Former Socialist, Former Republican, Former Contributor to The American Spectator, Former Resident of Canada, Back in Boston Area After Stints in New York City & Atlanta, Current Mustache Wearer & Aficionado of Baseball, Bowling in All Its Forms, Cats, Music & Healthy Living
The American League playoff picture is much clearer as we enter October with three of the four Wild Card Series having been settled.
AL East champion Tampa Bay Rays and their division rival New York Yankees will face off in the ALDS starting next Monday. The Rays swept the Toronto Blue Jays with a 8-2 victory at Tropicana Field while the Yankees bested the Cleveland Indians in a wild 10-9 game at Progressive Field. The Tribe's World Series drought will enter its 73rd year in 2021.
Meanwhile, despite their losing regular season record, the Houston Astros swept the Minnesota Twins in their AL Wild Card match up with a 3-1 victory at Target Field in Minneapolis. The Astros will face either their AL West rival Oakland A's or the Chicago White Sox in the other ALDS contest. The A's evened the AL Wild Card Series holding off the Chisox 5-3 heading off a 9th inning rally by the South Siders. The third and deciding game of that series will be played on Thursday afternoon in Oakland.
The Proud Boys were proud when President Trump refused to condemn them in last night's debate with Joe Biden. Trump instead instructed them to "stand back and stand by." For what he did not say but given their propensity towards violence one must look towards the election.
What I fear the most with respect to the Proud Boys and other right-wing militia groups is that they will organize attacks on voters at polling stations throughout the country on election day and possible during early in person voting. By attacks, I mean engage in assault, stabbing and even shooting voters while they wait in line to vote. I can see coordinated attacks occurring in cities like Detroit, Louisville, Milwaukee and especially in Philadelphia given Trump's "bad things happen in Philadelphia" statement during last night's debate.
Election violence is something one associates with countries such as Nigeria, Kenya and India, not in the United States. While it's true the United States has had election day violence it is something that has not happened since the 19th Century. But when a sitting President has abandoned all sense of decorum and propriety and encourages violent behavior then all bets are off. We've already had a Kenosha and the killer's mother gets a standing ovation at a Republican Party event in Wisconsin. If the GOP is OK without protesters being shot in the street then why would they object to voters being shot with the knowledge their ballots won't be cast with President Trump?
Naturally, I hope in person voting proceeds peacefully and without incident. But in this already awful year I cannot say a peaceful vote will come to pass with any kind of certainty or confidence.
Whatever might be in store for us on election day we must get out and vote with the hope saving the country.
For many people across the country (myself included) last night's debate between President Trump and Joe Biden was an excruciating, painful experience - an experience they don't want to go through again. To this point, consider Bill Kristol in The Bulwark:
There should be no more “debates.” For the sake of the country, Joe Biden should refuse to appear again on the same stage as Donald Trump. Biden can have weekly or twice weekly town halls, including with Trump supporters. He can do all manner of interviews and forums. He can make clear he’s happy to engage with the American public in all kinds of ways. But he should not put the nation through another ordeal like that.
Let Tuesday night have been Trump’s final, disreputable appearance on a nationally televised stage. Let him conduct the rest of his campaign desperately yelling to crowds of true believers as his defeat grows ever nearer.
I disagree.
For starters, if Biden should withdraw from the debates it would give Trump ammunition to claim that Biden is afraid of him because he knows he can't handle him. And besides it isn't Biden who is putting the American voter through an ordeal. It is Trump and Trump alone.
Let us also consider that the second debate scheduled for October 15th (two weeks from tomorrow) in Miami is a town hall style debate in which voters will be given an opportunity to pose questions to both Biden and Trump. Biden should thrive in this environment. If Trump behaves in a bellicose manner towards voters for having the temerity to ask a question then the President will have hung himself by his own tie.
Whatever yet to be specified changes promised by the Commission on Presidential Debates will hopefully bear fruit in the third and final debate a week later in Nashville when the format reverts to a debate moderator format this time with Kristin Welker of NBC News (it will be interesting to see how Trump behaves towards a woman of color). But if Trump insists on being who he is then he is going to lose votes in the long run.
Biden and Trump are scheduled to debate for three more hours over the next three weeks. Whatever pain might be brought about over those three hours, by all means let President Trump hang himself. Three hours of pain will be a small price to pay if it results in four years of Joe Biden in the White House.
