13 What Does it Mean?

2011-05-02T03:24:00.003-04:00

I was raised not to celebrate the death of anyone. So I won't. But I felt overwhelmed when I heard the news of Osama Bin Laden's death. I can only hope that his demise brings a bit of solace and closure to those who were directly affected by the evil wrought by this bastard and his henchmen. It's an emotional thing for us NYers, in a way that few others will ever understand.

I was blessed by virtue of not losing any of my loved ones in the Sept 11th attacks. But I was here in NYC and along with my fellow New Yorkers felt the overwhelming sadness that befell my city. I remember every detail of that fateful day as if it just happened a few months ago. Among the many instances I can still recall was the burning smell coming thru my bedroom window; the parked cars on my street, covered in ashes; seeing a small army of Brooklynites walking home from Manhattan, in a daze, as if returning from a war zone; hearing of how the news cast a pall around the world, particularly in the Dominican Republic--NYC looming so large in the collective Dominican experience.

Incredibly, it wasn't until Sunday night, when after hearing the news I sat down and composed a brief statement, that I actually, and briefly, cried. A few tears came to me, possibly the result of never completely acknowledging how profoundly the events of that otherwise beautiful September morning had affected me. It's an emotional thing for us New Yorkers, in a way that few other will ever understand. But I can't even attempt to imagine what the news of this monster's death must mean to those whose lives were tangibly and irrevocably changed by this despicable event. I want to think about them right now and it is my sincerest hope that his death brings them at least a modicum of peace and even a bit of consolation.

MLB Takes Over Dodgers (and that's a good thing)

2011-04-22T06:57:00.005-04:00

This week, baseball commissioner Bud Selig took the extraordinary step of wresting control of the Los Angeles Dodgers from owner Frank McCourt. In an April 20th press release Selig issued the following statement:

"Pursuant to my authority as Commissioner, I informed Los Angeles Dodgers owner Frank McCourt today that I will appoint a representative to oversee all aspects of the business and the day-to-day operations of the Club. I have taken this action because of my deep concerns regarding the finances and operations of the Dodgers and to protect the best interests of the Club, its great fans and all of Major League Baseball. My office will continue its thorough investigation into the operations and finances of the Dodgers and related entities during the period of Mr. McCourt's ownership. I will announce the name of my representative in the next several days.
"The Dodgers have been one of the most prestigious franchises in all of sports, and we owe it to their legion of loyal fans to ensure that this club is being operated properly now and will be guided appropriately in the future."

This is a huge deal.

McCourt is in the midst of a fierce divorce battle which has put a spotlight on his financial woes and threatens the stability of the Dodgers. He recently turned to Fox Sports for a $200m loan which Selig vetoed. Last week he managed to borrow $30m from Fox to cover payroll and other expenses. Personally, I think this prompted Selig to act against the Dodgers owner, who unlike the Wilpon family who own the New York Mets--and whose own financial mess led them to borrow $25m from MLB this past November in order to meet payroll--McCourt went outside baseball to obtain that money and Selig may have feared the Dodgers could end up in the hands personas non gratas to MLB. Imagine, if you will, McCourt missing a couple of payments on a loan obtained from shady characters and losing the team to them; Selig and the other owners would have a conniption to say the least.

I have my issues with Selig, but at first glance I agree with his decision regarding the Dodgers. (And I am not alone: in L.A. he's been hailed a hero for doing so, believe it or not.) Granted, there is more info to surface concerning this mess to be sure. I also think this is a wake up call for the Wilpons. As my Dad used to say, "When you see your neighbor being shaved, it's time to lather up." We'll see how this one pans out, but at least for now Selig has taken a solid step towards correcting a screwup he helped initiate by ushering McCourt into MLB ownership and turning a blind eye to his subsequent financial shenanigans.

MLB Realignment: Could it Happen?

2011-04-11T00:21:00.001-04:00

This is a suggestion proposed by anonymous baseball insiders and published a few months ago in an article by the NY Daily News' Bill Madden, not an idea actually approved by Major League Baseball:

Not feelin' it.

As you can see, this scenario would eliminate the Oakland A's and the Tampa Bay Rays, both of which are in dire straits in terms of operating in their current locations. The A's want to move to San Jose but the San Francisco Giants have some sort of territorial rights that MLB has not wanted to address. Meanwhile, the Rays want to move from St. Petersburg to Tampa and build a domed stadium there but, allegedly, St. Pete bureaucracy and a bad Florida economy stand in their way.

Another option, and one which both A's and Rays ownership are said to be partial, is a buyout. The other 28 teams would have to cough up aprox. $25 million each to cover the aprox. $700 million both teams are worth. Not only do I not want to see both of these teams disappear--especially a storied franchise like the A's--I hardly see revenue sharing beneficiaries like the Florida Marlins and Pittsburgh Pirates each coming up w/$25m. No dice.

Obviously both teams need to move: The A's situation in Oakland has become untenable and bringing big league baseball to a state that only cares about football was a huge mistake to begin with, despite the Marlins' two World Series championships (1997, 2003) and the Rays' pennant in '08 and winning their division last year. But getting rid of them would be stupid. So is eliminating geographical rivalries and the identities of each league.

And as for that other rumored development--the disappearance of the DH--on a personal level, I'm quite opposed. When I watch a National League game and witness the uncomfortable awkwardness and even downright clumsiness in the vast majority of pitcher at-bats and their occasional, subsequent base running, it makes me give thanks for the DH in the AL and lament that Connie Mack--who first came up with the concept--did not live to see it implemented.

Let's hope the A's and Rays' respective situations are resolved in a way that benefits each team and their fans. If not, the best case scenario would be a variation of the Montreal Expos mess all over again. The worst? Well, you see that monstrosity above, you tell me.

Ban this, MoFo

2011-02-24T04:04:00.012-05:00

NYC has just passed a law that will prohibit smoking in parks, beaches--but not sidewalks, streets, parking lots, and private homes...yet--and other public places, starting May 23rd. Let's put aside the loopholes in its enforcement--it won't be the cops' responsibility but the Parks Dept who, if you cannot produce a valid ID, cannot give you a summons and thus have to arrest you, which, btw, they have no authority to do--and let's look at the hypocrisy involved here.

Plenty of smokers are pissed and rightfully so. At the core of this negativity is not necessarily being unable to smoke in yet more areas, but feeling singled out for an unhealthy habit, yet drinkers--who when driving drunk, actually kill people in a much quicker and tangible way--don't face the same stigma. I don't have much of a problem with outdoor smoking bans when they are reasonable (restaurants, for example) but enacting it in bars was a ludicrous decision made by former smokers who are now anti-smoking zealots, plain and simple. Newsflash: NOTHING healthy is going on in a bar; everyone there is POISONING themselves w/alcohol. And there's plenty of that idiocy and hypocrisy in the way they've handled this new twist.

You want to tax the hell out of cigarettes and make them $12 a pack? Done. But how 'bout we jack up six packs of beer, along with wine and spirits? No? Of course not. Why? Well, for one, NYC mayor Mike Bloomberg and his lifestyle police would be guillotined within minutes of enacting such a thing. And let's not get into the grand hypocrisy that no one wants to bring up: why can't I buy cheaper cigarettes from out of state vendors? What is the ultimate goal: to make people quit or raise revenue to pay for alleged health costs? 'Cause you can't have it both ways by raising the price of cigarettes as an incentive to quit and then penalizing those who choose not to quit and want to buy them elsewhere. Hell, they even the balls to try and sue sovereign territories over which they have no domain! (Yes, Indian reservations.) This bullshit double standard is what pisses smokers off. And, for the record, many non-smokers are upset at being welcomed at their corner store by those garish anti-smoking posters. "I don't smoke and I don't need to see 'em; put them by the cigarette-vending area, not by the front door, damn it", complained a friend recently.

A while back, when one of the more recent cigarette taxes was enacted, I had this to say about it:

As anyone who’s seen the smug wine-and-cheese crowd in the media condescendingly turn up their noses at the mention of smokers—it seems we are just slightly less disgusting than Bin Laden, pedophiles, and OJ Simpson—this tax increase is one of the more elitist, bullshit moves I’ve seen in my lifetime. Let’s make it fair, non-smokers: how about, from now on we tax a six-pack of Bud so that it costs $24 at the corner bodega; a bottle of cheap wine or spirits a minimum of $50. Hey, a sin tax is a sin tax. And the economy could sure use a jolt, right?

(Btw, this is going to fuel mob-related cigarette bootlegging like never before. I never thought I'd ever say this but, I'm rooting for La Cosa Nostra on this one.)

And, as fellow blogger Rambler recently stated, "No one ever had one too many cigarettes and killed a family of four on the way home from the bar. "

Fuck you all, you arrogant, patronizing, hypocritical assholes. You know who you are.

Still stand by every word.

What the GOP's True Goal Is

2011-02-22T05:58:00.008-05:00

When George W. Bush won the 2004 presidential election I feared the worst: with his second and final term on the horizon and the threat of being tossed out of office behind him, 43 would line up his fellow Republicans to help dismantle as much of the policies past Democratic--and some GOP--administrations had established for social and common good. Looks like I was off by a few years, but this nefarious agenda is being pushed by a Republican controlled House of Representatives despite the presence of a Democrat in the White House and his party having control--albeit, slim--of the Senate. Healthcare, energy policy, entitlements, union-busting...you name it, they're going after it. They want to dismantle every single measure from the New Deal on down. It's quite possible they won't ultimately succeed in their goal, but they plan on riding this one out, for as long and as hard as they possibly can.

This is not some conspiracy theory nonsense or the overactive imagination of paranoid pundits. Just look around you and pay attention to the statements, proposals and more importantly, the actions of the new crop of Republican lawmakers and officials. It's not a conservative vs liberal agenda, but a radical dismantling of the federal government and what it stands for. Let's not be fooled: this is what these folks are looking to accomplish. They want to turn our country into a genuflecting mass of subservient automatons who should be grateful someone deigned to give 'em a job and not let them rot in a ditch somewhere. A country in which business interests trump everything else at all times, regardless of whose air, water, or food is being poisoned. A country in which the elderly have to work until right before they die. A country in which education and healthcare are regarded as luxuries befitting only those who can pay for them.

In recent years, a lot of these ugly scenarios have come closer to fruition than ever thought possible. The current batch of Republicans in power seemingly believe they can get the complete job done with just a big push. God help us all if they turn out be right.

How Expensive Baseball Games Have Gotten

2011-02-07T20:42:00.003-05:00

The guys at River Ave. Blues have posted a Shea Stadium seating plan from '74, the first of two seasons in which the Mets shared their facilities w/the Yankees while the Bronx digs were being renovated. The field level seats were...$4! Yes, $4. Let that sink in for a second.

I know what you're thinking: "Yeah, but how much is that in 2011 money?"
That would be, approximately, $10-$12 today.

So, the cheapest day-of-game seat at YS today--not counting the $5 obstructed bleacher seats--is $15, more expensive, adjusting for inflation, than the best seats back in the day. Unbelievable. (The cheapest equivalent at CitiField, btw, is $12.)

"Fair enough. But neither NY team was exactly World Series material, right?"
Well, the Mets did have a losing season in '74 but the year before they won the pennant and lost the WS to the A's in 7 games, so it's not like they were sucking. The Yankees meanwhile, ended up with an 89-73 record, 2 games out of 1st place behind the Orioles. So, prices weren't low because the teams sucked. Of course, NYC's economy was about to collapse soon enough...

Sidenote:

the final AL East standings in '74:
Orioles
Yankees
Red Sox
Indians
Brewers
Tigers

the final NL East standings in '74:
Pirates
Cardinals
Phillies
Expos
Mets
Cubs

Looks funny to us now, huh?

Oh, in case you were wondering, currently the most expensive non-luxury box tix in both stadiums are $440 for Delta Club Platinum in Flushing; $325 for Field MVPs in the Bronx.

Patterson's 62K Fine is Bullshit

2010-12-23T18:12:00.005-05:00

This week New York governor David Patterson was fined $62,125 by the New York State Commission on Public Integrity--flimsy name, ain't it?--for accepting 5 free tickets to Yankee Stadium during the 2009 World Series. Basically, he shouldn't have accepted the gratuity from the team, since they lobby the city and state and he wasn't at the Stadium in any official capacity. He may have also perjured himself when asked under oath about it.

Meanwhile, former NYC mayor Rudy "9/11" Giuliani has yet to see any fallout from his perennial sniffing of Yankee butt. (Which includes him getting a World Series ring from the team.) This is what has led the Paterson camp and some outside observers to consider the current issue selective enforcement and possibly a political witch hunt.

As for the fine itself, I was initially for it--although the amount seems quite stiff--but, as a commenter on the Yankee blog River Ave Blues, pointed out, if "some bullshit beauty queen hand wave" nonsense buys him a get-out-of-jail-free card, then Patterson is essentially being penalized for being too arrogant and/or stupid to legally break the rules. In other words, if he'd thrown out the ceremonial first pitch or performed some gubernatorial-related photo-op he would've easily dodged the ethics violations charge and the need to perjure himself. Ah, loopholes...

But wait--what good are ethical guidelines/rules if they can be legally circumvented with ease? Until they put some teeth into the penalties for ethical transgressions of this kind I smell bullshit either way.

Health Care Should Never Be About Monetary Cost

2010-12-22T21:15:00.008-05:00

Although it only took almost a decade and was, in the end, scaled down, the Sept.11th First Responders finally got Congress to pass the bill which would provide health care for them. Let me briefly put aside the deplorable wait and undue nonsense these folks had to go thru, to salute them on this victory and wish them the best from here on in.

Now, I have to bring up the obvious.

So, if we're to take Republicans at their word the issue here was cost. But this is where I have a fundamental divide with conservative rationale: when it comes to saving and preserving life cost should never be a determining factor. Period. Now, if we're talking about an issue of convenience and not health, that's another matter. Sure, bring up cost if building that bridge or paving that road would be too expensive for what whatever benefits we'd get in return. But with issues regarding health, to bring up cost as a reason to not implement measures is, quite frankly, obscene and even immoral, IMHO.

And don't get me started on the hypocrisy of bringing up cost when you support the proven non-job creating, deficit-enlarging tax cuts for the rich.

