Some good yuks being had on the Twitters at the expense of Republican hypocrisy in the name of this coast-to-coast bitter cold snap.
This winter weather is a media hoax to take your “freedoms.”1,200 ppl die from hypothermia every year, so why shut down the economy? “Scientists” say the cold front started in the Gulf of Mexico so why is it racist to call it “Mexican snow?”
I’m surprised that all these GOP leaders in Texas are asking for federal help for a few inches of snow. Don’t they know that if they just hit it with sunlight it will disappear? Like a miracle?
I love how President Biden approves federal aid to Texas during its disaster — even though they didn't vote for him –without forcing them to say nice things about him.
The top teams in the Eastern and Western conference, respectively, met last night. However, neither of them has LeBron or Zion or even KD, so the contest was relatively ignored.
Philadelphia and Utah, however, came out ready to ball: it was 42-35, Sixers, after one quarter. Worth noting: the top player on either team, Joel Embiid, missed the game.
However, teammate Ben Simmons scored a career-high 42. It was not enough, though, as Jazz reserve Jordan Clarkson put up 40 and Utah won, 134-123.
The Jazz, who began the season 4-4, have won 19 of 20 with starters named Royce O’Neal and Joe Ingles. One of these days the national media will discover them.
Of course, if this does turn out to be the NBA Finals, it would be the least-watched edition in years.
Kinzinger’s Kin’s Zinger
Congressman Adam Kinzinger (R-Illinois) was one of the ten Republicans who went off script and voted to convict Donald Trump in the House stage of the impeachment trial last month. Many members of his family were not pleased with the six-term Congressman.
Kinzinger’s cousin from Ohio (or QAnon Crazytown), Karen Otto, authored the note in the name of 11 fellow family members and spent $7 to send it via certified mail. The letter begins, “Oh my, what a disappointment you are to us and to God! You have embarrassed the Kinzinger family name!”
Kinzinger is an intrepid but lonesome soul in the GOP. Here is what he said, which is absolutely accurate but also potential career suicide if he remains in the GOP:
“For the last four and a half years, the only spokesman for the Republican Party has been Donald Trump. It’s time to present an alternative narrative and fight for the soul of the party.”
So, yes, under Trump it’s no longer a political party. It’s a cult.
As a good friend texted after the Senate failed to reach a 2/3 vote on Donald Trump’s (second) impeachment, “Sat nite, celebrating the groundwork-laying victory today for the Fascist Party takeover in 2024. We had a good run: 200 years that were good, five decades or so that were kind of crappy…Rotten Tomatoes will give us a 63, plus/minus 5.”
As another person wrote, “Dems get impeached for an erections, R’s for an insurrection.” And neither found guilty via the 2/3 Senate rule.
For those keeping score, in the past five years Donald Trump twice failed to win the majority vote in a presidential election and twice had more Senators vote to impeach him than to acquit him. And through all of that he still won the presidency once, was not impeached by the Senate, and nearly stuck around for a second term.
We’re not a democracy. We’re a Republic with Fascist training wheels.
You really must listen to both Chappelle and Maher here. Maher’s point is dead-on, something many of us have personally witnessed (he should’ve followed Chappelle’s lead, though, and excised the lame jokes; give it to us straight, Bill). How do you persuade people who believe in virgin births and a man rising from the dead that some of their other faith-based view points are illogical?
Rest assured that if the Rs ever regain control of the House or Senate or even the White House they’ll do their best to deny voting rights to those who oppose them while praising the military and police up and down. It’s their only shot going forward and they know it.
Me, I’ve got to return to Googling, “Zillow New Zealand.”
Takin’ It To The Streets
At Daytona, thunderstorms created a five-hour delay. There was a metal-bender before the deluge and then another, fiery one on the final lap. When the debris cleared, long-timer Michael McDowell emerged without scath (scathe?) to take the checkered flag. The driver who should be sponsored by M&Ms won his FIRST NASCAR race in his 358th start, the second-longest drought (Michael Waltrip, 401) in stock-car racing annals.
Not Daytona, but last week’s deadly 100-vehicle pileup in Fort Worth, Texas. Though, really, what’s the difference?
