While I think that Joe Biden has done a very good job under very difficult circumstances, I don’t think that he should seek re-election. His greatest contribution has been to bring back dignity and decorum to the oval office.
My suspicion is that Donald Trump will withdraw from seeking the Republican presidential nomination primarily as he will be in significant legal jeopardy.
I don’t view Mike Pence as a serious presidential contender. Pence did show some integrity and even some courage on January 6, 2021. But he was basically a toady during the Trump administration and he was very inept during the coronavirus crisis.
I am not sure why Kamala Harris is being buried as a potential presidential candidate. It does not appear that she is being taken seriously by members of her party. Her only chance would come if she needed to assume the presidency in the event that Joe Biden is unable to complete his term.
There has to be a more capable woman than Nikki Haley in the Republican Party to run for president!
My concern is that no moderate or at least rational candidate will come from the Republican Party. I would even view Chris Christie as a welcome candidate for 2024.
I think that there is a good chance that the handling of the coronavirus crisis will be an issue for 2024. I’m not just talking about the various lockdowns but the necessity for vaccine mandates given some of the medical information that is now filtering out.
I view with growing concern the decline in support of Ukraine in their war against Russia. I also see that being a critical issue in 2024 if the war is not over.
It is so easy to manipulate and fool not only the American public but also the American press. The 2024 election may all be about which propaganda campaign will win.
Please, no celebrity candidates! No Rock. No Matthew McConaughey. No Oprah. However, I might like to see some successful business CEOs choose to run. I am not talking about Elon Musk!
What H.L. Mencken might say about our current politicians and celebrities based on his past writings…
Current Politician or News Celebrity
Menckenians
Marjorie Taylor Greene, Lisa Bobert
“The problem with the world is that the intelligent people are full of doubts, while the stupid ones are full of confidence.”
George Santos
“It is [a politician’s] business to get and hold his job at all costs. If he can hold it by lying, he will hold it by lying; if lying peters out, he will try to hold it by embracing new truths. His ear is ever close to the ground.‘
Kevin McCarthy
‘The only way to success in American public life lies in flattering and kowtowing to the mob. A candidate for office, even the highest, must either adapt its current manias en bloc, or convince it hypothetically that he is done so.“
Donald Trump
“It is a sin to believe evil of others, but it is seldom a mistake.“
Fox News viewers
‘The most costly of all follies is to believe passionately in the palpably not true. It is the chief occupation of mankind.“
Tucker Carlson
“The whole aim of practical politics is to keep the populace alarmed (and hence clamorous to be led to safety) by an endless series of hobgoblins, most of them imaginary.”
Alex Murdaugh
“It is hard to believe that a man is telling the truth when you know that you would lie if you were in his place.“
With all due respect to Tom Brady, Michael Jordan, Muhammad Ali and others, the GOATS (Greatest of all Times) in their sports have probably not been born yet.
Wish we can transplant the spirit, unity and enthusiasm of a professional sports team fanbase to unite this fractured country.
Memories of a deceased loved, like a candle, may flicker or dim but the love continues to beat strong.
Picture by Pat Whelen from Pixels
The concentration and focus of the average American lasts midway between the time spent reading a Tweet or viewing an average TikTok reel.
How soon before we eliminate teachers, classrooms and books for a child’s education and upload knowledge and information by injection of data to their brain?
1776 Continental Congress: Washington, Jefferson, Hamilton, Henry, Franklin and Adams. 2023 Congress: McCarthy, Gaetz, Boebert, Greene and now George Santos.
Perspicacity of sports and political insights by friends > collective wisdoms of “talking heads and commentators” on TV.
Pickleball acts as viagra for some men of mature age. Both get the blood flowing, creates raised expectations and allows for pleasant times with the ladies.
I am late for making 2023 predictions but this is mainly a fun exercise as no one is very good at figuring out the future. Based on my mediocre abilities to pick winners in my NFL pool, the reader should not expect great foresight here either.