Helen Reddy, best known for becoming the first Australian to have a number one hit in America with her 1972 feminist anthem "I Am Woman", has passed away of dementia. She was 78.
"I Am Woman" was the first of three number one hits Reddy would have during the 1970's. She also topped the charts with "Delta Dawn" in 1973 and "Angie Baby" in 1974. Other hits included covers of "Peaceful" (written by Kenny Rankin), "Leave Me Alone (Ruby Red Dress)" and "Somewhere in the Night" (which was also covered by Barry Manilow as well as Batdorf & Rodney).
Reddy would spend most of the 1980's and 1990's performing in musical theatre and going on tour before retiring in 2002. She would make a brief comeback in 2012 performing a handful of dates in the United States. Reddy had been active in political causes supporting Democrats including California Governor Jerry Brown and the ERA. Her last public appearance came at the Women's March in January 2017 protesting the inauguration of President Trump during which she sang "I Am Woman" one last time. R.I.P.
Davis first came to prominence as a songwriter for Elvis Presley in the late 1960's and early 1970's. The King of Rock had hits with several Davis compositions or co-compositions with Billy Strange ("In The Ghetto", "Memories", "Don't Cry Daddy" and "A Little Less Conversation" - the latter of which became an unexpected hit in 2003 after it was remixed by Junkie XL with the blessing of the Presley estate. Davis also wrote "Something's Burning" which became a hit for Kenny Rogers & The First Edition and "I Believe in Music" (which was later recorded by Helen Reddy who has also just passed away).
Davis' songs enjoyed crossover in both the country and pop genres. When I think of Davis I always associate him with his 1972 hit "Baby, Don't Get Hooked on Me". I first remember hearing the song when Davis appeared on The Muppet Show singing it too Miss Piggy who had become infatuated with him.
Davis also enjoyed success on TV with his own variety show The Mac Davis Show which aired on NBC between 1974 and 1976. He also occasionally took acting roles most notably co-starring in the 1979 football movie North Dallas Forty with Nick Nolte.
Whether behind the pen or the microphone or in front of the camera, Mac Davis believed in his words and his music. R.I.P.
I somehow managed to watch the entire 90 minute debate between President Trump and Joe Biden. Here are 9 observations about 90 awful minutes.
1. With respect to the aforementioned sentence, this 90 minute debate felt like 9 hours. Part of me wanted to change the channel. I know who I'm going to vote for and so do a lot of people. But I felt it my civic duty to suck it up and sit through the debate and keep my eyes and ears open.
2. President Trump justified his appointment of Amy Comey Barrett to the Supreme Court by saying he he won the election and that the President has a four year term, not a three year one. Well, President Obama won re-election in 2012 and had a four year term. In his fourth year in office, Obama appointed Merrick Garland to the Supreme Court. I do wish Biden had pointed this out to him. It might not have mattered, but it would have been worth noting.
3. I think Trump supporters will be very happy. But what about people who don't attend Trump rallies? Trump went on the offensive, but was deeply offensive - even more so than usual. When Biden spoke of his deceased son Beau Biden who served in Iraq, instead of offering sympathy Trump made the moment about the much maligned Hunter Biden.
4. It was painful to watch Biden be put on the defensive and suffer as Trump demeaned Hunter. The political animal in me was telling Biden to say, "I'll take Hunter Biden and raise you Ivanka Trump's Chinese patents." But Biden said he didn't want to make the election about Trump's family, but about American families. As noble as Biden's intent is, Trump is going to keep talking about Hunter. It would do no harm to Biden should bring up Ivanka. If Biden doesn't want to be seen as attacking a woman then he has two "adult" sons from whom to choose.
5. Trump's line of attack on Biden was incoherent. One minute he was a super predator against the black community. The next Biden was against law and order. One minute Biden's an agent of Bernie Sanders, the next he's lost the Radical Left. Of course, Trump doesn't care if he's coherent. He just attacks for the sake of attacking. Why? Because it has worked for him and he believes it could work for him again.
