the second coming of Pablo Escobar. If he's so much as flirted with a pretty girl or been professionally -- but not romantically -- close to an attractive female co-worker, prepare for rumors of five-in-a-bed nights with hookers. If he's ever made a nickel in the stock market, he gets accused of Enron values.
Remember every woman who tried to tell her story of bad moments with Bill, and the respose from the Clinton protectors: massive campaigns of personal destruction. Cattle futures, Whitewater... People with as many ethical blind spots as these assume that everyone is as dirty as them, and fight accordingly. WINNING and POWER are all that matters, not for any ideological reason, but because power is all that matters to Clintons.
And now, they are looking into the dark abyss of being washed from the stage forever. That might yet happen, but it won't be with a whimper. Even if she loses NH, she is flush with money and isn't going away soon.
The Earth will be scorched. The Sopranos spoof with Hillary and Bill was unintentionally revealing of their default strategic mode as "political" actors. That's how they do.
Sunday, December 16, 2007
Big Blue's Big Change
Or... The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly
The Good: A very solid, proven coach who will keep things rolling over the long haul (if he stays).
My prediction is that there is a 75-80% chance that Michigan fans have just gotten in Rich Rodriguez a coach who is going to have a career that matches the success of Lloyd Carr. That's not a slam at all. Any smart, sensible Michigan fan should breath a huge sigh of relief that they will have a continuation of what Bo started, and Lloyd continued. Given that anybody has a chance of screwing up -- this being a sport where every game carries a 50% chance of failure -- a prediction of 75% success is about as good as it gets.
A remarkable run of being at the top that is really fragile and easy to mess up. Ask Nebraska. Or Miami FL, or Notre Dame, or Washington or...
There is a virtually 100% chance that a loud chunk of the most surly fan base in the nation will be calling for his head within 3 years. It's Michigan. It would happen no matter who they hired. The good news for them is that it's 75% likely that -- like Lloyd Carr before him -- he will 100% not deserve it either.
The Bad: It's not Maize... It's yellow.
Some things are very likely not going to change for the better at Michigan. Wolverine fans have taken for granted the predictable discipline of a team that commits fewer turnovers and penalties than the other guys. While Rodriguez's only head coaching stop -- West Virginia -- was also pretty impressive at ball security during his 2001-2007 time there, penalties were another issue.
Check that... Penalties were an issue!
One year prior to his arrival, in 2000, the Mountaineers were the 28th least-penalized team in the nation. That's good for most, but would be modest by Michigan standards. You expect Michigan teams in the top third of the nation, if not the top ten, or top 5.
Rodriguez's first year, 2001, saw the penalties soar: 102nd best in the nation, out of then-117 teams (now 120).
And it didn't improve. 84th (2002), 101st ('03), 116th ('04), 64th ('05), 114th ('06) and 33rd ('07). Michigan fans used to seeing the other team melt down with yellow flags best get used to a different style of football.
The Ugly: MAJOR growing pains.
The spread-option doesn't need a Pat White, but it sure helps. What it can't live with is Ryan Mallet -- a guy who makes John Navarre look fleet footed. Mallet's got potential to be a decent QB, but not at Michigan. Not anymore. I don't expect him to be the starter by the end of 2008, maybe not even the beginning.
Taking less than 40% of the snaps under center, Mallet accounted for 5 of the 11 fumbles lost by everyone on the team -- including the other QB, all the RB's, WR's an KR's. Anybody who watched him could see why. The boy makes one avert their eyes if he attempts to do anything with the ball other than give it to somebody else.
But even if you put somebody else in at QB -- somebody with even less experience -- you must also bake into the equation: (1) the loss of two senior, high quality linemen, (2) the loss of Mike Hart, and (3) the potential loss of not one but BOTH of the starting WR's, not to mention (4) the everybody else including the QB learning a very different offense. Not pretty.
First season at West Virginia, Rodriguez was 3-8. It was the worst season of West Virginia football since 1978. I strongly suspect this was growing pains from imposing a very new offense on a pile of players who had been trained in and recruited for something more conventional.
Too many ugly variables. He can win with the spread at Michigan and I'm pretty sure that he will. But not in 2008. The coach with the high probability of being a great hire in the long term is also a 50-50 shot to start off as the first guy since before Bo took over to post a losing record on the season.
Short term: Mallett will not finish the year as a starter and Michigan is going to be fighting for bowl eligibility. That will be very ugly indeed for a fan base that thinks 8 wins is a nightmare season.
The "Fire Rod" website goes up before Halloween.
The Good: A very solid, proven coach who will keep things rolling over the long haul (if he stays).