The Christmas Cry Baby Blues

2010-12-17T03:08:00.003-05:00

Politico:

Sen. Jim DeMint (R-SC) called Democrats' push to force through an arms control treaty and an omnibus spending bill right before Christmas "sacrilegious," and warned he'd draw the process out to wage his objections.
“We shouldn’t be jamming a major arms control treaty up against Christmas; it’s sacrilegious and disrespectful," he told POLITICO. "What's going on here is just wrong. This is the most sacred holiday for Christians. They did the same thing last year - they kept everybody here until [Christmas Eve] to force something down everybody's throat. I think Americans are sick of this.

You know what Americans are actually tired of, Mr. DeMint? Overpaid clowns like yourself bitching and moaning that they MIGHT have to work leading up to Christmas Eve. Plenty of folks, including police, firefighters, nurses, EMTs, transit workers and many others who are lucky enough to have a job--not to mention thousands of the men and women of the Armed Forces--will be on the clock thru Christmas.

Do we need any more proof--along with their staunch defense of tax cuts for the rich--of how much contempt these people have for the average American? Ugh. At best, they are severely out of touch. But I'm not vouching for the latter. Assholes.

The Forrest Gump of Baseball

2010-12-16T22:28:00.007-05:00

On Monday, 79 year old Tampa Bay Rays coach Don Zimmer had a pacemaker installed. Get well soon, Zim. For those of you who don't know he is, well...

He was Jackie Robinson’s teammate; on the only Brooklyn Dodgers team to win a World Series; an original Met; a Red Sox coach during the incredible 1975 World Series; Red Sox manager in 1978 when the Yankees' Bucky Dent hit his legendary HR; managed the Cubs to a division title and named Manager of the Year in 1989; on the staff of the first Colorado Rockies team in 1993; and was the Yankees’ bench coach during the championship run of the late ‘90s…Damn!

Cliff Lee signs with Phillies

2010-12-15T04:07:00.006-05:00

The most desired free agent of the 2010 off season has signed with the team he went to the World Series in 2009. This development makes the Phillies' trading of Lee to the Seattle Mariners in December of '09 even more of a headscratcher. They decided to trade him because they thought they wouldn't have the money to re-sign him, and then do so the following year. Huh?

But the bottom line is, with the addition of Cliff Lee the Phillies now have the best starting rotation in baseball, the likes of which we’ve not seen since the Braves juggernaut of the ‘90s. If it’s any consolation to the teams in the NL East, the Braves only got one championship out of that formidable Maddux-Smoltz-Glavine beast, albeit with plenty of division titles and a few pennants to show for it. But boy, they must be bummed in Flushing...

In missing out on Lee, the silver lining for the Rangers and the Yankees—the other two teams chasing after him—is they won’t have to face him except when it matters, if that happens to be the case.

As for the money thing…

Much has been made about Lee rejecting the $148 million and $138 million contracts offered by the Yankees and Rangers, respectively, and accepting the $120 million offer made by the Phillies. Yes, Lee did leave money on the table in the long run, but he took the contract that pays more per year. So this whole "he turned down the big bucks" thing is disingenuous.

Personally, I see respecting a free agent for taking less money the same as deciding not to respect him for taking more money. In other words, I don’t agree with either stance.

Want to accept less money to play with X? Good for you.
Want to accept more money to play with Y? Good for you.

Respecting players that accept less or criticizing those who go after more money is a romantic notion I do not share. (It’s quite selective, too: we didn’t hear anyone say they respected A-Rod when he was willing accept less money to play in Boston, right?) It’s also perpetuated by folks who would leave their jobs in a heartbeat if they got offered a $100/wk increase in salary elsewhere, so I’m not inclined to take ‘em seriously.

Because a baseball career has quite a finite duration—Bo Jackson, anyone?—players have a limited window of time to make the kind of money no one in their right mind would turn down for doing what they love. I say go for it. If not, that’s cool too. To each to his own. But this vilification/deification nonsense has got to stop.

And While We're On The Topic of Government Spending

2010-12-06T03:17:00.003-05:00

In reference to folks in "red states" complaining about government spending, a wise man once said (in admittedly coarse language)...

All those Federal taxes you love to hate? It all comes from us and goes to you, so shut up and enjoy your fucking Tennessee Valley Authority electricity and your fancy highways that we paid for. And the next time Florida gets hit by a hurricane you can come crying to us if you want to, but you're the ones who built on a fucking swamp. "Let the Spanish keep it, it’s a shithole," we said, but you had to have your fucking orange juice.

The next dickwad who says, "It’s your money, not the government's money" is gonna get their ass kicked. Nine of the ten states that get the most federal fucking dollars and pay the least... can you guess? Go on, guess. That’s right, motherfucker, they're red states. And eight of the ten states that receive the least and pay the most? It’s too easy, asshole, they’re blue states. It’s not your money, assholes, it’s fucking our money. What was that Real American Value you were spouting a minute ago? Self reliance? Try this for self reliance: buy your own fucking stop signs, assholes.

The Boss Just Might Be Rolling In His Grave (but not for the reason you think)

2010-12-05T22:12:00.013-05:00

The Yankees-Derek Jeter soap opera came to an end over the weekend. Congratulations to the Yankee captain for emerging victorious over his team's front office aka "the chumps".

Am I being a bit harsh? Well, I love my team and have no real beef with the Steinbrenner scions--actually, I like the delightful blowhard older brother Hank--but I can't get behind a bunch of guys who decide to fold when their hand is a royal flush. This may be the first time I've ever taken the side of a team over that of a player and boy was I disappointed. It seems as if baseball team owners can never do the right thing even when it all lines up in their favor.

Derek Jeter's contract with the team ended the day after the end of this year's World Series. The Yankees initially offered Jeter the more than fair 3 yr/$15m per. Considering he's not worth more than $8m tops in the current market, the other $7m could be construed as compensation for being a Yankee icon and services rendered. (He was already paid handsomely for the latter but let's move on.)

So, what do the Yankees do? With about 70% of Yankee fans agreeing with their offer (which surprised the hell out of me; I thought the knuckleheads/give-Jeter-a-blank-check crowd would come out in massive numbers and mount a full court defense of the Yankee shortstop), the front office knowing full well there was a very slim Jeter would leave the Bronx, and that NO OTHER TEAMS would meet his financial demands, they played hardball. For a minute.

What they eventually did was bid against themselves and up the offer to $17m per and add a 4th year player option! Ugh. By overpaying Jeter even more and still not appeasing those who worship at his altar, the front office failed. Twice. Good grief!

This past week, Colorado Rockies shortstop Troy Tulowitzki, arguably Derek Jeter's no.1 fan/colleague (he wears no.2 on his uniform in honor of the Yankee icon) got a brand new 6 yr/$20m per contract extension. That the 36 year old Jeter is gonna get paid $3m/yr less than an All-Star SS 10 yrs his junior says everything one needs to know about the Yankees' negotiation skills.

There are those who have said--among them Mets and Yankee great Darryl Strawberry--that The Boss must've been rolling in his grave over the handling of Jeter's contract. (Btw, those folks who feel Jeter was disrespected during the current contract negotiations should give Bernie Williams a call.) How in the world is overpaying someone disrespectful? The Jeter hero worship...sometimes I dunno.

But here's the kicker: The Boss would've never lost a negotiation where he had all the leverage. (Nor would the average person, for that matter.) Now, THAT might be making him spin right about now.

The Democrats Have Failed Us

2010-11-30T20:28:00.008-05:00

Let's cut to the chase: We can go on and on about GOP obstruction and an ideology entrenched in a fierce desire to consolidate power while defending the interests of the rich, or the failure of the current administration to hold its own in the face of this, but here's the bottom line: even with a congressional majority, the Democrats have failed us. Big time. And in more ways than one. But today, in a meeting with key congressional Republicans, the President of the United States may have sealed his fate with many who have supported him, by clearly demonstrating he doesn't have the testicular fortitude to confront those who openly defy him at every turn and have been clearly at war with his administration from Day One.

After having his bipartisan olive branch repeatedly swatted out of his hand by Republicans, whose number one priority is the failure of his administration, President Obama--in what can only be described as the political version of battered wife syndrome--acknowledged not reaching out enough to the GOP. Yes, he actually said that. Let it sink in for a second but try not to have your head explode while you're at it.

I think its time for the Democratic Party to act aggressively, independent of the White House and to make some bold statements. For starters, I suggest busing in to Washington, DC thousands of angry, unemployed folks for 3 days of protest before Congress. Let the GOP and their Democratic Blue Dog allies see who it is they are screwing over, live and in the flesh. I'm sure they can reach into their coffers or even get a couple of their wealthiest donors to foot the bill. Think of the press mileage they could get out of this; the surge in Democratic fervor among the base. And more importantly the message they'd be sending. (The voice of the American people, indeed!)

I'm not a political pundit, merely an observer. But it seems to me that unless a phenomenal, Clinton-like economic recovery transpires in the next 2 years, Barack Obama will be a one-term preisdent. Which is why--much to my chagrin--I suggest the party start looking towards running another candidate to face Obama in the primaries or prepare to be left out in the political wilderness for a decade or so. Seriously.

Here's Rep. Jim McDermott (D-Washington) on MSNBC's The Ed Show explaining the Republican "sink or swim" mentality while addressing the expiration of unemployment benefits and the President's baffling conduct vis-a-vis GOP lawmakers.

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

What Will the Next 2 Years Look Like?

2010-11-19T04:30:00.010-05:00

In 1998, a lame duck GOP Congress--despite the wishes of the American people, as evidenced in the polls--went ahead to impeach President Clinton. Meanwhile, this administration can't find the resolve to say, "You know what? We're in favor of continuing the Bush tax cuts for the middle class. If you want to derail that if the rich aren't included, then YOU go out and explain THAT to the American people."

Not a peep. Oh, and yeah: the Dems STILL HAVE THE MAJORITY IN CONGRESS. You wouldn't know it, right?

In politics, perception is 90% reality, says the old cliché. And if it weren't true the Dems would win every single major election, for they have the populist agenda not the country club agenda on their side. Sticking up for the sick, the unemployed, the exploited, etc is being on the side of the angels. But when Republican craftiness and Democratic ineptitude collide, well...

This administration has made a few major tactical errors, and caving on their principles ranks quite high among them. Continually watering down the agenda to appease the GOP in the name of bi-partisanship only to have them reject the administration's proposals every single time, regardless, what kind of idiocy is that? "Fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me." What about when you are fooled again and again and again?

No reasonable observer was expecting Barack Obama to be the savior of American politics. But the milquetoast approach to policy and bipartisanship from this veteran of the notoriously hardball Chicago politicial arena has been quite the revelation: the equivalent of a fratboy hitting on a lesbian and expecting her to hook up with him. Granted, the party of "no" has not been one of loyal opposition but one of utter obstruction. Yet, time and time again, the Dems fail to take a stand and end up letting the GOP run roughshod over them.

And then there are those within the Democratic party who feel this past election was a mandate from the American people for the party to become more centrist. As a moderate Democrat who leans left, let me just call bullshit on that one. There is no mandate. Period. More importantly, where does this readiness to compromise on principle come from? Unless, of course, we're talking about hacks staring at the political weather vane, I just don't get this seemingly wholesale Democratic spinelessness.

Plus, do you really want to give credence to folks who believe there's only one major party in American politics, to begin with? Not that I would dismiss the qualms and disappointment these folks have with the current system, but instead of sticking to its identity there are those who want the party to be more like the GOP? Why not the other way around? This is my problem with the Blue Dogs, who seem to feel more in tune with their opponent than their own party. Why else would one of them recently suggest the Dems be more like the Republicans?

In principle, I have nothing against being a moderate Democrat--diversity is healthy, and, as I stated before, I happen to be one myself--but when you vote in large part against the agenda and ideals of the party, maybe it's time to re-think one's allegiance, no? However, there is something about the Republicans the Dems should, hopefully, learn to emulate: sticking to your guns, fighting for your convictions, and growing the necessary spine and "stones" to do so.

Speaking of which, I have recently been accused of focusing on the shortcomings of the Democrats and in the process giving the Republicans a free pass. Nothing could be further from the truth. Of course I'm focused on the Dems: they have my allegiance! However, I'm not giving the GOP a free pass by aggressively criticizing the Democrats for not standing up to them. But guess what? They have FAILED miserably at it. The party of obstruction has been given every chance to help govern and instead rebuffed this administration repeatedly. Worse, the Dems have fallen for this nonsense EVERY SINGLE TIME. What's that definition of insanity again? Some might feel civility is the way to deal with folks that only respect fear and intimidation. Good luck with that. It's sure done wonders for Obama, huh?

The bottom line: politics is dirty and often ruthless. A sad fact but one that should never be ignored. The Dems are clinging to the idea that noble intentions are enough to govern and implement an agenda when you have a rabid, play-for-keeps opponent. Meanwhile, the vast majority of Americans ignore the accomplishments of the current administration. “We have done things that people don’t even know about,” the President recently told Jon Stewart. Whose fault is that? The GOP has successfully twisted the perception of the American people while the Dems did nothing to promote their achievements, believing that doing the right thing was enough. Guess what happened Nov. 2nd?

There are those who believe early signs of Republican internal dissent will avalanche into back-breaking discord come election time and have begun to align themselves with that glimmer of hope. Regardless, no matter how much infighting the GOP vs Tea Party divide might bring upon itself, without a resolute Democratic front it will all amount to nothing. And that doesn't seem to be on the horizon at this particular point in time. Not when Republican congressional leaders have the gall to ditch meeting with the President so they can have press conferences from which to attack his administration. And the White House's response? [cue crickets and tumbleweeds]

What the Democrats STILL don't seem to get is that the Republicans' sole intention is not to govern but to break this administration's back. That's it. And tax cuts for the rich, of course. (Btw, pardon my ignorance, but is it IMPOSSIBLE to shift this tax cut paradigm? What I mean is, I am most certainly in favor of tax cuts for the rich, AS A REWARD FOR INVESTING AND CREATING JOBS, but not as a no-strings-attached incentive, as the GOP is always pushing for. Is this not possible? And if it is WTF is this not on the table? Yes, I know that the GOP's demands for tax cuts for the rich are probably just a ruse and their true intent is to further line the wealthy's pockets under an economy-stimulating pretext. Thought I'd give 'em the benefit of the doubt, tho.)