6. Early on in the debate, Biden told Trump to "shut up" after he wouldn't let him get a word in edgewise. But he did his best to remain calm and talk to the American voter especially those who lost loved ones to COVID-19. Aside from his statements on COVID-19, Biden strongest moment was when he spoke about election integrity. Trump replied by accusing Biden, President Obama and Hillary Clinton of spying on him while accusing mailmen in West Virginia of selling ballots. There should have been a large hook to remove Trump from the stage and put us out of our collective misery.
7. Chris Wallace was an absolutely awful moderator. He let Trump push him around while being far more assertive. Wallace bizarrely pressed Biden about why he didn't call upon Oregon Governor Kate Brown to call in the National Guard to quell violence in Portland when she did so months ago. Future moderators ought to be able to shut off Trump's mike if he fails to observe the rules, but the Commission on Presidential Debates won't allow it nor will Trump.
8. When given the opportunity, President Trump refused to condemn white supremacy and told the Proud Boys to "stand back, stand by." In which case, we can look forward to a lot more Kenosha Killers crossing state lines to shoot and kill people.
9. I can only hope that by the end of the week that Trump will take a hit in the polls or at the very least Biden maintains his lead. But if Trump gains ground as a result of tonight's debauched demagoguery then God help us.
This morning I got up early to do my laundry and then applied for jobs into the early afternoon.
With the weather not being so nice, I decided I would watch some post-season baseball.
But the first AL Wild Card game was the Minnesota Twins facing the Houston Astros. Given that I think the Astros are a mockery to baseball I shall not confer legitimacy by watching them. As it happens, the Astros bested the Twins 4-1 and could advance to the ALDS with a victory tomorrow in the best 2 out of 3 Wild Card format.
Instead, I watched Game 1 of the AL Wild Card game between the Chicago White Sox and the Oakland Athletics. Chisox starter Lucas Giolito retired the first 18 batters he faced before he gave up a single up the middle to Tommy La Stella in the top of the 7th. Last month, Giolito threw a no-hitter against the Pirates and he not only had a chance to replicate the late Roy Halladay who threw a perfect game during the 2010 regular season and a no-hitter in that post-season for the Philadelphia Phillies. Had Giolito thrown a perfect game he would have the first to do it during the post-season since Don Larsen threw a perfect game in the 1956 World Series for the New York Yankees against the Brooklyn Dodgers. It would have been a fitting tribute as Larsen passed away on New Year's Day.
While Giolito didn't make history, but he did lead the White Sox to a 4-1 victory in his post-season debut.
At this hour, the Tampa Bay Rays (who won the AL East for the first time since 2010) are hosting the Toronto Blue Jays in their AL Wild Card pitch and later this evening the New York Yankees and Cleveland Indians will face off in the fourth and final AL Wild Card playoff.
Tomorrow, post-season action begins in the National League Wild Card with NL East winner Atlanta Braves facing the Cincinnati Reds, the NL Central champion Chicago Cubs hosting the Miami Marlins (who are making their first post-season appearance since 2003), the St. Louis Cardinals vs. the San Diego Padres (who are making their first post-season appearance since 2006) while the Los Angeles Dodgers, who have won eight consecutive NL West titles, face the undeserving Brewers in the final NL Wild Card series.
There are some potentially interesting World Series match ups.
I still dread the thought of either the Astros or Brewers making the World Series. The only circumstance I could accept the Astros in the World Series is if the Dodgers had the opportunity to avenge their defeat in the tainted 2017 World Series.
There would also be a feel good story if the Cleveland Indians won their first World Series since 1948 or if the San Diego Padres won their first ever World Series title. Then there are the Miami Marlins and St. Louis Cardinals having the chance to win World Series after overcoming COVID-19 outbreaks.
I'm trying to find silver linings here. Lucas Giolito helped part the clouds for a couple of hours today.
Chances are that millionth life was claimed here in the United States. This country accounts for 1 out of every 5 COVID-19 deaths on the globe. According to Johns Hopkins University, as of this writing, COVID-19 has now killed 1,000,867 people. Of that 1 million plus, 205,069 called the U.S. home. That's 20.5%.
When examined in a global context, the United States has in excess of 60,000 more COVID-19 fatalities than Brazil and more than double than the lives lost in India and nearly three times as many as Mexico. No other country has recorded more than 50,000 deaths due to COVID-19.