The race ended after midnight, more than nine hours after the green flag came out. So, yes, you could have covered the distance faster in your Honda Civic.
Sleetless In Seattle
Much of the USA, from Seattle to Texas to the eastern seaboard, is getting walloped by snow storms this President’s Day weekend. We found it funny that the governor of Texas has petitioned the White House for federal funding; wasn’t Texas looking to secede just a few days ago?
LeBron James did this last night, in a nationally televised game, with impunity. I’m not talking about the Nuggets failing to defend him. I’m talking about the zebras failing to whistle him for traveling.
And if this isn’t traveling, then why does the rule even exist?
Not the first time I’ve made this argument. Won’t be the last. It’s the little things going uncalled that are the first stages of an empire in decline, be it the USA or the NBA.
Addendum
I like this passage from Pete Wehner in today’s NY Times Op-Ed section. I’ve longed believed that, much like a preacher or even a God, all of Donald Trump’s “power” is purely ephemeral. As soon as enough people, particularly those of import, defy him, his power will vanish. All it would’ve taken is 11 more Republicans with a spine. But they were too afraid.
So why did Republicans, with seven honorable exceptions — Senators Mitt Romney, Susan Collins, Lisa Murkowski, Pat Toomey, Bill Cassidy, Richard Burr and Ben Sasse — profess their loyalty to a sociopath who has been exiled to Mar-a-Lago? Why do they continue to defend a man who lost the popular vote by more than seven million votes, whose recklessness after the election cost Republicans control of the Senate, and who is causing a flight from the Republican Party?
There are different, sometimes overlapping explanations. For some, it’s a matter of cynical ambition. They want to win over the loyalty of Trump supporters, who comprise a huge part of the base of the Republican Party. For others, it’s recognizing that standing up to Mr. Trump might make life quite unpleasant and even dangerous for them, exposing them to hazards that range from primary challenges to physical attack. And for still others, it’s driven by such antipathy toward the left that they will not do anything Democrats ask them to do, even if doing so is the right thing to do. These Republicans would much rather “own the libs” than side with them against a corrupt, corrosive former president.
There’s also the natural human reluctance to take a stand that puts you in conflict with your own political tribe, your colleagues, your friends. And there’s this: Over the course of the Trump presidency a lot of Republicans repeatedly — sometimes daily — quarantined their conscience in order to justify to others, and to themselves, their support for an unscrupulous man.
Can I put all of this on one T-shirt?
Addendum No. 2
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wAQrhM7pOjk
This, by Dave Chappelle, completely held me in its spell for all 18-plus minutes. He’s the George Carlin of our time. Incredible.
Let’s give some credit to Tag Team, whose Geico ad “Scoop! There It Is” is the happiest thing on television right now.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vDAg3VkZPg8
And let’s also throw out some props to Fulton County (Ga.) district attorney Fani Willis, whose office has opened an investigation (and potentially a can of whoop-ass) into then-president Trump’s alleged actions regarding election fraud involving Georgia election officials in December and January (we say “alleged” to behave like a journalist, but y’all heard the phone call).
As one pundit on The 11th Hour said last night about the impeachment trial, President Trump isn’t so much on trial as the Republicans in the Senate are. Why? Because the impeachment case is open-and-shut. That more than 2/3 of the GOP will not vote to convict is probably a foregone conclusion, and thus that stain will forever be on them. They’ll have announced who and what they are going forward: The party of power at the expense of democracy and the U.S. Constitution (this is their chance to rescue themselves, and they will most likely not).
But what Willis is doing—and she’s only doing it because every Georgia law enforcement agency with greater jurisdiction than hers are potential witnesses in this case, as Trump directly appealed to them—may lead to a possible criminal trial. With jail time. That Trump no longer has any power to absolve himself from.
Again, however, it will come down to a jury. Will you be able to get 12 Georgians to convict Donald Trump? Good luck with that, D.A. Willis but as rock-solid as your case is, Whatchootalkinbout!?!