The reality of modern American politics is an ugly one, and requires a steel-lined stomach and the courage not only of one's convictions but the ability to pounce and take no prisoners. I don't condone lying but short of that, in politics, you've got to hit your opponent with everything including the kitchen sink. We need more Alan Graysons and less milquetoast idealists in the Democratic party. Otherwise, in this aggressive and brutal political climate the GOP will beat you up, take your lunch money and make you pay them interest on it.

Looks like it's gonna be a long 2 years. You betcha.

Once Again, Let's Do It For Ourselves (part 2)

2010-11-04T17:30:00.004-04:00

This is why:

When Wisconsin's Republican candidate for senator Ron Johnson--running against Democratic incumbent and liberal favorite Russ Feingold--was asked what should be done about the more than 100,000 homeless veterans in the US his answer was "I don’t believe this election is about details. It just isn’t."

He won.

Ron Johnson is against unemployment benefits.

He won.

Ron Johnson wants to maintain the Bush Tax Cuts for the rich.

He won.

Ron Johnson's favorite attack on Feingold was that the Democratic senator voted for the stimulus and healthcare reform.

Ron Johnson won.

Let's put aside the fact that someone like Feingold did the right thing but got no support from the White House--which did such a horrible job of communicating their message that only about 2% of the populace actually knows that their taxes have gone down since Obama has been in office--and take a sobering look at how a man running on a platform of not taking into account details beat out a principled incumbent. I mean, we've all heard of "not sweating the small stuff" but this is not just ridiculous it's offensive, as well. But of greater concern is that Johnson and his ilk will have a vote to help indirectly defeat measures in states where people not only did not vote for him but repudiate his entire platform.

More and more people like Johnson are coming out of the woodwork to undermine things like universal healthcare, unemployment benefits, environmental regulations, proper energy policy, corporate responsibility, on a national level. Let's get our own house in order before they make it even more difficult to do so. Remember, conservatives only back "states' rights" when it's convenient for ther anti-American agenda. Yes, I said anti-American. What else should I call people that consistently go against the interests of the average American?

Once Again, Let's Do It For Ourselves

2010-11-03T21:01:00.003-04:00

In light of the results of yesterday's elections I will repeat it yet again:

It's time to forget about implementing change and reform nationwide and look out for ourselves. We must get our social and political agenda going in our own backyard, make our individual states function in the manner in which we'd like and not miss out on the policies we'd like to see enacted regardless of what happens in Washington. Why should we at home be at the mercy of obstructionists, meaningless compromises, and radical opponents on the national level? Let's strive for molding our states in our own image. This requires hard work and leadership, not to mention smart, ballsy, high-profile people to get it in gear, but it's a goal we must shoot for. Before it's too late.

The GOP's Political Frankenstein

2010-09-16T14:15:00.003-04:00

Tea Party candidates are winning GOP primaries and the Republican establishment is running scared. Well, they created this monster, so now they have to live with it. That and the fact that while Sister Sarah and her "grizzlies" appeal to a significant part of the GOP base, their "charm" doesn't take hold that well outside of their own loony circles. How did they get here? Well, this is something they've been cooking up for some time now.

The Republicans tried with the Tea Party the same approach they started using with the Christian Right some 30 years ago: lure them in for votes and once their support carries the GOP into office, turn their backs on them. After all, they're not gonna vote for the Democrats, right?

Except the Tea Partiers were pro-active and office-seeking in a way the Christian Right wasn't. So now you have the GOP worried that the far right agenda of Tea Party candidates will alienate moderate Republicans AND independents in November. Hell, Karl Rove said as much to Sean Hannity on Fox Tuesday night. This could get pretty interesting. And while it may be to early for those of us with liberal political leanings to partake in some schadenfruede, this Republican mess is enough to make one smile.

Nine Years Ago...

2010-09-11T00:49:00.001-04:00

If you don’t mind I’d like to share with you my brief recollections from that day.

Since I didn’t have to be at work go until noon or so, I was asleep in my South Brooklyn apartment when it all happened. I don’t have a phone in my bedroom because I get calls at all hours of the day and don’t want to deal with that nonsense. Plus, my friends know they won’t wake me no matter what time they call so they feel free to call anytime. However, it was one of those friends who woke me that fateful Tuesday morning.

I couldn’t immediately make out who it was but someone was yelling into my answer machine and I got up to find out what all the fuss was about. When I picked up, my buddy Jorge, who was calling from Florida, didn’t even greet me. “Put on the TV!” Figuring this was something major I didn’t hesitate and immediately put on CNN only to be confronted by the sight of the World Trade Center up in smoke.

For the next 4 or 5 hours I was on the couch in front of the TV and getting calls from all over the world. My mom in the Dominican Republic, who like the vast majority of Dominicans was equally shocked and saddened, told me how my brother was on the roof placing both a Dominican and American flag side by side. Friends kept calling to check in on me and to commiserate. At one point I went back to my bedroom for the first time since Jorge had awakened me and absentmindedly wondered what that burning smell was. Oh.

I walked out to the corner bodega to get a bite to eat and noticed how the cars on my block were covered in a light coat of sand-colored ash. When I got to the corner and looked north on 4th Ave I saw what seemed like an army of commuters, trudging along on foot, exhausted and bewildered, but on their way home. Meanwhile, my Yemenite grocers looked dismayed and slightly unsettled; who knew what reaction would come their way? Thankfully, all was calm in the ‘hood as we started to piece together just how horrible this tragedy turned out to be.

Where Are We?

2010-09-03T11:00:00.003-04:00

There has been much talk lately about liberal apathy and unreasonable expectations of the President feeding GOP scorched earth/divide and conquer tactics. While this may be true, and unfortunate--as well as something that needs to be reversed immediately--those of us who continue to support President Obama have every reason to be dismayed over his tenure in the Oval Office.

Sometimes you can control end results; often, you cannot. That's not what bothers me. However, not putting up a proper fight truly does irk me. If you'll permit me a dried up sports analogy...it's not whether you win or lose but how you play the game. And Obama's team has played a mediocre game despite much talent on the field. The GOP is not beating this administration; the White House is beating itself by making one bad play after another.

The talented team that ran a brilliant campaign has not lived up to the reasonable expectations we had, now that they are in office. Yes, it's way more complicated than that, obviously. But that's what it boils down to. Perception is the key currency in politics; it's what gets you elected and re-elected. Obama's efforts to compromise with the GOP--which was the equivalent of a straight man continuously hitting on a lesbian and hoping to score--rendered him ineffectual and weak. Irreparably so? I sure hope not. But enough damage has been done to his persona.

I thought a Chicago pol that came out of nowhere to become the first black US president would be a badass and not the milquetoast that took forever to figure out the GOP only respects fear and decisive action. Politics is a ruthless and dirty business; the GOP hate Bill Clinton not because he has a weakness for tail but because he plays dirty and for keeps like they do. Sadly, that SNL skit from last year, "The Rock Obama", is closer to the truth than anyone would like to admit.

The Distinguished Gentleman

2010-09-02T14:52:00.001-04:00

I thought someone who 10 years ago was a virtual unknown and rose out of Chicago politics to be the first African-American president would be one tough mofo. Instead, Obama has shown himself to be, for the most part, a step or two above a garden variety milquetoast. A stereotypical Democrat, indeed.

Bob Cesca Nails It

2010-08-22T05:56:00.006-04:00

There's been a lot of talk regarding the community center/mosque to be built mere blocks away from where the World Trade Center once stood. At first I thought this would not be a good idea on the grounds of sensitivity. That was before I found out there are currently 2 mosques within mere blocks of ground zero, one of which was opened in 1970 and actually predates the WTC. (The other has been around since 1985.) Or that a strip club is located a mere 2 blocks away. Now, I truthfully don't know. I really appreciate the feelings and concerns of those who lost loved ones at the WTC on Sept 11th but there are big inconsistencies in this situation. Huffington Post contributor Bob Cesca addresses them. Namely...

...there's going to be a shopping mall literally in the ground of Ground Zero. "Below-grade" means "in the ground." The Ground. In other words, Sarah Palin and her entire gaggle of various babies and ghost writers can visit Ground Zero and honor the heroes and victims of 9/11 while trying on tankinis at Juicy Couture (or whatever clothing stores end up there) constructed within the actual ground of Ground Zero.

This bears repeating: unlike Park 51, which is blocks away, there's going to be a 55,000 square foot mall under the same ground where people fell to their deaths on that terrible day. Ground that's mixed with the remains of the dead. A mall.

Is anyone asking those who oppose this new mosque about the discrepancy between de-facto hallowed ground and soon-to-be commercial real estate? I personally don't have a dog in this hunt, I'm just trying to gauge where people are coming from on this matter. But there's some obvious contradictions here and acting on a whim is probably not a good idea.

Here's the rest of Bob Cesca's piece.

600 (no asterisk, thanks)

2010-08-05T05:22:00.012-04:00

Alex Rodriguez hit his 600th home run on Thursday August 4th, exactly 3 years to the day he hit his 500th four-bagger.

He did it at home, in front of the Yankee Stadium faithful, a 2-run blast in the first inning that was also the winning run in a 5-1 victory vs the Toronto Blue Jays. A-Rod becomes the 7th player in Major League history to reach this milestone and at age 35 the youngest ever.

His admission of steroid use in the first three years of the previous decade will always be brought up whenever his career and individual stats, and by extension his Hall of Fame credentials, are discussed. But as a fan of the player in question, I acknowledge this transgression but refuse to chime in with the haters and the hypocrites: folks that would leave their current jobs for a $100/wk pay raise elsewhere in a heartbeat, yet cry greed when an athlete wants to take advantage of their small window of opportunity to make money in their given profession before they are kicked to the curb (Bo Jackson, anyone?); or the purists who exalt players from a gloried past but look the other way when the topic of controlled substances taken by these legends of yesteryear is referenced. (Or when in many cases, these retired athletes admit they'd likely have taken today's PEDs if they'd had the chance.) In any event, let's scour the gyms of America and find the most steroid-pumped individuals, give 'em a bat, and see if they can hit 100 HRs against major league pitching, let alone 600.

So today I come not to bury Alex but to praise him--heh, heh--and wish him many HRs to come. May they all be in The Bronx and with A-Rod wearing pinstripes.

[photo AP/Kathy Willens via River Ave Blues]

Obama Needs to Man Up; Breitbart's Screwup

2010-07-23T02:09:00.005-04:00

I sincerely hope the Obama administration has learned its lesson with the whole sorry-ass Shirley Sherrod affair: don't jump to fucking conclusions; do your research. And most importantly, stop being so afraid of the wing-nut smear machine. Scumbag emeritus Andrew Breitbart and his ilk will always take cheap shots like taking an edit from Sherrod's speech about racial reconciliation and pull a few sentences out of context to make it seem like a racist affirmation. That's what these assholes do. It's not that they have a different political ideology, it's that they are dishonest pieces of shit that don't care about the truth. Slime pays and they've got bills, you know?

But this time, hopefully, the smearmongers will have whatever little credibility they may enjoy questioned a bit more; their race-baiting pronouncements and slimy tactics less likely to be immediately regurgitated. After all, a misunderstood quote is one thing, but to purposely and shamelessly take a positive message and try to fashion it into one of division and hate is not only slanderous but indecent and immoral as well. But, hey, look who we're asking moral certitude from.

Shakespearean 'tweets' in Honor of Sister Sarah

2010-07-22T03:58:00.002-04:00

I'm not a fan of Twitter but Sarah Palin comparing her mangling of the English language to William Shakespeare's linguistic flights of fancy has brought about many funny tweets. My faves:

“Cry havoc, and let slip the hockey moms of war!”

“Something is rotten in the state of Alaska. So I’m quitting.”

“Et tu, Bristol?!

“Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your ears; I come to bury America not to serve it in any way. At all.”

“Shall I compare ya to a summer’s day?”

Priceless.

Tea Partier Not Your Dad's Mr. Roper

2010-07-17T17:19:00.008-04:00

Let's get to the gist of this: Tea Party leader Mark Williams has vehemently defended his organization from accusations of racism but when confronted by the NAACP on the subject he lashes out and claims the NAACP has made "more money off of race than any slave trader ever." Dumbfounding huh? Well, what about Billy Roper, a Tea Partier and write-in candidate for governor of Arkansas who had this to say to the Kansas City Star:

“I don’t want non-whites in my country in any form or fashion or any status,” he says. Roper also is a tea party member who says he has been gathering support for his cause by attending tea party rallies. “We go to these tea parties all over the country,” Roper said. “We’re looking for the younger, potentially more radical people.”

That's incriminating enough. But then I find out that, according to the Anti-Defamation League website...

Arkansas-based White Revolution is a relatively new neo-Nazi organization that seeks to promote unity and cooperation among white supremacist groups. Run by Billy Roper, a former official with National Alliance, White Revolution coordinates rallies and protests - often in conjunction with other groups - that attract a wide array of racist participants, ranging from young skinheads to Identity Christians to neo-Nazis and Klansmen...Roper, born in 1972, is a onetime skinhead and a former high school history instructor who claims that three generations of his family have belonged to the Klan.

Care to add something to this, Mr. Williams?

McCarver Steps In It Yet Again

2010-07-17T13:26:00.001-04:00

Unlike many baseball fans I've never had much of a problem with Tim McCarver in the broadcast booth; I find him to be more like a necessary evil than anything else. (Joe Morgan is another matter altogether.) But a recent pronouncement from McCarver reminded me of the Mets' botched firing of manager Willie Randolph a few seasons ago. In other words, a widely supported conclusion was handled badly and ended up biting the protagonist in the ass.

During Fox Sports' broadcast of the Saturday, July 17th, Yankees vs Rays game at Yankee Stadium, McCarver decried the absence of any tribute to former Yankee manager Joe Torre at the Yankees home park. Now, regardless of how one may feel regarding the Yankees' handling of Torre's departure, the fact remains that he led the Bronx Bombers to 12 consecutive post-season appearances, including 4 World Series championships, 6 pennants, and 10 division titles. So, yes, it's a no-brainer to suggest that Torre be acknowledged in the palace that is the new Yankee Stadium, and shame on the Yankees for failing to do so.

But for McCarver to compare this Yankee faux pas to mid 20th century German and Soviet generals being airbrushed out of their respective histories for not achieving whatever victory was expected of them, is not only grounds for invoking Godwin's Law, but an incredibly inappropriate and ill-timed statement mere days after the death of Yankees owner, and acknowledged hard-ass George M. Steinbrenner. Jesus, man, do you not think before you spew such nonsense? Good grief.