Given the longstanding corruption and poor healthcare infrastructure in Brazil, India and Mexico, few would be surprised that a deadly disease would overwhelm those countries. This ought not have been the fate of the United States. But when America has a President who questions the efficacy of masks, holds massive rallies where masks and socially distancing are discouraged, promotes dubious treatments and relies on advice of doctors untrained in epidemiology or public health and generally minimizes the deadliness of the most deadly disease the world has faced in 100 years then we know why we are where we are.
The question now is what American voters are going to about it in five weeks time. If we keep President Trump then we will continue to be number one in the world with regard to COVID-19 cases and deaths. If we choose Joe Biden then America will once again have a chance at life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness because he will address the problem head on and with all the seriousness it deserves. Our choice is that simple.
The Lightning last won the Stanley Cup in 2004 when they bested the Calgary Flames in seven games.
Of course, this year's Stanley Cup was unlike any other Stanley Cup. While both teams hailed from the southern United States the entirety of the Stanley Cup was played in Edmonton due to COVID-19 protocols. Indeed, the entire NHL post-season was played in hubs in Edmonton and Toronto, for the Western and Eastern Conferences respectively. Of course, COVID-19 has been far less prevalent in Canada. While the U.S. has more than 7.1 million COVID-19 cases and more than 200,000 deaths, Canada has slightly over 155,000 cases and fewer than 10,000 deaths (9.278) although cases have been climbing over the past several weeks. The NHL remarkably managed to carry out the playoffs and Stanley Cup without incident.
It will be interesting to see how things proceed with the 2020-2021 NHL season. Normally, this would have commenced at the beginning of October. But in light of COVID-19, the 2020-2021 season is due to begin on December 1st with plans for a full 82-game schedule. If COVID-19 restrictions remain in place and there is no changes with regard to restrictions at the U.S.-Canadian borer, it will be interesting to see if the 2020-2021 NHL season will be played entirely in Canada. Under those circumstances, it would be nice to see a Canadian team holding the Stanley Cup aloft for the first time since the Montreal Canadiens did so in 1993.
For now, the Stanley Cup belongs to Tampa Bay-St. Petersburg. The state of Florida might soon have another sports champion as the Miami Heat face the Los Angeles Lakers in the NBA Finals beginning tomorrow night. The Tampa Bay Rays and Miami Marlins are also in the MLB playoffs and it is not inconceivable there could be an all Florida World Series. All of this will surely crowd the sports bars (which have now been permitted to operate at 100% capacity). That will surely crowd the ERs with COVID.
I hate to rain on the Lightning's parade, but we are still not out of the COVID storm.
Jay Johnstone, a 20-year MLB veteran best remembered for being a clubhouse jester and prankster, died yesterday of COVID-19. In recent years, Johnstone had also been battling dementia. He was 74.
Johnstone was signed by the California Angels in 1963 straight out of high school and made his MLB debut with the Angels in 1966. By 1969, Johnstone would become an everyday player in the Angels' outfield. But the Angels would trade Johnstone to the Chicago White Sox following the 1970 season. After hitting a career high 16 HRs for the Chisox in 1971, he would hit a career low .188 in 1972 and would be released. He fared little better for the Oakland A's in 1973 hitting only .107 for the World Series champions.
His fortunes would improve after joining the Philadelphia Phillies in 1974. Johnstone batted over .300 in 1975 and 1976. During the 1976 NLCS, despite being swept by the Big Red Machine, Johnstone went 7 for 9. In 1977, Johnstone drove in a career high 59 runs as the Phillies won a second straight NL East title.
During the 1978 season, the Phillies traded Johnstone to the New York Yankees for relief pitcher Rawley Eastwick. Johnstone would earn a World Series ring in the Bronx Zoo. The Yankees would trade Johnstone to the San Diego Padres mid-way through the 1979 season. Prior the the 1980 season, Johnstone would sign as a free agent with the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Johnstone long had a reputation as a clubhouse prankster particularly with giving teammates hot foots. But Johnstone took particular pleasure in ribbing Dodgers manager Tommy Lasorda whether it was locking him in his office or recruiting teammates Jerry Reuss and Don Stanhouse to dress up as the grounds crew and work the infield during the game.