(Keep your eyes on Juan Toscano-Anderson, the man who made the assist)
We are spoiled by the continued brilliance of Stephen Curry, who followed up last Saturday night’s 57-point game with a 40-point outing last night in which 75% of his points came off threes (you do the math). There’s no one more automatic from behind the arc, there’s never been anyone more prolific from beyond the arc, than he.
Curry leads the NBA this season in 3’s made (131) and 3’s per game (5.0). No other player has even drained 100 yet. In the last nine seasons Curry (6x) and James Harden (3) are the only two players to lead the NBA in threes.
Haley’s Comment
In which @NikkiHaley compares Trump’s election lies to color blindness.
In an interview with Tim Alberta of Politico, former U.N. ambassador Nikki Haley excused her erstwhile boss’ incitement of the insurrection by comparing his “belief” that the election was stolen with colorblindness. Really.
Haley also backtracked on her support of Trump’s actions on January 6th, saying, “We shouldn’t have followed him.” By the end of his profile on the South Carolina politician, Alberta made a blunt assessment of the forked-tongue woman:
Before we get to March Madness, let’s take a moment to recognize all the blue bloods who will not be getting A) No. 1 seeds, B) high seeds and/or C) even a berth in next month’s NCAA tournament.
The top 10 winningest all-time NCAA hoops programs are, in order from top to bottom: Kentucky, Kansas, North Carolina, Duke, Temple, Syracuse, UCLA, Notre Dame, St. John’s and Indiana.
Currently not a single one of those schools is ranked in the Top 25 and many of them will not be playing in the NCAA tournament—even though 68 teams will be invited to Indianapolis next month.
Here are the Top 10 ranked teams right now: Gonzaga, Baylor, Michigan, Ohio State, Villanova, Illinois, Texas Tech, Houston, Virginia and Missouri. From a personal standpoint, I don’t understand how four Catholic schools can be rated in the Top 25 and the Irish are not one of them. Not saying this Irish team deserves to be… not even close. Only that with the school’s prominence, it should always be in at least the top 3 hoops schools among Catholic universities, no?
The House managers have in just two days built an unimpeachable impeachment case against former president Donald Trump. Will it matter? I’d rather not be a Negative Nellie before the votes are cast, but more important than truth or justice—ya know, doing their jobs—to almost all Republican Senators is remaining in office.
And Donald Trump has crafted a party, as Charles Blow eloquently argues here, where to cross him is to most likely lose your job. I guess if I were a Republican senator I’d wonder why I belonged to a party that needed to appeal to these types of people to remain in office. But that’s another topic for another day.
Afterbirth Of A Nation
And the Oscar for “Best Original Short” goes to… the producers of this 13-minute video that makes the question of whether Donald Trump incited a murderous and treasonous mob undeniable. Of course, all of this is very much like the prison film The Longest Yard. Try as hard as you might like, Bobby Boucher, the zebras will not let the guards lose.
Then again, the Mean Machine did win ultimately, no?
Born To Rum*
*The judges will also accept “41 Shots”
Bruce Springsteen’s Jeep ad, which did seem to unite the nation in that both fans and non-fans panned it, has already been pulled by Jeep. How come? Because the Boss received a DUI.
WUT? Seems that Bruce was beset upon by some fans who asked him to do a tequila shot with them. It turns out the day was November 14th—a Saturday—and Bruce was at the Gateway National Recreation Area, or what we natives know as Sandy Hook. A beach.
Anyway, Bruce blew a .02, which is under the legal limit, but it happened at a national park, which makes it a federal case. As we discussed this with one of our oldest friends this morning and the most devout Bruce fan we know, Randall!, the two of us tried to wrap our minds around Bruce Springsteen being cited by police on the Jersey shore.
Me (as Bruce): “Do you know who I am?” Randall! (as cop): “No, but my dad does.”
Love this from the planet’s largest land mammal. How could anyone ever harm an elephant? There’s a special place in hell for anyone who would.