Ted, Just Admit It

2010-07-06T00:25:00.001-04:00

Right-wing nutjob and rock and roll has-been Ted Nugent recently appeared on Faux News' Hannity--one of the few non-music forums desperate enough to have him--to sing the praise of the Tea Party loons (complete with a quote by Dr. Martin Luther King), demand accountability from the government, and claim that President Obama is spitting on the US Constitution.

Now, let's put aside all facts and common sense and bring it down to this:

Ted, for the sake of argument we'll grant you the ridiculous notion that Obama is indeed metaphorically loogying on our supreme governing document. In turn, you admit that shitting one's pants to fake dementia that would preclude one from getting drafted to fight in Vietnam is no way to demonstrate accountability.

Cool?

LeBron and Strasburg: My 2 Cents

2010-06-26T20:22:00.010-04:00

It seems like the two biggest topics in North American sports right now are basketball superstar LeBron James' possible departure from the Cleveland Cavaliers; and the rise of impressive rookie pitcher Stephen Strasburg of the Washington Nationals. Much has already been written about both elsewhere so I won't bore you with the details here. But here's my humble take:

- James, an Akron, OH native should not leave the Cavs until he wins a championship for his (almost) hometown team. But he's given the team 7 years and a valiant effort, so if he chooses greener pastures I won't hold it against him one bit. (On a personal level, I would very much NOT like for him to join the soon-to-be Brooklyn Nets, or whatever the fuck they end up calling themselves, for the reasons I've espoused here.)

- The hoopla surrounding Strasburg has honestly surprised me. ESPN has called him "the most-hyped pick in draft history", while Sports Illustrated considers Strasburg "the most hyped and closely watched pitching prospect in the history of baseball". Yes, the 21 year old is a wonderfully talented phenom but all this acclaim is quite over the top. (Mr. Baseball Nerd, Keith Olbermann agrees.) The fact is, Strasburg has started against mostly low-rung teams (Pirates, Indians), one of which he lost to (Royals), and the only solid team he's faced (White Sox) Strasburg got a no-decision in a game his team eventually lost. 4 games does not a Hall of Fame career make.

Yeah, he's averaging 10 strikeouts per game but c'mon, how 'bout we wait 'til he's been around a couple of seasons and the hitters have had a chance to see him. In the meantime, I suggest following Mr. Wolf's advice, let the the Nats milk the situation for all its worth and enjoy the ride. And if you think the sad saga of the D-Train has made me even more skeptical of the whole Strasburg hype, then you are quite right.

Fox: Obama Gives Back Chunk of AZ to Mexico

2010-06-24T18:59:00.002-04:00

Man, they've got balls over in Murdoch land.

A strip of an Arizona wildlife preserve on the border Mexico has been closed off to visitors--for security reasons, due to increased violence in the area--since 2006. You know, when W. was still president.

So, what does Fox Noise do in these times of controversy regarding AZ's stance on illegal immigrants? Why, fan more flames by reporting on their supposed news shows, not on the propaganda hours of Beck, Hannity, O'Reilly, etc that President Obama has actually given Mexico a stretch of land by the border. And then, after the damage is done, erase all record of ever having reported it. Un-fucking-believable.

No, wait--what am I saying? I ABSOLUTELY BELIEVE Fox is capable of this kind of wretched, unethical bullshit. Sensen No Sen has the complete lowdown.

GOP Shows True Colors in Defense of BP

2010-06-21T14:13:00.006-04:00

I'm no fan of White House chief of staff Rahm Emanuel, but I like that he makes the clear distinction between a political gaffe and a deep-rooted ideology, vis-a-vis Republican apologies and concern for BP.

Dems need to harp on this every day until the November elections. To take the side of an oil company that thru negligence and greed--not to mention lax regulation and very little oversight during the 8 years of the previous administration--created a disaster such as this, is a disregard for the people of the highest order.

Remember what I've been saying about the GOP/conservative "sink or swim" philosophy? This latest genuflection is just another manifestation of it.

An Imperfect End to a Perfect Game

2010-06-03T05:58:00.004-04:00

In a recent span of a week or so in which umpire malfeasance has repeatedly reared its ugly head, last night's incident clearly takes the cake.

I'm sure you have all heard by now of Tigers pitcher Armando Galarraga being denied a perfect game vs the Cleveland Indians, Wed night in Detroit, after umpire Jim Joyce blew a call at 1B that would've resulted in the final out of the game. (Btw, Tigers first baseman Miguel Cabrera deserves at least 10% of the blame for what eventually went down--what the hell was he doing chasing a grounder clearly in the path of the second baseman, instead of covering his base?!)

This was a disaster, plain and simple. And baseball fans round the whole world, not just here in the US, witnessed the sad debacle.

Commissioner Bud Selig should overturn the call, which, if I'm not mistaken would require the Tigers, Indians, and umpire Joyce to sign off. As for issues of MLB credibility taking a hit if the call were to be overturned, well, they turned a blind eye to obvious steroid use after fans returned to the game, following the '94 strike--so much for credibility. And there is precendent for changing calls--the infamous 1983 Yankees-Royals "pine tar game" comes to mind--why not do the right thing for a change?

Anyone w/a sense of fair play should not object to this perfect game being awarded, especially when the end result of the game itself was subsequently not altered as a result of the blown call. I'm a Yankee fan and Galarraga is not one of the non-Yankees I follow, but I'm a baseball fan as well. And I felt lucky to at least have caught the game from the 8th inning on, only to be utterly dismayed by the call when it went down.

Joyce candidly recognized his mistake after the game and approached Galarraga with what has been reported as a very sincere apology. That was classy. So was Galarraga's reaction to the whole thing. Let's hope Selig will follow in their footsteps and do what's right.

Oh, and yeah: Junior retired. It took a fuck up of historic proportions to overshadow the news of a living legend saying goodbye. Jeez...

Bipartisanship is a Delusion: Has Obama Finally Figured it Out?

2010-05-20T14:28:00.003-04:00

I've been harping on this for the longest: the Republicans had no intention of working with this president at any level. But not only have they repeatedly opposed his policies, the disciples of the party of "no"--excuse me, "Hell, no!"--have even had the audacity to claim involvement when these initiatives have benefited their constituents, as has been the case with the stimulus. (And don't get me started on their support of the Tea Party movement, a bunch of folks who took their name from a tax revolt, yet aren't aware of the fact that the average American is paying less federal taxes than in any point in history.)

But it seems that Obama may have finally figured it out. According to Gene Lyons in Salon, at a recent fundraiser in Manhattan he came up with the perfect metaphor to define the agents of obstruction:

He said that Republicans had made a calculated decision to oppose all White House initiatives, and to hope for the worst. "So after they drove the car into the ditch, made it as difficult as possible for us to pull it back, now they want the keys back. No! You can't drive! We don't want to have to go back into the ditch! We just got the car out!"

Exactly.

Quote of the Day

2010-05-18T17:36:00.002-04:00

...[O]nly in America will you find people stupid enough not to see the irony in a teenage girl who got knocked up lecturing them on abstinence.

- Blogger Xmastime on Alaska half-governor Sarah Palin's daughter Bristol commanding $15-$30K per appearance on the lecture circuit.

Rick Perry's Texas-Sized Hypocrisy

2010-05-18T08:01:00.000-04:00

Without a doubt, hypocrisy is one of the main currencies in politics. Both liberals and conservatives partake. But it pisses me off when treason-inciting, Tea Party-loving, small-government proponents like Gov. Rick Perry (R-TX) have the tax payers foot the bill for his expensive temporary digs while his state deals with a sizeable budget deficit. Oh, the outcry if were one of those tax-and-spend, liberal Democrats! Asshole.

Here's the deal: what small government really means to these people is corporations and rich people having as much leeway as possible to do whatever they want to fuck people over and pay as little taxes as possible. Add a touch of small-government + not letting liberals turn your children gay = your chance at the American Dream; and you've got yourself a sales pitch for the long haul.

AP/Yahoo:

AUSTIN, Texas – With the state facing a budget shortfall of at least $11 billion, Texas Gov. Rick Perry has spent almost $600,000 in public money during the past two years to live in a sprawling rental home in the hills above the capital, according to records obtained by The Associated Press.

It costs more than $10,000 a month in rent, utilities and upkeep to house Perry in a five-bedroom, seven-bath mansion that has pecan-wood floors, a gourmet kitchen and three dining rooms. Perry has also spent $130,000 in campaign donations to throw parties, buy food and drink, and pay for cable TV and a host of other services since he moved in, the records show.

The public spending on Perry's rental comes as the state grapples with a budget shortfall forecast to reach at least $11 billion over the next two years. Perry has asked state agencies to cut their budgets by 5 percent and the Republican House speaker has begun to consider furloughs and shortened workweeks for state employees.

Ethics watchdogs, meanwhile, say Perry's campaign may have violated state disclosure laws because of the vague way he's reported what his staff calls "incidental" spending at the mansion.

"Anybody who is not offended probably doesn't know what's going on," said Rep. Jim Dunnam of Waco, the Texas House Democratic leader. To spend so much while asking state agencies to spend less, Dunnam said, is "just rank hypocrisy."

Chris Myers Disses New Orleans; Hispanics

2010-05-18T05:03:00.004-04:00

Talk about coded language...

With the Quickness

2010-04-30T06:12:00.004-04:00

I confess to being a horny hypocrite for lusting after a woman whose every utterance makes my skin crawl, but can someone PLEASE stop Sister Sarah from using the phrase "kicking it old school"?! For the love of God!

Palin's most recent usage was in the article she penned praising fellow nut job Glenn Beck on the occasion of his making Time magazine's annual list of the 100 most influential Americans. Ugh.

By the Time They Come from Arizona

2010-04-28T05:06:00.006-04:00

So, Arizona has a new immigration law that, rightfully, has very many folks--especially Hispanics--up in arms about its leading to racial profiling. It has even drawn criticism from such Republicans as Jeb Bush and Marco Rubio.

But while I find this new measure to be quite insidious, I just can't summon the strength to be upset. As with the health care reform--which I felt should only be enacted in those states where the people wanted it, leaving those opposed to fend off the insurance vampires on their own--I find myself willing to simply let people carry on their stupidity so long as it doesn't affect those in my home state.
I'm not proud of this, but I'm tired of fighting the fight against those entrenched in maliciously misguided ideas. I'm truly sorry for the residents of Arizona who would be targeted by this measure, but that's what you get when you live in the belly of a bigoted beast.

One interesting twist is that capricious law enforcement can use this new legal mandate to stop and ask papers of anyone they feel like, regardless of their racial/ethnic appearance, since they could argue the supposed non-bigoted nature of the new law. Hmm...

1600 Welcomes #27

2010-04-27T05:06:00.002-04:00

Oh, the Hypocrisy! (Grassley edition)

2010-04-27T01:36:00.003-04:00

Remember when the president called out those Republican politicians who railed against the stimulus, only to then turn around and partake of photo-ops in ribbon-cutting ceremonies for public works funded by said stimulus? Well, Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA) has joined the club. In his case, the man who famously stated health care reform would "pull the plug on grandma" is now trumpeting his achievements in getting health care reform passed. Yup. See for yourself:

American Muslims: Between a Rock and a Hard Place

2010-04-23T22:25:00.008-04:00

The recent South Park controversy brought about more talk of the moderate voices of Islam being largely silent when it comes to denouncing the acts and rhetoric of their most extreme brethren.
I guess, in part, these folks fear for their own safety due to the very real possibility of violence at the hands of those same radical muslims.

But those residing here in the US have another problem: if--and hopefully, not when--another successful Al-Qaeda-sponsored attack occurs on American soil, they will have to contend with folks like the one who owns the subtly adorned truck shown above. And with racism and xenophobia reaching almost fever pitch levels of late, it won't be pretty. Let's hope, for everyone's sake, none of this comes to pass.

[h/t: Xmastime]

42

2010-04-15T05:12:00.001-04:00

Much has been written and said about the man who on April 15th, 1947 broke the color barrier, especially on the anniversary of the date when the Brooklyn Dodgers decided it was time to end segregation in baseball. Without a doubt, it truly was the first step in what later became the Civil Rights movement. Many African-American players have voiced their gratitude; the player for my team who was named after Mr. Robinson had a great day, both at the plate and on the field. Quite poignant, yes.

But to me, a significant measure of Jackie Robinson’s influence and legacy became clear at the same Yankees-Angles game played in the Bronx on Thursday night. You see, I was unaware that young Halo outfielder Reggie Willits, a Caucasian player from Oklahoma, was actually named for Reggie Jackson. That, right there, says it all.

Pretty sweet.

Disingenuous Basterds

2010-04-15T00:48:00.003-04:00

A few nights ago Fox News’ Bill O’Reilly had former Massachusetts governor and Republican presidential hopeful Mitt Romney on his program discussing the similarities and differences between the recently enacted national health care reform law and the universal health care available in the latter’s state, particularly how the federal government assumes a chunk of the financial cost in both cases.

As you know, I believe ‘sink or swim’ to be the basic tenet of Republican/conservative philosophy, so I was not surprised to hear O’Reilly repeatedly emphasize how “folks in Idaho” would find themselves subsidizing with their taxes something they may not want to contribute to.

But what really irked me about O’Reilly’s position on this particular point is his failure to address how federal taxes from all over the country are pooled and distributed according to necessity. More importantly, he overlooked how states like Massachusetts contribute the most in federal taxes; yet receive a much lower percentage in return from the federal government.

So, does O’Reilly suggest that each state receive federal funds in accordance to how much they contribute in federal tax revenue? I’m pretty sure he doesn’t want to bring up how some of the poorer states in the nation get so much more than some of the big, bad blue states that fund many of their public works, right? That wouldn’t be a good Fox talking point, now, would it?

Once again, this kinda talk brings me back to why health care reform should’ve been a state-by-state choice. In other words, the idea would be to let those of us who want it to find a way to obtain it in our own states; those who choose to continue under the draconian practices of the health insurance companies could remain with the status quo. Maybe that would shut up these selfish, egotistical fucks for good.

Earmarks Drop 10%; GOP says...zzzzzz

2010-04-15T00:07:00.000-04:00

CNN:

The number and costs of congressional pork projects dropped this year, the Citizens Against Government Waste said in its "2010 Congressional Pig Book Summary," issued on Wednesday.

