I'm not feeling the Bern, though my 14 year-old daughter is a pretty passionate Bernie-backer. (I take this as a sign that I'm an excellent parent.) And my overwhelming emotion about Hillary Clinton is 'meh'.More to the point, my objection to the former First Lady's candidacy is that, should she win and serve two terms, when she leaves office in January 2025, two families will have controlled the Presidency for 28 of the preceding 36 years. That's not democracy; it's an oligarchy of the establishment.
I suspect that same elite fatigue is what's propelling Senator Sanders' campaign (and not for nothing, a darker form of the same energy animates Donald Trump's rise). It's a measure of the Democratic Party's lack of imagination and leadership depth that it failed to recognize Secretary Clinton's fundamental vulnerability here, even though the same weakness felled her during her last campaign for the Presidency.
One day after the death of Antonin Scalia sees Republicans openly declaring their intent to subvert the Constitution and more than a few Democrats gleefully celebrating the demise of a human being, it's easy to fear for the future of the Republic. Recency bias is a real thing, to be sure, and every current moment looms larger in our minds than any previous. But it feels like this particular moment cries out for a radical departure from recent norms, a reparation of the body politic.
As an example, Scalia himself, one of the most conservative justices to ever sit on the highest bench in the land, was confirmed by a Democratically-controlled Senate in 1986 by a 97-0 margin. That seems quaint in the context of our current era.
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| Jimmy Carter was (and is) a good man who got a bad rap. |
If I sound despondent, good friends, it's because I'm pretty close to being just that. In the end, regardless of the nominee, I'll vote for the Democrat, because control of the Supreme Court hangs in the balance. But I won't expect much from her and her crony-driven machine.
Oh, and Happy Valentine's Day, Gheorghies, Glad I could bring some cheer to this day.
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I forgot that zwoman wants a mirror for V-day. Will some bagels do instead?
going to play hoops for the first time since i wrecked my hammy wakeboarding over labor day. send medics.
Wife and I went out to dinner last night. I DVR'd the All Star stuff and told my 8 y/o we would watch it this morning. Turns out he botched the recording while deciding to record the end of the crucial Isles-Hurricanes game. Good to know I didn't miss anything.
We know folks who are in Lake Placid this w/e for a family ski trip. We checked the weather. The high for today is -2. It currently is -17, w/ a wind chill factor of -35. That's, um, cold.
I got the wife a massage/manicure combo for V-Day at the local spa. Easy win for this guy. My present is a hall pass to the local record store. May get expensive.
much like last night featured one of the greatest dunk contests ever, one of the most epic classic rock shootouts ever occurred in a Melbourne, FL bar
wife and i also went out for dinner last night-- walked to new brunswick. almost died of frostbite, you can read the long story on sentence of dave.
good luck at hoops, rob . . . i had an epic sports week-- my team won every game in my over thirty hoops, so i played for 90 minutes straight on wednesday night, and just got back from pick-up soccer, my team won every game this morning as well, so i played soccer for 90 minutes straight. both times i actually left on a winning streak, like bjorn borg (except it was because i was so tired). i am going to be sore until spring. while statistically, it might not seem like i was a major contributor to these winning streaks, i like to think that my charm and good-spirits make everyone on my team play better (not to mention all the fouls i commit).
do we like bernie sanders? are we happy scalia is dead? this post needs to be a little more clear so i can have some opinions about this election . . .
knowing your politics, dave, you like bernie sanders. and it's hard to be happy that anyone is dead, especially since this death presages a bleak time politically.
hammy status: sore but functional
Ran an ill-advised half marathon this a.m., last minute and untrained. I will see your hammy and raise you a calf and hip.
Dave's rampant, hyperbolic use of "epic" to describe things that aren't rivals my 13-year-old stepson's. It's almost like Dave spends his time in a high school.
I don't need that discouragement, Danimal. I am debating getting my carcass through a half in May. I can comfortably do 6 right now. Not sure my formerly fascitized plantar will be able to make it, despite healing and appropriate shores.
While we're talking wounds, I'm psyched to go back under the knife on Friday to get a chip of bone removed from my previously repaired wrist. If all goes well I might be able to play tennis and shovel snow without needing 12 Advil a day for a week afterwards.
I didn't suffer any sports related injuries but I did wake up at about 1 am with an urgent need to vomit. The rest of my night followed suit. Out of bed for the first time all day. On the couch and hoping I can keep some saltines and Gatorade down.
The intense classic rock shootout made Mark violently ill.
Happy Birthday to the original Gheorghe
just started learning spanish via duolingo. my goal is to write a gtb post en espanol.
and i cannot believe we forgot to get gheorghe a present.
Spent most of V-day and the weekend in Nova cleaning out my dad's place. My brother and his ex-wife used to live with my dad. He still does but she is long gone. Why I am bring this up ... well seems she left a lot stuff in the house when she took off with their kid. Said stuff included a box of 5-7 dildo's and a couple vibrating tongue devices.
What is the over/under when your wife has too many devices?
6.9
I assume she took the good dildos with her and left the broken/ineffective ones behind.
apparently paul george was one point from tying the all-star game scoring record. and then pop doubled him with draymond green and kevin durant. i love pop.
The new HBO show Vinyl is awesome. Makes you want to do a shit-ton of drugs.
The show's premiere dovetailed nicely w/ my $120 worth of album purchases today: Billy Preston, Beatles, Pretenders, Warren Zevon, Richie Havens, Boz Scaggs and others.
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