But Johnstone would pay dividends in the 1981 World Series against the Yankees. In Game 4 of the Series, with the Dodgers down 2-1, Johnstone slammed a pinch hit 2-run HR off Yankees' reliever Ron Davis which rallied the Dodgers to tie the Fall Classic and win the next two games to clinch their first World Series title since 1965 and earn Johnstone a second World Series ring in four years.
After being released by the Dodgers in early in the 1982 season, Johnstone was picked up by the Chicago Cubs where he would play for the next two and half seasons and would be part of the 1984 that would win the NL East and make its first post-season appearance in nearly 40 years. In 1985, Johnstone returned to the Dodgers to finish his playing career. In 1748 MLB games, Johnstone collected 1254 hits for a lifetime batting average of .267 with 102 HR and 531 RBI.
Following his playing career, Johnstone did some broadcasting work for both the Phillies and Yankees as well as ESPN where he covered, of all things, putt putt golf and wrote several books (Temporary Insanity, Over the Edge and Some of My Best Friends are Crazy) all of which I enjoyed reading.
I leave you with one of Johnstone's pranks when he interviewed Jesse Barfield while he was with the Yankees circa 1989-1990. It makes me wonder if Johnstone brought a microphone to the pearly gates. R.I.P.
For all of the instability which has wreaked havoc upon America during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 there have been two constants - at least where it concerns the 2020 presidential election.
First, Joe Biden has consistently held a 6%-7% lead over President Trump.
Second, the first constant notwithstanding, is that Biden continues to be underestimated.
Much of that underestimation has come from Trump himself who has repeatedly dismissed Biden's capacity to function claiming that he has been hiding in his basement and cannot speak in complete sentences without the aid of a teleprompter. Trump epitomized this sentiment in his interview with Chris Wallace of Fox News this past July:
Biden can't put two sentences together. They wheel him out. He goes up -- he repeats -- they ask him questions. He reads a teleprompter and then he goes back into his basement. You tell me the American people want to have that in an age where we're in trouble with other nations that are looking to do numbers on us.
For good measure, Trump went on to claim, "Joe doesn't know he's alive, OK? He doesn't know he's alive."
He's always using a teleprompter. I don't care if he uses a teleprompter. You know what bothers me? That means the fake news is giving him the questions. They never gave me the questions.
No, but don't underestimate him. Look, he's been doing this for 47 years and I got a debate coming up with this guy.
You never know! You never know! They gave him a big fat shot in the ass and he comes out and, for two hours, he's better than ever before, you know.
The problem is what happens after that. Nah, we're gonna ask for a drug test. We are. Both of us. I'll take it. He'll take it.
Trump reiterated his desire that Biden take a drug test on Twitter only yesterday and mocked Biden when he would not play his game earlier today. Although Biden campaign deputy chair Katie Bedingfield quipped, “Vice President Biden intends to deliver his debate answers in words. If the president thinks his best case is made in urine he can have at it,” before assailing that Trump "pissed away the chance to protect the lives of 200,000 Americans." If this a preview of what Biden is going to do in tomorrow night's debate then Trump had better watch out.
Other members of the Trump family might want to watch out as they have similarly disparaged Biden. In July, Donald Trump, Jr invoked his younger half-brother when he tweeted, "In all fairness, Joe Biden is not capable of debating Barron Trump let alone Donald Trump."
No one has seen Biden. The guy has been in his basement for the last four months. He hasn’t been out. The few times he has been out, he’s stuttered through sentences, he hasn’t been able to get through a cohesive thought and they’re literally trying to convince the guy not to get on the stage where you’d have 40-50 million people each time see somebody who could potentially become the commander in chief of the free world.
Such commentary selling Biden short is to be expected from Trump and sons. Yet there is similar level of underestimation going on among those who would prefer a Biden presidency. Indeed, Eric Trump was commenting upon New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman's suggestion that Biden not debate Trump unless the President released his tax returns and agreed to fact-checking during the debates. Given the exposition now by Friedman's own paper regarding Trump's tax returns this demand would seem moot. Yet Friedman isn't alone in this way of thinking.
Late last month, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi also called upon Biden not to debate Trump on similar grounds. During a news conference on Capitol Hill, Pelosi stated, "I do not think that the President of the United States has comported himself in a way that has any association with truth, evidence, data, and facts."