The 9,129 projects in the report "represent a 10.2 percent decline from the 10,160 projects identified in fiscal year 2009, and the $16.5 billion in cost is a 15.5 percent decrease from the $19.6 billion in pork in fiscal year 2009," the group said.

The nonpartisan group, which has been shining the light on how members of Congress use the earmarking process to steer money to projects in their districts, attributed the decrease in part to "reforms that were adopted when Democrats took over Congress in 2006."

h/t Xmastime

Palin & Bachmann: Geniuses at Work

2010-04-10T00:18:00.001-04:00

"I knew that we'd be buddies when I met her when she said, 'Drill here, drill now.' And then I replied, 'Drill, baby, drill' and then we both said, 'You betcha!'"

-- Sarah Palin, quoted by the Wall Street Journal, recalling a previous meeting with Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN).

h/t Xmastime

Haiti

2010-04-09T04:38:00.000-04:00

In the era of the 24-hour news cycle tragedies occupy a fleeting place in the media, their place quickly taken over by a newer concern. But the sad aftermath, of course, lingers.

Here's a couple of fave Haitian tunes of ours:

"Inflación", a killer track by the legendary, NY-based Tabou Combo, from their album The Masters [Barclay-1975];

and "Pwazon Rat" (Rat Poison) from Vodou Adjae [Mango-1991],
the stellar debut album by Boukman Eksperyans:

Sugarcoating the Confederacy

2010-04-08T16:19:00.008-04:00

Truly, we liberals and Northerners are such pansies: nowhere else in the world would a treasonous and immoral endeavor--seceding from the country in order to continue the enterprise of slavery--be allowed to reinvent itself through blatant historic revisionism as regional pride;
its leaders and symbols proudly and publicly displayed. Once again, these folks committed TREASON, not some minor faux pas. And yet,
a decade into the 21st century they're ballsy enough to have a Virginia governor issuing a proclamation declaring April, "Confederate History Month" and omitting the wicked evil that was slavery in the process.
All that blood spilled for this?

And what did we get for keeping them in the Union? Eternal derision. They, on the other hand, get a huge chunk of our tax dollars. How's that working out for ya, liberal elite? Let's try this: next time these folks want to break off from our Union, what do you say we let them, huh? No wonder this guy was SO pissed.

Why Was O'Reilly on Centerstage?

2010-04-08T01:07:00.005-04:00

This week, Fox Noise's Bill O'Reilly was the first guest of the new season of the YES network's Centerstage with Michael Kay. Now, someone correct me if I'm wrong, but I was under the impression that guests were culled form the world of entertainment and sports--that's what the "e" and "s" in the network's name stand for. I don't recall ever seeing a political pundit/commentator on the show. So, why was Mr. Falafel on there? Does it has to do with Fox--particularly its business channel--advertising heavily on the network? The Yankees and YES-owning Steinbrenner family's political inclinations, perhaps?

It's a well-known fact The Boss is a die-hard Republican who got in trouble for some Nixon-related shenanigans years ago. According to Wikipedia, "...he was indicted on 14 criminal counts on April 5, 1974, then pleaded guilty to making illegal contributions to Nixon's re-election campaign and a felony charge of obstruction of justice on August 23. Steinbrenner was personally fined $15,000, while his firm was assessed $20,000 for the offense...U.S. President Ronald Reagan pardoned Steinbrenner on January 19, 1989, in one of the final acts of his presidency."

Is politics seeping into the editorial room over at YES? And, all personal bias aside, if they were going down the political punditry/commentator route, wouldn't Keith Olbermann have been a better option, having been a sportscaster for most of his professional life, and thus more in tune with the show's other choices in guests? (Olbermann is actually a friend of Kay's.)

I dunno...it's hard enough being a liberal and a Yankee fan. Anyway...

Fox Complicit with O'Keefe in Fake ACORN Video

2010-04-07T06:03:00.004-04:00

Remember the outrage over San Diego ACORN employees caught on tape last year, purportedly helping right-wing "journalists" James O'Keefe and Hannah Giles, posing as pimp and prostitute, respectively, set up a prostitution ring by smuggling in girls from Tijuana? Would you be surprised to know that the unedited tapes paint a different story? More importantly, did you know the person O'Keefe and Giles spoke to about their plan, immediately reported them to the police, and that the Attorney General's office backs up the ACORN official's account of the story, but Fox Nuisance overlooked that part? No, right? Scumbags.

Rachel Maddow uncovers the truth:

Stewart Rags on CNN (yet again)

2010-04-02T17:25:00.007-04:00

It's bad enough that conservatives have poisoned the well of reasonable political discourse by forever engraving the bogus "liberal media" meme into the conversation. But it's even worse when CNN gives credence to it by nervously hiring a known conservative firebrand--and in the process, pulling a McCain and not vetting the guy properly--thereby legitimizing the disingenuous conservative argument.

I get that their ratings have slipped incredibly, and the folks over there have a reason to be concerned, but c'mon. Are they trying to dig up their own version of Glenn Beck? Please. This would be an ideal time for CNN to truly become an impartial editorial observer and not a Hollywood casting agent looking to find a similar hot property to the one the other studio had a blockbuster hit with.

Anyway...here's Jon Stewart's take on CNN's hiring of RedState blogger Erick Erickson (btw, the Larry King/Snoop Dogg sitcom would be awesome!):

Hutaree Motivation Not an April Fool's Joke (but sure comes close right?)

2010-04-01T17:12:00.001-04:00

Freep.com:

"A member of the Hutaree militia charged with federal crimes was upset because she thought that President Barack Obama had signed into law this month a bill that would spend $20 billion to help the terrorist group Hamas settle in the U.S."

Fox Skews Poll; Millions Shocked (not!)

2010-04-01T15:58:00.003-04:00

As fair and balanced as a meeting of Saddam Hussein's cabinet: Fox Noise's sister channel, Fox Business, is running an online poll which gears answers towards an anti-health care reform outcome. I'm so surprised! Daily Finance has more on the poll.

The False Equivalency Game

2010-03-31T20:07:00.003-04:00

The few conservative politicians and pundits that have acknowledged the recent violent actions and irresponsible rhetoric from the right are trying to play the false equivalency game, stating how the level of rabid discourse is parallel to the left. Um, no. Not by a long shot. (No pun intended.)

Or in the words of Crooks and Liars' David Neiwert:

Come and talk to us again about how nasty and wrong hateful talk from the left is when:

-- A liberal walks into a church and opens fire on the congregation because they're all a bunch of conservatives and he wants to kill as many right-wingers as he can.

-- A liberal walks into another church and shoots a doctor in the head.

-- A liberal shoots three police officers who come to his door because he fears the president is going to take his guns away.

-- A liberal walks into the Holocaust Museum and shoots a guard because he hates Jews and believes it's time to start a race war.

-- A liberal walks into the Pentagon and opens fire because he believes the government is plotting against its citizens.

-- A pack of gun-loving liberals forms a plot to kill law-enforcement officers and start a revolution.

See, that isn't happening. But it is happening with characters from the right, opening fire on various perceived "liberal" targets, law enforcement officers, and government employees.

Exactly.

Oh, the Sweet Irony!

2010-03-31T02:32:00.004-04:00

In an attempt to curb hate crime protection from including gays--on religious grounds--the Oklahoma state senate instead erroneously banned the statute that penalizes discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, or national origin. Genius!

Racism is Dead; Ignorance, Hypocrisy, Too (bridge for sale, also)

2010-03-30T02:11:00.003-04:00

The caller in the video clip below calls into C-SPAN to complain that they are putting thru too many calls from "black folks". He also brings up how conservatives and Republicans were quite passive when liberals and progressives attacked George W. Bush. I guess the caller doesn't recall all those times we were told to watch what we said and that to disagree with Bush was to give comfort to the enemy. Remember that, douchebags?

I'm getting really tired of Republican politicians and pundits, Fox Noise commentators, and other assorted sleaze bags--the fatigue-wearing, cowardly draft-dodger Ted Nugent comes to mind--trying to equate the racist and violent reactions we've seen from some of their followers with the likes of Iraq war protesters during W's term. Do these assholes really believe that cutting off someone's gas lines, or making life-threatening phone calls is dissent? Or that dropping off a coffin on someone's front lawn is not one step removed from planting a burning cross? WTF?

And why doesn't anyone in the Democratic/liberal/progressive establishment step up and say so?

Rep. Cleaver Spat On? (let's go to the video tape)

2010-03-29T00:03:00.002-04:00

Well, the right-wing loudmouths denied it ever happened and even offered a cash reward for anyone who could submit video proof that Rep. Emanuel Cleaver (D-MO) had been recently spat on by tea baggers protesting the health care reform bill. Well, here's the video. (The incident in question takes place at the 0:13 mark.) What say you?

(My apologies to sportscaster Warner Wolf.)

The Sad, Pitiful Decline of John McCain

2010-03-28T00:24:00.001-04:00

Sen. John McCain was someone who I always respected, despite our ideological differences. He seemed like the kind of man who shared my goals for the country, but with a alternate game plan.

That ship has long sailed.

His quest for power and relevance, since he became the Republican Party's 2008 presidential nominee, has been embarrassing to watch.

In 2008, John "Country First" McCain panicked, and in an effort to win the presidency chose Alaska governor Sarah Palin, an unqualified, born-again fundamentalist, right-wing zealot as his running mate. Then his campaign hired Tucker Eskew, the South Carolina GOP strategist, to coach Palin. This is the same Tucker Eskew who John McCain once said had "a special place in hell" for his role in the 2000 race-baiting smear that had the Arizona senator fathering an illegitimate black child and eventually lost him the party's nomination to George W. Bush. A smear campaign which was, btw, engineered by Karl Rove, who McCain brought on as a campaign advisor in '08.

He then proceeded, as The New York Times stated in their endorsement of Barack Obama for president, to run "a campaign on partisan division, class warfare and even hints of racism. His policies and worldview are mired in the past. His choice of a running mate so evidently unfit for the office was a final act of opportunism and bad judgment that eclipsed the accomplishments of 26 years in Congress."

The man who for years prided himself on being bipartisan--earning the wrath of the hard right, who deemed him not conservative enough--has now, with a Tea Bagger hot on his trail looking to out seat him, once again begun pandering to the very folks who never believed in him in the first place. Add to that his hollow and unbecoming grandstanding, promising no further congressional Republican cooperation in the wake of the health care reform bill's passage, and the Grandpa Simpson stereotype starts to ring painfully true.

Sad and pitiful, indeed.

Michael Moore Clarifies Things

2010-03-27T23:34:00.002-04:00

The controversial filmmaker had this to say, the day after the passage of the health care reform bill:

Thanks to last night's vote, that child of yours who has had asthma since birth will now be covered after suffering for her first nine years as an American child with a pre-existing condition.

Thanks to last night's vote, that 23-year-old of yours who will be hit one day by a drunk driver and spend six months recovering in the hospital will now not go bankrupt because you will be able to keep him on your insurance policy.

Thanks to last night's vote, after your cancer returns for the third time -- racking up another $200,000 in costs to keep you alive -- your insurance company will have to commit a criminal act if they even think of dropping you from their rolls.

Yes, my Republican friends, even though you have opposed this health care bill, we've made sure it is going to cover you, too, in your time of need. I know you're upset right now. I know you probably think that if you did get wiped out by an illness, or thrown out of your home because of a medical bankruptcy, that you would somehow pull yourself up by your bootstraps and survive. I know that's a comforting story to tell yourself, and if John Wayne were still alive I'm sure he could make that into a movie for you.

The Republican Dilemma

2010-03-26T20:27:00.006-04:00

Level-headed folks are upset that numerous death threats and acts of violence targeting Democratic politicians have received little to no condemnation from Republican leaders--some of whom have been tacitly encouraging this kind of behavior from right-wing nutjobs--in the wake of the passing of the health care reform bill this week. On the surface, this one's a no-brainer, right? Political acts of violence are deplored by all kinds of folks. And you won't win any points with reasonable, independent voters. So, what's the problem?

Well, according to recent polls, 45% of Republicans believe Barack Obama was not born in the US and therefore, is an illegitimate president; 38% compare his agenda to that of Adolf Hitler; and 1 in 4 think he is the Anti-Christ. That's a sizable chunk of the GOP base and if those numbers are among the people you are counting on to get elected, it's no surprise that Republican politicians are reticent to forcefully oppose such absurd views. And those who do--as we've seen with the parade of apologetic Republicans begging for Rush Limbaugh's forgiveness, or the recent dismissal of former George W. Bush speechwriter David Frum, from a conservative think tank, ostensibly for his criticism of the GOP's tactics in the health care reform debate--more often than not, end up walking the plank.

So, the Republican dilemma becomes the following: do they let the hard-right lunatics exemplified by the Tear Partiers, cast out moderate GOPers and grab hold of the party? Do the cooler heads strike back or just bide their time until the bottom falls out of the crazy brigade? One thing is certain: if these reactionary hijackers manage to sway enough people to decide elections in their favor, moderate Republicans won't be the only one's fucked. So will the rest of us.

Glenn Beck is the Textbook Definition of Ignorant

2010-03-24T03:51:00.013-04:00

Rep. John Lewis (D-GA) was one of the top leaders of the Civil Rights Movement. But, guess what? In the clip below Faux News "historian" Glenn "Rodeo Clown" Beck disses the congressman for pretending to be a Civil Rights activist. Um yes, he did. The picure Beck shows is during a march on Capitol Hill this past Sunday, when anti-health care reform protesters called Lewis a "nigger", spat on Rep. Emanuel Cleaver (D-MO), and called Rep. Barney Frank (D-MA) a "faggot". Stay classy, teabaggers.

[h/t Xmastime]

Thoughts on the Passing of Health Care Reform (updated)

2010-03-23T18:54:00.009-04:00

President Obama took a big step towards not becoming a one-term president with the passing of his ambitious health care reform bill. More importantly, it promises to cover 32 million of those of us who are uninsured. It is not the ideal bill, but it's a significant advance from the prior status quo.

However, the path taken to reach this goal brought a lot of vermin out of the woodwork: a black, liberal president enacting a major overhaul of health care inspired more than a fare share of the right-wing racists and wacko conspiracy nuts to voice their protests in the most venomous and disrespectful of ways. Egged on by hate-spewing commentators, for months ignorant folks parroted accusations they could not define. (Ask 'em if they actually know what "socialism", "communism", "fascism" or "tyranny" look like.) And when the passing of the bill was about to come true, epithets like "nigger" and "faggot" were bandied about; people were spit on. Man, they partied like it was 1965. Or 1865.