Not Betting On Benintendi
The Boston Red Sox traded left fielder Jason Benintendi to the Kansas City Royals, which a few years ago would’ve seemed like trading the Green Monster itself. During the Sawx’ most recent World Series run, in 2018, Benintendi was one of the team’s stalwarts along with opposite-corner outfielder Mookie Betts—now with the Dodgers. It was Benintendi who made the ALCS-ending grab (above) in the wildly entertaining series between two cheating baseball clubs (!).
A year before that, Benintendi finished as runner-up as Rookie of the Year (behind Aaron Judge).
He appeared to be a latter-day Fred Lynn in Boston.
But last year, in limited work (14 games) due to injury, he batted just .103. Benintendi is only 26, but the Sawx have already given up on him. And Jackie Bradley is a free agent. The Sox are getting younger. But is this the right move? We’ll see.
Wondering how long until someone overdubs Diana Ross’ “I’m Coming Up” with “I’m not a cat.” And wouldn’t most legal proceedings be improved if attorneys used dog and cat filters? The judge could be, I dunno, an owl?
This Is
This is Trump defense attorney Bruce Castor, who did not do his homework and now has been called to the front of the class to give his 5-minute book report on The Swiss Family Robinson. It will not go well.
As trenchant as the arguments against Donald Trump were by House managers Jamie Raskin and Joe Neguse, no one proved more effective in arguing against Trump than his own attorney, Castor. When he wasn’t tap dancing around the topic at hand, he said, he actually said, “The American people just spoke, and they just changed administrations. The people are smart enough…to pick a new administration if they don’t like the old one.”
Whose side are you on, anyway?
That was really the only time Castor sounded as if he believed what he was saying.
As CNN’s Chris Cuomo neatly summed up, the prosecutors have the facts and the law on their side. Not to mention the film production crew. What Trump has on his side is a jury rigged in his favor, rigged out of fear that if they cross him, they will not be reelected. It’s a mob trial. Except here it’s not, If you testify, you’ll sleep with the fishes. It’s, If you vote to convict, you’ll lose your Senate seat.
So who has the temerity to stand up to Trump? As of now, only six Republican Senators have even voted that the trial should proceed. Like Louisiana’s Bill Cassidy, who after this video ended was asked, “Why did you think he did a terrible job?” His reply: “Did you hear him?”
Nuke Duke
Ryan’s hopes were fulfilled
Few ACC teams have had a more disappointing season than Notre Dame (which blew a 15-point first-half lead at Georgia Tech over the weekend), but everyone’s schadenfreude fave, Duke, is. The Blue Devils themselves blew a 15-point lead yesterday afternoon (a 4:30 p.m. tip on a Tuesday?) at home to the Irish, losing 93-89. Yes, the Blue Devils scored 50 first-half points but still lost.
But here’s what’s interesting. Vegas knows fans still think highly of Duke (7-8). A friend of mine whom I’d call a degenerate gambler except that he’s very successful (like, would I call Susie B. a degenerate investor?) tells me that Duke is 3-12 against the spread this season. That’s an invitation to get money.
The Irish, by the way, were led yesterday by a most on-brand named player, Cormac Ryan, who scored 28 points. Ryan is a transfer from Stanford, one of the few (the only?) Power 5 schools rated higher academically than both Duke and Notre Dame.
Hippos And Narcos
Thanks to the most nefarious drug lord, Pablo Escobar, ever to snort a line off a stripper’s belly, hippopotamuses are now indigenous to South America. Decades ago Escobar brought four hippos over to his native Colombia—how do you transport hippos across the Atlantic?— and those four have turned into some 80 roaming the banks and byways of the Rio Magdalena.
We’re all for animal expansion, particularly beasts as magnificent as hippos. Stay tuned for the hippo vs. anaconda matchup on the next Planet Earth installment.
Maverick Maneuver
Deep in the heart of Texas, Dallas Maverick owner Mark Cuban has decreed that his franchise will no longer play the national anthem before games. That’s one way to stifle a polarizing issue, but of course, it’s Texas, so you have to think he’ll receive plenty of blowback. Then again, Cuban has never really seemed like a Texas guy, anyway.
Will the Mavs play the Cuban national anthem instead? Or how about “The Eyes of Texas,” just to upset Bomani Jones? We’ll see.
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