Yet Friedman and Pelosi's sentiments can also be read as a lack of confidence in Biden. If Trump's opponent were Barack Obama would Friedman, Pelosi or anyone else be calling upon Obama not to debate Trump? In a recent article in The Atlantic titled "The Debates Could Seal Biden's Fate", Edward Isaac-Dovere noted the anxiety in Democratic circles concerning Biden's performance:
Almost every Democratic operative I've spoken with in the past few weeks remains petrified that Biden is going to bungle to debates in a way that costs him the election -- perhaps by looking old or confused, confirming the worst paranoia and conspiracy theories about him being unfit for the job. They see the debates as Biden's best chance to blow an election that, based on the current polls, seems like his to lose.
Even if Biden should stammer or even stumble during any of the three debates, it is hard to conceive how these shortcomings could carry the same weight as the deaths of 200,000 plus Americans this year as a result of Trump's incompetence and malevolence during the world's worst pandemic in a century not to mention the economic cataclysm, social unrest and racial injustice which has followed. As actress Angela Belcamino tweeted back in June, "Who else but Trump could bring back the 1918 pandemic, the 1929 Great Depression, and the 1968 race riots all in one year?" When we add, Trump's business losses which have allowed him to pay little or no federal income tax one must wonder what verbal gaffe could Biden make that would be equivalent to what Americans have experienced under Trump in 2020?
In the grand scheme of things all this underestimation of Biden by both the Trump camp and by his own ostensible allies might turn out to a blessing in disguise. In underestimating Biden during the debates, he has the opportunity to exceed expectations. How many people in American public life have managed to exceed expectations in 2020 much less the past four years?
I suspect that by the time the first debate has ended (which Wallace will have moderated) that Biden will have removed all doubt as to his capability to be our next President of the United States. I suspect Trump will have wished he would have got a big fat shot in his corpulent ass after Biden has given it a swift kick.
Biden will balance being able to stand toe to toe with Trump by demonstrating calm, competence and compassion - qualities sorely lacking in our current President. At which point, Trump will all but stop calling Biden's cognitive capacities into question and instead attempt to portray him the avatar of a socialist revolution powerful enough to hurt God and destroy Christianity and civilization itself. It will represent an exercise in futility as few voters view Biden as a revolutionary figure while many view Trump as a revolting figure.
Should Biden be able to exceed expectations during the debates then there is also the hope he can exceed expectations in the White House.
Roenicke was hired to replace Alex Cora after Cora was suspended by MLB for the 2020 season due to his involvement in the Houston Astros 2017 electronic sign stealing scandal. Cora was the Astros' bench coach under A.J. Hinch when they won the 2017 World Series and considered the mastermind of the system. The Red Sox would hire Cora as their manager and he led the team to a World Series title in 2018. But Cora appeared to have brought his cheating ways to Fenway Park and MLB also investigated the Red Sox.
Initially, Roenicke was given an interim tag as he served as Cora's bench coach. But this tag would be removed after MLB's investigation into the Red Sox concluded in April and determined Roenicke had no role in the scheme. With the departures of Mookie Betts and David Price and an injury to Chris Sale, the Red Sox were not expected to contend in 2020. Indeed, they finished in last place in the AL East with a 24-36 record.
If the Red Sox re-hire Cora it sends the message that cheating is acceptable. If President Trump can remain in office despite impeachment then why can't the Red Sox re-hire Cora? In which case, what the hell are we telling our kids?
The Red Sox would be wise to make a complete break and hire a manager whose character is above reproach. In which case, perhaps they should take a page from the Astros book and make a Dusty Baker like hire. Assuming Baker remains with the Astros, the first guy who comes to mind is Buck Showalter. Of course, if the Astros decide to bring back Hinch then perhaps the Red Sox can hire Baker. Whatever the Red Sox, they need to hire someone who plays by the book and is no-nonsense.
Alas it remains to be seen if the Red Sox will exercise their power more wisely than the Trump White House.
Throughout Donald Trump's entry into Republican politics and then into the White House there has always been the matter of his tax returns and his refusal to release them.
There is no doubt that Trump will deem the matter "fake news" (and has now done so). After all, he did get elected without releasing his returns in 2016. Why should they harm him now much less help Biden?