As for my long-standing issue with this particular reform, I'm not as magnanimous as some, which is why I firmly believe it should've been implemented and approved state-by-state and not as a federal mandate. In other words, those of us who live in states who wanted health care reform and universal health care--or the next best thing--should've fought to have it in our back yard, with the federal government helping to subsidize it for those who couldn't afford it but truly wanted it. But if you believe that you and/or those less fortunate than you should sink or swim in terms of health coverage, then, fine. Let those people hurting in your state see what it really means to go without.

I won't disagree with you if find my stance petty; I'll freely admit to it without prompting from anyone. But I just feel if adults don't want something that benefits them, they shouldn't be forced to have it. As my Dad would say, "As much as I may love you, you've gotta love yourself more." Or, put more bluntly in this case, fuck 'em.

Now these naysayers will also have health insurance available to them. And like the clueless, idiot fucks who say they don't want the government involved in Medicare--who do they think runs it?--they will reap the rewards but always decry the people who made it happen for them. It takes a big enough person to do something good for others who will not only be ungrateful, but vilify you for doing it. I guess that's what the lesson of turning the each other cheek is about. So, I must be a foul Christian, 'cause I would've just said, "Fuck 'em."

UPDATE:

My old friend, Mr. P had this to say, in response to my post:

Certainly should be a state thing.

I'm not sure what this bill suppose to fix. The plan premiums may be up to $2,700 with a $6,000 (single) $11,900 (married) deductible. A married couple will have to pay up to $14,600 in medical costs a year before the insurance will pay a dime. The main problem with health care is affordability, many families can't afford to pay that much in health care per year. So who's going to pay their deductible? We are back to square one. Since this bill empowers the IRS, I would be surprised if one day the government could withhold one's tax return to pay your outstanding medical bill.

Another issue is that despite being called a mandate, not everyone will benefit, yet everyone is expected to pay. Sounds kinda like Social Security, which the Supreme Court upheld the idea that you can be forced to pay yet be denied the benefit.

This law is really lame. The biggest thing it's doing is giving the insurance companies more business at the tax payer's expense, and expanding government control [over] your health. While that won't happen overnight, the feds will take [NYC Mayor, Mike] Bloomberg's lead on health initiatives because the tax payer can't afford for you to be fat, or unhealthy. Perhaps we will have mandatory morning exercise in front of our TVs. Yes, that's a 1984 reference, but I thought it would be fitting on our way to the surveillance society.

But won't the deductibles be subsidized, if applicable? Truth be told, I don't mind giving the insurance companies more business if it means they can be closely regulated, ie. not rejecting folks w/pre-existing conditions, dropping people 'cause they got sick and treatment is super expensive, or raising premiums to exorbitant rates, (and at will) etc.

The whole thing regarding the "not everyone will benefit, yet everyone is expected to pay" scenario is that it falls under many other things we do for the benefit of the greater good. (If I'm not mistaken, some of the states that pay the least in federal taxes get the most in federal funds and vice versa.) But after I saw how nastily people at a Tea Party rally treated that pro-health care reform protestor whose son has Parkinson's, I'm convinced that for many, a traditional sense of individuality has taken a turn for the worse and become a selfish, "sink or swim" mentality. In other words, "I don't want ANYONE getting a red cent out of my pocket" is the idea w/these people.

As I've said before, this is how these folks think:

Can't afford health insurance? Get (yet) another job to pay for it. That operation you need costs more than what your insurer covers? Sell your house. Tuition too expensive? Welcome to McDonald's. Your employer exploiting you and your co-workers? Switch jobs. Unions? They're a racket. Corporations polluting your water, air? Hey, it's the cost of doing business.

And so on and so forth.

That was the gist of original my post: I feel the vast majority of opponents to health care reform take more issue with what they see as a handout, than the monetary cost of the law. Which is why it would've been better to have the states go about incorporating health care reform/universal health care on their own, with federal subsidies. Fuck 'em if those other states don't want it; this bill could cure cancer and those folks would not appreciate it. But we, here in NY, want it and should have it.

Mr. P also raises a good point about the IRS, but I think they are empowered by the bill more as an opportunity to take advantage of legal loopholes and guarantee its existence as law, rather than to have the IRS' agents become medical bill enforcers, but, who knows? He could be right.

Health Care Reform Passes House

2010-03-22T05:05:00.005-04:00

...[A]s George S. Patton said to the 6th Armored Division of the Third Army in 1944: "Americans love a winner and will not tolerate a loser." Today the Republicans are losers, and the Democrats -- and every American who worries about getting sick and getting dumped by their insurance company -- are the winners.

- Former advisor to Pres. Bill Clinton, Paul Begala at HuffPo

Shut up and Sing? Fuck You!

2010-03-13T22:08:00.003-05:00

OK, I'm gonna make this short and sweet: I take major offense at the conservative "shut up and sing" mantra. (Which, btw, only applies to left-leaning artists but never to the likes of Ted Nugent and other right-wing nut jobs.)

So, what is it these people are saying? That because someone wields a guitar for a living they are performing monkeys who have no right to comment publicly on social issues? You know, for folks that constantly harp about personal freedoms, they sure like to silence those who disagree with their ideology.

Texas Conservatives Rewriting History (literally)

2010-03-13T21:37:00.003-05:00

Well, if the far-right is comfortable with updating The Bible, due to its alleged liberal teachings, making a mockery of the Texas social studies curriculum would be a walk in the park. Unfortunately, it would be funny if it weren't so pathetic.

Oh, the (republican) Hypocrisy! (ex #6,329)

2010-03-09T04:45:00.005-05:00

- Sarah Palin admits she was a recipient of Canadian health care treatment, a system which she has vilified repeatedly.

- Staunch anti-gay California State Senator Roy Ashburn is actually gay.

Will they pay a price for their hypocrisy? Are you kidding? Please.
Of course not. Remember: if it's done by the Right, it's alright.

Eminent Domain Hugo Chavez Style

2010-03-06T14:45:00.018-05:00

I've been bitching about Brooklyn's Atlantic Yards-eminent domain fiasco on and off for a while now. And while you may or may not agree with me on the subject, I hope we can all agree this is bullshit:

Last month Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez strolled thru downtown Caracas' Bolivar Plaza and in both a casual and capricious manner pointed at adjacent buildings to be immediately expropriated and reconfigured for historic purposes. Simply incredible, I tell you.

The clip below is in Spanish but it's not hard to get the gist of what's going on, including the reaction from merchants ousted from the buildings in question. Good grief. Truly unbelievable.

(A BBC News article in English can be found here.)

For Obama Compromise an Exercise in Futility

2010-03-06T00:31:00.004-05:00

Can't state it any clearer than this:

"Every time Obama compromises on a matter of national-security and civil-liberties principle, his GOP opponents raise the pressure to get him to bend further. His compromises earn him no good will. He is being, simply, punked...Obama can fight and win. Or he can compromise, demoralize his base, and the GOP will continue to roll him."

- Spencer Ackerman in The Washington Independent
[via Unconquerable Gladness]

The Great Divide

2010-03-02T10:32:00.002-05:00

HuffPo:

A debate on the Senate floor Monday over unemployment compensation crystallized, at least for a moment, the divide between the two parties in Washington.

Sen. Jon Kyl of Arizona, the Republican whip, argued that unemployment benefits dissuade people from job-hunting "because people are being paid even though they're not working."

Standing against unemployment benefits?! Seriously, can you be more out of touch? If either Sen. Bunning or Sen. Kyl have unemployed constituents affected by this obstruction and they still vote for these clowns, those people deserve to be stripped and whipped. I mean, c'mon!

Obama's Old College Try at Bi-partisanship

2010-02-27T23:30:00.004-05:00

This past week, Bill Maher likened the President's efforts to achieve bipartisanship to the guy in college who keeps hitting on the lesbian chick: continually rebuffed but ultimately hopeful she'll change her mind about him.

Nailed it, Bill.

Farewell, Mr. Boone

2010-02-25T12:59:00.006-05:00

The man they call Aaron "Fuckin" Boone all over New England retired from pro baseball this week. After a brief comeback with the Houston Astros last year, following open-heart surgery, the one-time Yankees 3B officially called it quits on Tuesday. He will join ESPN as a baseball analyst.

Just wanted to say thank you, Aaron Boone, for giving us a classic Yankee moment. (Which NEVER gets old, btw.) We won't ever forget you in the Bronx and hope to see you there very soon, and in pinstripes once again, for Old Timer's Day. Enjoy your retirement, sir.

Eric Erikson @ CPAC: "We've Got Fox News" Duh.

2010-02-19T15:04:00.002-05:00

Also, Sarah Palin thinks liberals are not "real Americans"; scalding hot water burns; rock music tends to be played at loud volumes. Jeez...

Obama Thanks You, Dick Cheney

2010-02-19T10:43:00.006-05:00

Speaking during a surprise appearance at the CPAC (Conservative Political Action Conference) convention, former Vice President Darth Vader, um, Dick Cheney predicted Barack Obama would be a one-term president. Seeing as Tricky Dick Jr has a history of being wrong on almost if not everything...

As for those urging Cheney to run in 2012, do they really want a candidate who left office with an approval rating in the teens? That's worse than the 71% that believe Sister Sarah is unqualified to be president. Ouch.

Senator Mellencamp (D-IN)?

2010-02-19T06:41:00.002-05:00

AP:

An online effort to draft Hoosier rocker John Mellencamp to run for the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by Indiana's Democratic Sen. Evan Bayh is building up steam.
Twitter is abuzz with the rumor and three separate Facebook groups have been set up, with the largest boasting about 2,000 members.

Mellencamp is no stranger to politics. In 2008, he recorded a radio commercial supporting Barack Obama's presidential campaign and requested that Republican candidate John McCain stop playing his songs, including "Our Country" and "Pink Houses," at his rallies.

Mellencamp's songs often have political or social themes. He is a co-founder of Farm Aid.

On Thursday, Mellencamp spokesman Bob Merlis said the musician "has no statement to offer."

The "he's not a real American" countdown starts...now.

Teabaggers, Birthers + Militia: A Love Story

2010-02-19T05:20:00.007-05:00

Taking in all this craziness I was thinking about how American this phenomenon is: the guns, the ignorance, the isolationism. But you know what? It isn't just an American thing. Take away the guns part of the equation and you have the same thing in Europe as well. (During a brief stay in Madrid a few years ago, I saw anti-Semitic graffiti in an upscale neighborhood close to downtown; was told to stay in on a night in which a soccer team favored by racist skinheads won a deciding match; routinely came across anti-racism activists, the likes of which I hadn't seen in NYC since the days of S.H.A.R.P. Remember them?)

But more importantly, these people have gained power all across the Old Continent, right-wing extremists representing constituencies in the same manner as our congressmen and women, and in certain instances getting a substantial amount of votes in nationwide elections. And that's where I feel the Sarah Palins and the Michelle Bachmanns want to take the Tea Baggers, Birthers+Militia folks: mainstreaming the fringe into the bosom of the GOP, and redefining the party in the process. Don't forget, these are all constituencies--along with the biggest of them all: the Christian Right--the Republicans have always discreetly courted but ditched whenever politically expedient. Well, looks like they're mad as hell and won't take it anymore. Where this leaves the traditional conservative establishment is anyone's guess.

Basically what we have is the confluence of a reawakened '90s militia movement (with a black president as an incredibly valuable recruiting tool) and a Ross Perot-type phenomenon in the Tea Baggers/Birthers. But while the GOP may feed off the anti-Obama sentiment these groups espouse, they are keenly aware of how these folks could conceivably splinter off into some third party, decisively hurting Republican chances. Which is why you see Sister Sarah patiently trying to nudge these folks off into the Republican side. (Where they could ostensibly support her as a GOP candidate.) Unfortunately for her, a few of these folks have picked up on this opportunism of hers and have been speaking out on the subject. Will it take? I dunno, the lady is very charismatic...

The Measure of Today's Racism

2010-02-18T05:04:00.004-05:00

MSNBC's Keith Olbermann eloquently touches on the subject:

[T]he president is black, but you can't come out and say that's why you're scared. Say that and in all but the lifeless fringes of our society, you are an outcast. So this is where the euphemisms come in. Your taxes haven't gone up. The budget deficit is from the last administration's adventurous war. Grandma is much more likely to be death paneled by your insurance company. And a socialist president would be the one who tried to buy as many voters as possible with stupid tax cuts.

But facts don't matter when you're looking for an excuse to say you hate this president. But not because he's black. Anything you can say out loud without your family and friends bursting into laughter at you will do.

And this is where those Tea Parties come in...But let me ask all of you who attend these things, how many black faces do you see at these events? How many Hispanics, Asians, gays? Where are these people? Surely there must be blacks who think they're being bled by taxation? Surely there must be Hispanics who think the government should have let the auto industry fail. Surely there must be people of all colors and creeds who believe in cultural literacy tests and speaking English.

Where are they? Where are they? Do you suppose they agree with you, but they've just chosen to attend their own separate meetings, that they're not at your Tea Party because they have a Tea Party of their own to go to?

The 'Reagan Party'?

2010-02-12T04:38:00.002-05:00

Check out this gem posted last November:

"While the calendar may say 2009 for the Republican party it's really 1976. The party and millions of angry and alienated former members of the GOP are faced with the same decision their deceased--but very-much-alive--titular leader Ronald Reagan faced then: leave and start a new party or join and transform the one that was closest to their beliefs.
To be sure, the GOP circa 2009 is far closer to the ideals held by Ronald Reagan than it was in 1976, but the real prospect of whether the conservative movement should bolt and start a new party or stay in the GOP tent is once again front and center 33 years later."

Go for it! And take Sister Sarah with you. Please, I beg of you!

Endorsements: No Asian-Americans Athletes, Please ('til Tiger showed up, that is)

2010-02-12T03:08:00.003-05:00

Interesting statement from a '90s piece questioning Olympic Gold Medalist Kristi Yamaguchi's lack of high-profile endorsements:

Bill Imada, whose Los Angeles consulting firm advises companies reaching out to the Asian market, feels that American companies are reluctant to use Asian Americans as spokespersons. "People like Kristi Yamaguchi don't represent, at least with marketers, the wholesome all-American image," says Imada. "The people making decisions in advertising, public relations, and marketing are, for the most part, white males who are most comfortable dealing with, and talking to, other white people."