My prediction is that there is a 75-80% chance that Michigan fans have just gotten in Rich Rodriguez a coach who is going to have a career that matches the success of Lloyd Carr. That's not a slam at all. Any smart, sensible Michigan fan should breath a huge sigh of relief that they will have a continuation of what Bo started, and Lloyd continued. Given that anybody has a chance of screwing up -- this being a sport where every game carries a 50% chance of failure -- a prediction of 75% success is about as good as it gets.
A remarkable run of being at the top that is really fragile and easy to mess up. Ask Nebraska. Or Miami FL, or Notre Dame, or Washington or...
There is a virtually 100% chance that a loud chunk of the most surly fan base in the nation will be calling for his head within 3 years. It's Michigan. It would happen no matter who they hired. The good news for them is that it's 75% likely that -- like Lloyd Carr before him -- he will 100% not deserve it either.
The Bad: It's not Maize... It's yellow.
Some things are very likely not going to change for the better at Michigan. Wolverine fans have taken for granted the predictable discipline of a team that commits fewer turnovers and penalties than the other guys. While Rodriguez's only head coaching stop -- West Virginia -- was also pretty impressive at ball security during his 2001-2007 time there, penalties were another issue.
Check that... Penalties were an issue!
One year prior to his arrival, in 2000, the Mountaineers were the 28th least-penalized team in the nation. That's good for most, but would be modest by Michigan standards. You expect Michigan teams in the top third of the nation, if not the top ten, or top 5.
Rodriguez's first year, 2001, saw the penalties soar: 102nd best in the nation, out of then-117 teams (now 120).
And it didn't improve. 84th (2002), 101st ('03), 116th ('04), 64th ('05), 114th ('06) and 33rd ('07). Michigan fans used to seeing the other team melt down with yellow flags best get used to a different style of football.
The Ugly: MAJOR growing pains.
The spread-option doesn't need a Pat White, but it sure helps. What it can't live with is Ryan Mallet -- a guy who makes John Navarre look fleet footed. Mallet's got potential to be a decent QB, but not at Michigan. Not anymore. I don't expect him to be the starter by the end of 2008, maybe not even the beginning.
Taking less than 40% of the snaps under center, Mallet accounted for 5 of the 11 fumbles lost by everyone on the team -- including the other QB, all the RB's, WR's an KR's. Anybody who watched him could see why. The boy makes one avert their eyes if he attempts to do anything with the ball other than give it to somebody else.
But even if you put somebody else in at QB -- somebody with even less experience -- you must also bake into the equation: (1) the loss of two senior, high quality linemen, (2) the loss of Mike Hart, and (3) the potential loss of not one but BOTH of the starting WR's, not to mention (4) the everybody else including the QB learning a very different offense. Not pretty.
First season at West Virginia, Rodriguez was 3-8. It was the worst season of West Virginia football since 1978. I strongly suspect this was growing pains from imposing a very new offense on a pile of players who had been trained in and recruited for something more conventional.
Too many ugly variables. He can win with the spread at Michigan and I'm pretty sure that he will. But not in 2008. The coach with the high probability of being a great hire in the long term is also a 50-50 shot to start off as the first guy since before Bo took over to post a losing record on the season.
Short term: Mallett will not finish the year as a starter and Michigan is going to be fighting for bowl eligibility. That will be very ugly indeed for a fan base that thinks 8 wins is a nightmare season.
The "Fire Rod" website goes up before Halloween.
Wednesday, December 12, 2007
"No" Means NO!
Dear Wolverines:
You have rejection issues.
The guy doesn't want you anymore. He's over you.
Yes, he takes your calls. That means he cares about you, values your friendship, and hopes for the best for you. He wants to help you move on.
It does not mean that he wants to get back together. What you need to realize is that Les has a girl. She loves him. She'll do anything for him. They've had great times together, and they have big plans.
Meanwhile, you've been flaky, toyed with his heart, and left him worldly wise and better for it. He doesn't hate you. He still cares for you, but it's more pity than passion at this point. But that's as far as it goes. Don't push it.
Face it. She's hotter and nicer than you are. You can't help hating her, but that doesn't make you right to do so.
He's got memories. You have an obsession. You need to move on. Take a vacation to get your head together. Go sailing or something.
If you keep this up, you'll be in trouble. This is called harassment in some jurisdictions and you're beginning to remind a lot of us of Glenn Close, and that's really creepy. Nobody wants to fool around with the crazy chick and you're doing yourself no favors.