While tax records for someone of Trump's entangled business interests is a complicated matter, Biden is in a position to use them to his advantage during the debate in four ways.
1. With Trump reporting hundreds of millions of dollars in business losses most years, Biden can tell Trump to his face that he isn't a very good businessman. This is sure to anger him.
2. With Trump using those losses to pay little or no federal income tax while millions struggle during this catastrophic recession, Biden can argue that it's time close corporate loopholes so Trump and other wealthy Americans can be pay their fair share.
3. If Trump brings up Hunter Biden and his business dealings, all Biden has to do is raise Ivanka Trump being paid as a consultant even though she is an employee of the Trump Organization. Biden can tell Trump, "You can pay Ivanka as an employee as an employee or a consultant. One can do one or the other. If you do both then you're breaking the law." And then Biden could throw in Ivanka's patents from China for good measure. Given that Ivanka is Trump's favorite child that will absolutely raise his ire.
4. With Trump's money from The Apprentice all but dried up, his recent tax returns indicate running for President and the Presidency presented an opportunity to enrich himself by profiting off of foreign governments through the use of his properties. Can you say Emoluments Clause? Biden can ask Trump, "Where does the Trump Organization end and the White House begin?"
If there was no pandemic nor recession or social unrest then perhaps voters would have no more cared now than they did in 2016 so long as they were doing alright. But we are not doing alright and to have all of this corruption on top of a pandemic, recession and social unrest cannot be helpful to Trump. That is unless we have truly ceased to care. This is true of a significant part of the electorate. But aside from shenanigans, it won't be significant enough to keep Trump in the White House. Not if Biden uses the fresh ammunition he has been given.
The 2020 MLB season is over and we could theoretically have a World Series between the Houston Astros and the Milwaukee Brewers.
The problem here is that both teams have made the post-season despite having a losing record of 29-31. (As if there wasn't enough of a reason to hate the Astros).
Regardless of which team it is, this makes a mockery of baseball.
I had a pessimistic outlook of the 2020 MLB season from the outset and have watched very little of it. But with the Astros and Brewers both now having a chance at a World Series title this very possibility has put the stain of mediocrity on what used to be The National Pastime.
Curiously, the Brewers and San Francisco Giants both had records of 29-31. The Giants go home, but the Brewers play October baseball.
Let me put it another way. The Washington Nationals finished only two games behind the Brewers (27-33) and yet were tied for the last place in the NL East with the New York Mets. After 60 games in 2019, the Nats were 26-34. We all know they went on to win the World Series. It just goes to show that during a 60 game season there is a very fine line between the post-season and last place. Too fine a line. There is a reason MLB is played over six months. I realize that wasn't possible this year. Frankly, I wish they wouldn't have played at all this season. But play they did.
The Astros are due to play the Minnesota Twins in a best of three AL Wild Card match up while the Brew Crew will have to face the Los Angeles Dodgers in their NL Wild Card bout. I hope the Twins and Dodgers will dispense of the Astros and Brewers and chances are they will. But there are no guarantees.
It was a mistake for MLB and MLBPA to expand the playoff format. Had they kept it to three division winners and two wild cards then this abomination would never have happened.
With respect to President Trump's nomination of Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court, one of the chief narratives conservatives have been playing in the days leading up to her nomination is that Democrats are anti-Catholic. Examples of this are Howie Carr of The Boston Heraldand National Review Online's Kyle Smith.
Yet in the midst of decrying so-called Democratic intolerance towards Justice Barrett's faith both Carr and Smith are perfectly happy to question the faith of Democrats who are Catholic. Carr describes Illinois Senator Duck Durbin as "a nominal Catholic" and a "cafeteria Catholic." For his part, Smith proclaimed:
Catholics who don’t actually seem to believe the most important stuff Catholics are supposed to believe, such as Joe Biden, are of course okay. Barrett’s Catholicism, though, is bound to be put under a microscope.
So Smith sees fit to appoint himself the arbiter of "the most important stuff Catholics are supposed to believe" and has decreed that Joe Biden is a heretic to be shunned.
If Chris Wallace plans to raise Justice Barrett's faith with Biden during the Tuesday night's debate with President Trump, Biden can simply say, "I do not question Justice Barrett's Catholic faith. I feel sorry for conservatives who question my Catholic faith."