Imada says he's been told by countless companies, from banks to insurance companies to soft-drink makers, that they don't want Asians in their ads because they're fearful of alienating their mainstream -- read: white -- customers. "They're afraid they might lose shares in the general market because there are certain images associated with their products, like Mom, apple pie, and America, and advertisers don't want to jeopardize that," says Imada. "Advertisers weren't exactly banging down Yamaguchi's door to give her endorsements."

Attack of the 'Liberal' Media

2010-02-11T12:49:00.003-05:00

Eric Boehlert, Media Matters:

If you don't think there's a media double standard that favors Republicans over Democrats, then let's play a game of what-if.

What if, in 2006, at Yearly Kos, the first annual convention of liberal bloggers and their readers, organizers shelled out $100,000 for former Vice President Al Gore to address attendees? And what if the same organizers booked as an opening-night speaker a fringe, radical-left conspiracy theorist who'd spent the previous year pushing the thoroughly debunked claim that some Bush White administration insiders played a role in, and even planned, the 9-11 attacks. What if the speaker (also proudly anti-Semitic) received a standing ovation from the liberal Yearly Kos crowd?

Given that backdrop, and given the fact that the 9-11 Truther nut had for weeks bragged about his chance to share the stage with Gore, do you think the press would have demanded that Gore justify his association with a hateful conference that embraced a 9-11 Truther? Do you think pundits would have universally mocked and ridiculed Gore's judgment while condemning the Yearly Kos convention as being a hothouse of left-wing hate? Do you think Gore's appearance would have become a thing?

I sure do.

Gore and liberal bloggers would have been crucified by the press and the D.C. chattering class if the scenario I described ever unfolded in real life. (FYI, it goes without saying that organizers for Yearly Kos, now known as Netroots Nation, would never dream of mainstreaming an anti-Semitic 9-11 Truther via a prime-time speaking gig.)

But this past weekend in Nashville, at the first National Tea Party Convention, the Beltway press did just the opposite with regard to Sarah Palin's keynote address, which did follow a prime-time speech by "birther" nut Joseph Farah, who over the years has carved out a uniquely hateful and demented corner of the right-wing blogosphere. Because, yes, at the Tea Party convention, Farah, a proud Muslim-hater and gay-hater, did receive a standing ovation from the conservative crowd after he unfurled his thoroughly debunked birther garbage. (i.e. Obama "doesn't have a birth certificate.") And Farah did brag in the weeks leading up to the event about his chance to share the stage with Palin, to associate with Palin. ("Sold out! Palin-Farah ticket rocks tea-party convention," read the headline at Farah's discredited right-wing site, WorldNetDaily.com.)

Worst of all, though, the press played dumb about the whole thing.

Fact: Virtually nobody in the corporate media said boo about Palin helping to legitimize Farah by sharing the same stage with him. She was given a total free ride.

And I mean nobody. According to Nexis, there were more than 150 newspaper articles and columns published in the U.S. last week that mentioned both Palin and the Tea Party. (Combined, The New York Times and The Washington Post published 18 of them.) Yet out of all those articles and columns, exactly two also mentioned Joseph Farah by name. (Congrats to the Philadelphia Daily News and New Hampshire's Concord Monitor.)

And keep in mind that lots of scribes, even after listening to Farah's rambling rant, filed dispatches from Nashville stressing how mellow and mainstream the Tea Party convention was turning out to be. According to the Post, the mood at the Nashville confab was "festive, even giddy." And no, not a single word in the Post dispatch mentioned Farah's high-profile birther harangue.

Bottom line: The birther movement embarrasses most conservatives. Yet even when they invite a birther nut to speak at their conference, the press still won't ask tough questions. Instead, journalists politely look away.

It didn't used to work that way. There's been a long media tradition of holding politicians accountable for their public associations, especially when they appear at conventions that feature fringe rhetoric from controversial speakers. Reporting on who politicians agree to share a stage with has always been considered not only fair game, but genuinely newsworthy.

It's just that in this instance, the press gave Palin a complete and unobstructed free ride, a free ride Al Gore never would have been afforded.

In fact, the stage-sharing question was actually of added importance at the Tea Party event, because the movement remains somewhat undefined, since, unlike a political party, it does not have obvious leaders. The people Tea Party organizers choose to associate with provide telling insight into where the movement might be headed.

For the second time today, let me paraphrase Chris Rock: If it's done by the Right, it's alright.

RIP: Murtha; Wilson

2010-02-11T02:31:00.003-05:00

Congressman John Murtha (D-PA), a former Marine who became the first Vietnam veteran to serve in the House of Representatives, died on Feb. 8th from complications related to gallbladder surgery. Murtha had represented his district since 1974. He was 77 years old.

Best known as the character portrayed by Tom Hanks in the movie Charlie Wilson's War and for his efforts to fund the Afghan mujahideen fighting the USSR during the Soviet war in Afghanistan, former congressman Charles Wilson (D-TX) succumbed to cardiopulmonary arrest on Feb. 10th in his native Texas. Wilson was 76 years old.

G7 Pledges to Cancel Haiti Debt

2010-02-08T06:09:00.000-05:00

BBC News:
The world's leading industrialized nations have pledged to write off the debts that Haiti owes them, following a devastating earthquake last month.

Great. But forgive me if I do a St. Thomas on this one.

All You Need to Know About Sister Sarah

2010-02-08T06:07:00.000-05:00

Guess Who is NOT Rooting for the Saints?

2010-02-06T06:03:00.000-05:00

I don't follow the NFL--or football at any level, for that matter--but I'd like the New Orleans Saints to win the Super Bowl for obvious sentimental reasons. (Likewise, I also rooted for the Detroit Tigers to win MLB's AL Central in '09.)

Now, if there was anyone out there who should be rooting for the Saints this Sunday it would be a guy whose name will be forever linked to the government's bungling of all matters relating to Hurricane Katrina and its aftermath, but he's not. Are you surprised?

Lupica: Bring Damon Back

2010-02-06T05:04:00.003-05:00

[Side note: If he's not coming back to the Bronx, I hope Johnny Damon signs with the Detroit Tigers–who from all accounts are lacking a solid lefty bat w/above average power–and helps them win the AL Central. (Btw, Johnny hit 24 HRs in '09. How many HRs did Bret Gardner, Randy Winn, and Nick Jonson hit last year? 13. Combined.) A recent poll says 73% of Tigers fans would welcome the acquisition of Johnny Damon–as long it's not a break-the-bank type deal.]

I'm not a fan of Mike Lupica's but I agree w/him on the whole Yankee "budget"/Damon scenario:

If the Yankees want to have a budget, tell them to tee it up with the same payroll the Mets have, the Red Sox, the Phillies, the next biggest spenders. Tell them to get themselves under the threshold for the luxury tax in baseball, because they're the only ones over it.

Or tell us that they still can't make money on their baseball operation even winning the World Series. Then everybody in town can get their minds around letting Damon walk away.

And believe me, his side isn't in this for the truth and beauty. Scott Boras believes that baseball teams are just ATM machines for him. Every time he's at one of these Yankee press conferences and shifts his gaze, I just think he's on alert in case somebody has dropped a twenty on the carpet. If he's chafed the Yankees on this one, well, it's not like this is the first time.

It's in his best interests to get his client the best situation as well as the most money. And Damon's best situation is left field, Yankee Stadium, batting second.

The Yankees found $300 million when they wanted Alex Rodriguez back. They found the money for Teixeira. They can still find the money for Johnny Damon. Can they win without him? Of course they can.

But who's forcing them to try?

They were supposed to be done spending money last winter after they spent a quarter-of-a-billion bucks on Sabathia and A.J. Burnett. Then Cashman wanted Teixeira and they weren't done. Nobody is saying Johnny Damon is as important to the 2010 Yankees as Teixeira was to the '09 Yankees.

They're better with him than without him. They don't win the World Series without him.

Bring back Damon.

Obama's Great Opportunity

2010-02-03T06:01:00.000-05:00

If the President wants to fully implement his agenda and avoid becoming a one-term president, he has to roll up his sleeves and ditch this idea of bipartisanship. Hell, kick it in the nuts, I say.

Don’t get me wrong: in principle, I believe in bipartisanship. But when you’ve cultivated an atmosphere of fear, mistrust and miscommunication among your base and constituents, as the GOP has done, options have dwindled in earnest. The president brought up this particular point at the Republican congressional retreat last Friday when he accused them of framing health care reform as a sort of "Bolshevik plot" and limiting their ability to come to the negotiating table in good faith.

And when a new poll of Republican voters shows that 63% think he’s a socialist; 53% actually believe Sarah Palin is more qualified to be president than he is; 39% of them think he should be impeached (for what?); 36% don’t believe he was born in the United States; 31% think he’s a racist; 24% believe Obama wants "the terrorists to win" (huh?); and 21% are pretty sure ACORN stole the 2008 election; well…it’s time to man up and do your own thing. Now, before it's too late. (He definitely took steps in that direction this past week.) And don’t even get me started on Joe Lieberman or the so-called Blue Dogs.

From the Huffington Post:

How does a Republican lawmaker explain to his or her die-hard base that it is important to work on legislation with a racist, socialist president who is illegally holding office only because of the help of ACORN?

"This is why it's becoming impossible for elected Republicans to work with Democrats to improve our country," said Markos Moulitsas, founder and publisher of Daily Kos. "They are a party beholden to conspiracy theorists who don't even believe Obama was born in the United States, and already want to impeach him despite a glaring lack of scandal or wrongdoing. They think Obama is racist against white people and the second coming of Lenin. And if any of them stray and decide to do the right thing and try to work in a bipartisan fashion, they suffer primaries and attacks. Given what their base demands—and this poll illustrates them perfectly—it's no wonder the GOP is the party of no."

The New Dominican Constitution

2010-01-30T05:57:00.001-05:00

So, I hear the Dominican Republic adopted its 33rd Constitution this past week, right in time for Juan Pablo Duarte’s b-day. Among the goodies included:

- Presidents may be re-elected indefinitely, although not to consecutive terms. (Gee, swell.)

- Same sex marriage is outlawed

- Because “the right to life is inviolable from conception to death" the lack of a death penalty remains in place (although the wording indirectly points at abortion remaining illegal as well)

- The privatization of public land and waterways—i.e., the selling of—is up for grabs

- Children of illegal immigrants are not considered Dominican (guess who?)

- The official motto is “Dios, Patria y Libertad” (God, Country, Liberty)

The media, especially the Listín Diario, is said to be raving about the new Constitution. (Surprise, surprise.)

Hmm…

Some thoughts:

Although I in fact attended an evangelical high school—for purely academic reasons; I was raised Catholic—and thus, was around them on a daily basis, evangelicals were always a mostly silent minority during the years I lived in the Dominican (1976-1988), even in my school. However, it seems like their numbers in the DR have grown exponentially in the years since. (Many high-profile personalities—Juan Luis Guerra, Freddy Beras-Goico, among others—are converts.) I wouldn’t surprise me if their influence has spread to policy-making spheres.

But the Catholic Church is still immensely powerful, and of late has been making a stronger than ever effort to maintain the status quo as far as abortion is concerned. My brother recently told me how appalled he was when he came across a petition drive to ensure abortion remains illegal across the board without exception, stealthily put forth at Sunday mass. I’m not surprised the Church and the evangelicals may have been instrumental in placing the gay marriage ban in the Constitution, especially since Dominican gay groups have been, reportedly, more vocal than ever about their civil rights being trampled.

- That the death penalty was prohibited—a 30-year sentence is the maximum judicial penalty in the DR—was always a source of pride for me.

- The possibility of privatizing beaches, waterways—and even some of the adjacent islands—is but a small part of Joaquin Balaguer’s sad legacy. I bet something is already in the works to sell off some prime real estate.

- Supposedly, this new Constitution was pushed forth by the governing PLD (Dominican Liberation Party), and the PRD (Dominican Revolutionary Party). So, is Balaguer’s old PRSC (Social Christian Reform Party) so debilitated it didn’t take part in this fiasco? Also, the Listín Diario was once the unimpeachable paper of record; the august equivalent of The New York Times. Now, it’s another lowly shill for current Dominican president Leonel Fernandez’s administration, masquerading as a newspaper.

- They should’ve amended the article that reiterates the official motto thusly: “Dios, Patria y Libertad (pero solo cuando conviene).” (God, Country, Liberty--but only when convenient).

Obama Administers Beatdown on GOP

2010-01-30T05:46:00.000-05:00

It was pretty sweet; he called 'em out and went for a "Look, American people: "I'm trying to reason with these guys, but they won't meet me half-way. They're too busy trying to keep their jobs that they forget to do their jobs," kinda thing. And to those of us who've supported him but question his lack of leadership: "Listen, the SOTU address wasn't just posturing; I'm gonna put these guys on the spot."

It seems like an actual first step towards realizing that he needs to get with the plan or he won't be able to govern or let alone be re-elected in 2012.

According to the pundits, this retreat with the congressional GOP has been a success for the president. You know it was good when Sean Hannity opened his show by asking Newt Gingrich if he was to be a presidential candidate in 2012 and made no mention of the Obama-GOP encounter. (Actually, the major cable news outlets covered it live except for Fox, who in the middle of the exchange, decided to cut away from the president and have their talking heads comment on it.) 'Nuff said.

Best Take on the Damon-Yankees Fiasco

2010-01-29T05:43:00.001-05:00

I dunno who wrote this--couldn't find a byline--but somebody at Fox Sports actually nailed it (emphasis mine):

- - - - -

Talk about a dumb divorce.

The Yankees need Johnny Damon. Damon needs the Yankees. But so much for happily ever after.

The World Series champions will replace Damon with Randy Winn, Brett Gardner and maybe a right-handed hitter such as Rocco Baldelli on a minor-league contract.

Seriously.

The Yankees, you see, are on a budget.

I'm calling it now: The Yankees will be looking for a better left fielder in July. Damon, possibly headed to a second-division club, will be one of their prime trade targets...a one-year contract in the $6 million to $8 million range for Damon seems likely. [Scott] Boras, however, is seeking at least $9 million, according to one interested executive.

The Yankees, coming off a championship season in a new ballpark, say they could not afford such a salary. They drew the line with Damon, for reasons that only they understand.

Boras, who told The New York Times that the Yankees never even made Damon an offer, needed to shop his client to other teams more aggressively.