There's lots of nice boys out there. You need to look yourself in the mirror and figure out what you want, who you are. That obsession with the thug from New Jersey was just acting out. We understand that, but you're damned lucky he didn't say "yes." (They don't call it the Big East for nothing -- you never know what you'll catch!)
Take a few months or a year off if you need to. Date one of the local boys on an interim basis. You've been in one long-term relationship after another for 40 years (save for that bruiser who picked the fight with the cops -- he was all wrong for you.) It's silly to think you could just flip a switch and hit the dating circuit like Paris Hilton with Anna Nicole Smith's credit cards.
Relax. Stop making a fool of yourself. Good things will happen.
Sincerely,
Mad Toothfish.
Tuesday, December 11, 2007
Huck Sin
"Nominating Mike Huckabee for president or vice-president, would constitute an abject rejection of the free-market, limited-government, economic conservatism that has been the unifying theme of the Republican Party for decades." -- Club for Growth
The above is what you'd call a bad character reference. The authors should be the guys friendly to an underdog candidate overturning applecarts in the GOP presidential race. The Club are the boys you go to when you want to know where the next Ronald Reagan is hiding.
So why the sudden upsurge in his poll numbers? Well, he's funny. And he's the religious right's chosen man. That seems to be it: Rhetoric over record. Is the social stuff really all that religious conservatives care about? They'll prove it if they push this guy over the top.
Yipes.
Here's the man who would be President:
- Immediately upon taking office, Governor Huckabee signed a sales tax hike in 1996 to fund the Games and Fishing Commission and the Department of Parks and Tourism.
Outstanding. Great priorities. No sooner does he plant his (then) immense rear end in the seat and he is inking his name to a tax hike for the toy department of state government.
- He supported an internet sales tax in 2001. He opposed a congressional measure to ban internet taxes in 2003.
Translation: He'll quite literally tax anything that isn't nailed down. No transaction is safe from this man. None. All of you Fair Tax nuts who believe in this guy, please gaze upon the above. He wants to impose a sales tax on the stuff you buy over the internet from other states. He likes your sales tax ideas because he likes taxes, period!!!
- By the end of his ten-year tenure, Governor Huckabee was responsible for a 37% higher sales tax in Arkansas, 16% higher motor fuel taxes, and 103% higher cigarette taxes according to Americans for Tax Reform, garnering a lifetime grade of D from the free-market Cato Institute. Huckabee's substantial tax hikes far surpassed his modest tax cuts, with the average tax burden increasing by a whopping 47% over his tenure.
Hrmmmm.... Free-market experts... tax reform fighters.... More of these ominous character references. Huckabee is to your wallet what Michael Jackson is a to a cute 9-yr old boy. In both cases, one should not be trusted with the other.
- Under Governor Huckabee's watch, state spending increased a whopping 65.3% from 1996 to 2004, three times the rate of inflation. The number of state government workers rose 20% during his tenure, and the state's general obligation debt shot up by almost $1 billion, according to Americans for Tax Reform.
See there? He's like the Cylons in Battlestar Galactica. He's waging war on your money because he has a plan for it: More government and more government workers.
- Instead of talking about the well-documented economic benefits of free trade, Huckabee has taken to talking about "fair trade," while focusing on what he believes to be the negative consequences of free trade. Make no mistake about it: These are not the words of a free trader.
No. Those would be the words of a trade warrior, protectionist, Democrat. Those are the words of a man who would destroy this nation's economy. Bill Clinton -- both as candidate and as President -- was light years better than this on trade. The Democratic electorate, with the chance to nominate some of those trade warrior Democrats in 1992 (Bob Kerrey, to name just one), turned instead to Clinton. Who promised and delivered on passing NAFTA. With Al Gore's help.
Got that? Huckabee is talking far worse on trade than both Clinton and Gore -- as candidates. Bad signs. Bad, bad, bad...
This is the mindless, populist, crap that helped bring on the Great Depression.- Huckabee has continued to support big-government measures as a presidential candidate, including his support for a federal ban on smoking in the work place, and his oft-heard call for a federally mandated arts and music curriculum in schools across America.
In other words, a Nanny State Health Nazi.
So, the question here is... What if this were Hillary Clinton trying to drive her version of how to live down your throat? Her version of federal arts and music? And what happens if he creates all of these programs for arts and such, and then a new President shows up and hands the steering wheel over to Nancy Pelosi's pals in San Francisco?
If you're a cultural conservative, get ready for your kids to bring home some really interesting art projects from school.
High taxes and a bigger government that's empowered to tell you how to live. This is the power the liberals always dreamed of. Mike Huckabee could be their Trojan Horse.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