There is simply no excuse for a player of this quality to be in such a compromised position.

Damon, 36, had a higher adjusted OPS last season than Bobby Abreu--a career-high adjusted OPS, in fact. Abreu, who is five months younger than Damon, re-signed with the Angels for $19 million over two years without even becoming a free agent. Damon is scrounging for a job.

Raul Ibanez, 37, signed a three-year, $31.5 million free-agent contract with the Phillies in an even worse economy last off-season.

Mike Cameron, 37, signed a two-year, $15.5 million free-agent contract with the Red Sox this off-season.

Where's Johnny?

True, Damon is a below-average defender, but Ibanez hardly was considered Gold Glove material. Neither was Adam Dunn, who signed a two-year, $20 million free-agent contract with the Nationals last off-season, nor Pat Burrell, who signed a two-year, $16 million deal with the Rays.

The new, bottom-line Yankees should take no satisfaction in having read the market better than Boras. Their brilliant analytical skills will leave them with the plodding, frequently injured Nick Johnson rather than Damon in the No. 2 spot, and a left-field grouping reminiscent of their ill-fated Doug Mientkiewicz-Josh Phelps duo at first base in 2007...Winn, the winner of the Yankees' $2 million lottery, is a switch-hitter who batted .158 against left-handers last season, .292 against right-handers. Gardner bats left, so the chances of a platoon appear, well, minimal...Winn had the seventh lowest slugging percentage in the National League last season. He should benefit moving from AT&T Park to the new Yankee Stadium, but let's not kid ourselves. There is no chance he will exploit the stadium the way Damon did.

Damon was proven in New York, proven in the postseason. He and Hideki Matsui were part of the Yankees' championship fiber. Yes, both are in their mid-30s. But something will be missing--something immeasurable--without them.

Losing one, I can understand. Losing both, and replacing them with lesser talents, that's too big a risk.

The Yankees miscalculated. Damon miscalculated. Both will be poorer for it.

Obama's First State of the Union Address

2010-01-28T05:40:00.001-05:00

I liked the SOTU speech; it reminded me of why I voted for him. But Obama's lack of leadership and too much delegation when he needed to roll up his own sleeves and get dirty this past year, have left me in let's-wait-and-see mode. That said, here are the 5 parts of the speech (in no particular order) that most stood out for me:

- Tagged the Dems in Congress as cowards: SWEET

- Called out SCOTUS on their decision enabling corporations to spend unlimited loot buying politicians--I mean, on political campaigns: SWEET

- Harped on bipartisanship: BITTERSWEET [hitting my head against the wall]

- Praised Ronald Reagan: BITTER (What's the point? The folks that are swayed by it are quite few and the Republicans won't give you points for it, so why bring him up?)

- Labeled the GOP as party of "no"; reminded folks of how they brought on the failures of the past 8 years and our continued economic problems; pointedly asked 'em to cough a better plan for healthcare reform, if they have one, etc: DELICIOUS

Bonus:
- Senators Joe Lieberman (I-CT) and Ben Nelson (D-NE) sitting together and being later called in the press "the axis of weasels": SWEET

WTF?! (Yankees edition)

2010-01-27T06:00:00.003-05:00

- The Yankees have signed switch-hitting OF Randy Winn, to ostensibly platoon with Brett Gardner in LF, which means the hopes of those of us wishing to see Johnny Damon in the Bronx this season have been dashed. Fuck.

Winn, who hit for the interstate against LH pitching last season while on the SF Giants (more than 100 points less than Gardner!), was obtained for 1 yr @ $2m. This is what they got in lieu of Johnny?! (Excuse me while I get a get a towel to soak up the blood from my furious head-scratching.)

- David Cone has left the YES Network; ESPN is interested but word is he might take a position with the MLB Players Association. Btw, the split, allegedly, was not amicable. Tino Martinez is said to be taking his place in the booth.

WTF?!

Fox News Hypocrisy...yet again

2010-01-27T05:36:00.002-05:00

So, James O'Keefe, who became their their golden boy for his hidden camera ACORN "investigation", is arrested by the FBI--along with the son of acting Louisiana U.S. Attorney Bill Flanagan and two others--for attempting to wiretap the offices of Louisiana senator Mary Landrieu, and his biggest Faux Noise supporters and promoters Glenn Beck, Sean Hannity and Bill O'Reilly, have yet to even mention his involvement and arrest in what some are dubbing "Louisiana Watergate." That's fair and balanced for ya.

Here's The Wall Street Journal's take.

Johnny Was

2010-01-20T05:32:00.003-05:00

With baseball's Spring Training mere weeks away I've been thinking about the Johnny Damon-Yankees stalemate. People have been quick to judge him, especially since he is represented by the much loathed Scott Boras.

But if it's true that Damon was willing to come back to The Bronx with a 30% salary cut (from $13m/yr to $10m) but the Yankees offered a 50% cut ($6-$7m/yr) after he had a career year and was a pivotal part of the 2009 championship team, then shame on the Yankees. I know it's a business but that's just disgraceful. And bad karma, too.

As for Brett Gardner in LF on Opening Day, well, Cody Ransom really worked out too, huh? Yeah, I'm exaggerating--but not by much. Bottom line: Brett Gardner is not an everyday-caliber player. Not in The Bronx, anyway.

Better Not Happen in the Bronx or Flushing

2010-01-19T05:30:00.001-05:00

Ever since a fan got tossed out of Yankee Stadium in '08 for not wanting to stick around in his seat during the customary 7th inning stretch rendition of "God Bless America"--enough with the song already; "Take Me out to the Ball Game, please!--I've been very wary of police and security at sporting events I might attend. (I only go to baseball games, but if I'm at YS a trip to the bathroom during "GBA" is a sure thing in my book. Guess I've been lucky.)

So, I just came across a clip of a Jets fan getting arrested for seemingly no reason in during a game vs the Chargers. The video is before and during the arrest, but the fact that the Chargers fans around him are telling the cops that he didn't do anything, is quite telling.

Jon Stewart Nails it...again

2010-01-17T05:28:00.002-05:00

In the midst of the horrific tragedy enveloping Haiti at the moment, The Daily Show's Jon Stewart cuts both ways by managing to be both satirical and compassionate...fake news bringing true perspective...6 has long become 9, Jimi.

Why Letterman is Still King

2010-01-14T05:27:00.000-05:00

Big Mac on the Grill

2010-01-12T05:24:00.001-05:00

So, Mark McGwire finally confessed and the baseball world has been abuzz ever since the press release and subsequent Bob Costas interview on MLBN.

Some thoughts:

Can we really say McGwire couldn't have been as great w/o steroids? He had two seasons—yes, two—where his HR total was exorbitant (70 and 65, in '98, '99, respectively), but this is a guy who hit 49 HRs in his rookie year and 42 in his last "clean" season. (Judging by Costas' post interview comments you would think McGwire hit 60+ HRs every year for 10 years. Until you look at McG's numbers, that is.)

The dirty little truth, that those writers who feign moral outrage will never admit, is that there are tons of players who did PEDs and whose baseball careers never amounted to ANYTHING. [crickets chirping] Yeah, I know, that would involve the kind of fair-minded assessment most of them are incapable of. (And how do we make judgments about numbers during the steroid era without knowing if supposedly juiced hitters were or weren't facing juiced pitchers, for instance?)

And let's not get into the hypocrisy of the supposed pulchritude of the game: JC Romero, not some scrub, but the Phillies' setup man during their '08 championship season was soon after caught and suspended for a PED violation and NO ONE said a word. Where was the outrage then, if it's all about the sanctity of the game?

Regarding the MLBN panel who covered the pre and post interview segments, as MLBN's own Harold Reynolds later stated, they made it seem as if McG comes off much worse than he actually did; not like he painfully 'fessed up to what he did but as if he had flipped everyone a big middle finger during the interview. No, the MLBN guys didn't rubber stamp McG's statements; they actually went out of their way to kick dirt in his face.

For the record, I don't condone what he did and wish he hadn't done it. I'm disappointed in players that have decided to take the steroids route, including faves of mine. But, I was so appalled by the petty and hypocritical way the vast majority of the baseball press conducted themselves during the A-Rod PED scandal that I have come to believe that Manny Ramirez's non-chalant, disrespectful brush-off, when openly confronted about his own steroid use—“It's not like I killed or raped anybody”—is every bit the treatment these hacks deserved. (Yes, they'll have their revenge on him when it comes time for Manny to make reservations for Cooperstown. But I would bet top dollar he gives not a fuck.)

In other words, are the writers going to change their minds and grant McG their Hall of Fame vote now that he's finally given a confession/apology which they tirelessly demanded? No, right? They're too busy attacking the confession. (Damned if you do...)
And btw, why the hell do writers get to select the HoF inductees? They are the baseball equivalent of Ellen DeGeneres as a judge on American Idol, for Pete's sake.

So I say, let the self-righteous, irresponsible and trifling scribes harp on about what McG did or did not say Monday night. Meanwhile, players are the only ones to take the fall for this kind of mess when EVERYONE in baseball—MLB, ownership, agents, writers etc, etc, etc—all benefited when it happened. Whatever. Let me just say, good luck to Big Mac and the Cards in 2010.

Enough already.

Is Sarah Palin joining Fox News or...

2010-01-12T05:22:00.001-05:00

...Fox Sports? At least she has done sportscasting in the past.
Then again, "The Quitta from Wasilla", wasn't any good at that, either.

tic-toc, tic-toc, tic-toc...

2009-12-31T18:30:00.003-05:00

I’m sure all of you have experienced how, during a certain stage of our lives, the passage of time was such that days seemed like months and years were like decades. Certainly this perception was fueled by the desire to move onto the next phase: getting a driver's license; going out unchaperoned and/or without curfew; graduating from college; moving out of our parents’ house; and so on.

Now we look around—or in the mirror—and see men and women who were children not that long ago; remembrances of things that seemingly took place in recent times actually have decades behind them. It is as if we feel time pass, more than in the opposite manner of that original stage, but accelerated, to boot: years feel like weeks and days go by like minutes.

I bring this up because 2008 marked the twenty-fifth anniversary of my high school graduation. But for reasons I’m unaware of our reunion was postponed until the following year. This event led to, in order to establish the necessary logistics, a small avalanche of people from that era of my life contacting me for the first time in decades. Many of them, once inseparable, have reminded me with their brief reappearance in my life that time and distance stealthily plot to weaken bonds once thought unbreakable. Or at least more durable.

But perhaps the ties bind us have nothing to do with the timing and/or geography. Except for the occasional e-mail exchanged with Mr. R, who has been living in Venezuela for decades, Mr. B is the only one from my graduating class with whom I have remained in contact. This is, of course, due to our long and close-knit friendship. Yet, Mr. B and I have not lived in the same time zone in nearly 20 years. Meanwhile, there are other good friends from those days with whom I had little or no contact within the same period, despite the fact they live here, in NYC.

Obviously, when I hear from those old friends, the first order of business has been to catch up: professions, marriages, children, divorces, who has come out of the closet (there has been that, too) and more. But the sad part is the unexpected mention of deceased schoolmates. It is painful to learn of the passing of people with much life yet to live, but when it hits home, it’s a bit more confusing.

How is it that my boy, Mr. S—with whom I once had a different but perhaps as close a friendship as the one I had and still have with Mr. B—died not too long ago without my even knowing about it? Yes, of course: the result of not having nurtured our friendship over the years. But how did that happen? How does that unnecessary estrangement come to pass without significant cause or reason?

In the end, the purpose of sharing this post is to exhort us all to try and keep meaningful folks close to us while we can. Every day we are surrounded by constant reminders that time passes too quickly. Much too quickly.

Have a very healthy, safe, and prosperous 2010.

The Word 'Liberal' Defined

2009-12-30T17:25:00.001-05:00

A-Rod (future) Pride of the Yankees?

2009-12-26T07:13:00.001-05:00

One of the by-products of getting together for a meal—even if it happens to be Christmas Eve aka Nochebuena dinner—with a bunch of rowdy, baseball-loving Dominicans is that heated discussions concerning the national pastime will also be on the menu. So, as talk of the latest Hot Stove fodder was consumed while waiting for the main course, the conversation shifted towards the topic of A-Rod vs. Prince Albert, initiated in part by what I feel is the extra level of hype surrounding the Cardinals’ first baseman.

Don’t get me wrong: I’m not one to belittle Pujols’ accomplishments. The man is a fearsome offensive beast, without a doubt. But to compare him to a five-tool, hot corner defender (and let’s not forget his stellar days as SS) as well as an already sure-fire HoFer like Rodriguez—regardless of what a future Cooperstown voting committee may decide—isn’t even fair to the current pride of St. Louis.

Routinely derided for not being a clutch hitter in the post-season—an accusation which conveniently omitted his arrival in pinstripes in ’04, not to mention his career .302 batting average in Autumn—A-Rod decisively silenced critics in October and November of ’09, but what very well might be in his future is truly is something to look forward to.

In the eight seasons left on his Yankee contract, an average of 22 HRs per season would have A-Rod surpassing Barry Bonds for the all-time HR record. Which means he’d obviously pass The Babe as the Yankees’ HR king. If you factor in the opportunities to add a couple more MVP titles to his current three, and the possibility of acquiring another World Series ring or two, that would make him—whether you like him or not—one of the great Yankees. And all this while eventually playing in The Bronx for 14 complete seasons: longer than Munson, Donnie Baseball, or even Joe D, for those keeping score. (Btw, he has more career stolen bases than Jeter, the leader among current Yankees, himself in second place over-all, right behind the great Rickey Henderson’s tenure in pinstripes.)

All Rodriguez has to do is stay healthy. But if his strong work ethic and this year’s speedy recovery from hip surgery—and the dismissal of a planned second surgery—are any indication, A-Rod will be in fine form, with his time in The Bronx cementing his reputation as the greatest player of his generation. And the paycheck that went along with it will have been worth every dime. Not bad for a kid from Washington Heights.

It would be quite awesome to see, wouldn’t it?

(PS: Sad to see Melky go but he'll be better off playing every day in Atlanta and facing weaker NL pitching.)

Sarah Palin's Big Whopper

2009-12-21T14:30:00.002-05:00

The Pulitzer Prize-nominated folks at the St. Peterburg Times' political media watchdog project PolitiFact--and their readers--have named former Alaska governor Sarah Palin's "death panels" fallacy their top choice for "Lie of the Year". Not to shabby, Sarah.