Politics:
Neither Joe Biden nor Donald Trump will run for president in 2024.
The leading candidates as 2024 Presidential nominees will be Ron DeSantis, Governor of Florida (who will be helped by vaccination scandal, see below) and Gretchen Whitmer, Governor of Michigan.
President Joe Biden will pardon Donald Trump in the fall of 2023 as a result of multiple convictions against Trump. Biden will say that the pardons were initiated “to promote national healing and unity.” The pardon and subsequent agreements not to imprison Trump and members of his family will be a result of negotiations and agreements between the Department of Justice, the New York Attorney General, the Atlanta Attorney General and Trump’s attorney team. Disgraced, Trump will fade from public view.
Melania Trump will divorce Donald Trump.
In retaliation for the conviction and imprisonment of January 6 conspirators, a devastating domestic terroristic attack will occur and kill thousands of US citizens.
Vladimir Putin will suffer a “health issue” mid year and negotiations between Russia and Ukraine will begin in mid 2023.
Photo by Virgil Cayasa
Sports
The Phillies will finish as a wildcard team in 2023 but they will not make it to the World Series.
The Eagles will make it to the NFC championship game against the 49ers and will lose due to key injuries in the offensive line and defensive secondary.
Tom Brady announces retirement after Tampa Bay loss in NFL playoffs.
The 76ers will lose in the second round of the NBA playoffs. 4 games to 1. This will be James Harden’s last season with the team. Joel Embid will request a trade at the end of the season. Doc Rivers gets fired.
Business
The Dow will finish at 36000 on 12/31/23; NYSE at 4300.
Twitter files bankruptcy.
Science
Scandal and controversy regarding the rollout, safety and efficacy of the various Covid vaccinations.
Frenzy will occur when an UFO sighting is witnessed by thousands and documented through video and radar.
No progress in finding treatment or prevention of Alzheimer’s.
While Democrats did not win (they lost the House), in betting parlance, they easily covered the spread and earned a draw.
The Democrats backed into a decent result as opposed to earning it.
Democrats’ best friend = Donald Trump. Trump handpicked, endorsed and campaigned for many of the GOP candidates who were generally mediocre, unqualified and sometimes uncivilized.
Trump also selected the Supreme Court members who put over the repeal of Roe vs. Wade that spurred angry young single women to the polls.
Possibly voters took notice of the January 6, 2021 Congressional Hearings and decided to mete out their punishment of a party that supported a takeover of the nation’s Capitol and electoral process.
Election results have encouraged Joe Biden to run in 2024. Election results did not discourage Donald Trump to run in 2024. Both are delusional old men who should leave the game for younger players.
Around this time before the elections, newspapers endorse candidates who they feel are the best qualified for legislative and executive offices. Listed below are 15 GOP candidates who I believe are unqualified for office. They all share endorsements from Donald Trump which I think is disqualifying by itself.
However here is a list of election deniers, racists, intelligence challenged, mediocre, language mangling, lying GOP candidates.
1.Herschel Walker Senator Georgia
2.Marjorie Taylor Greene House Georgia
3. Doug Mastriano Governor PA
4. Kari Lake Governor Arizona
5. Mehmet Oz Senator PA
6. Tudor Dixon Governor Michigan
7. Blake Masters Senator Arizona
8. J.D. Vance Senator Ohio
9. Ron Johnson Senator Wisconsin
10. Mike Lee Senator Utah
11. Lauren Boebert House Colorado
12. Matt Gaetz House Florida
13. Jim Jordan House Ohio
14. Sarah Sanders Governor Arkansas
15. Kristi Noem Governor South Dakota
If more than five of these idiots win, democracy will be on life support.
I got it. We have experienced some really dumb men and women in Washington and national politics. Borowitz picked on Reagan but at least Reagan had some very wise and experienced people on his staff and Cabinet. Contrast the quality of intelligence and expertise with the various iterations of the Trump cabinet.
Dan Quayle, Sarah Palin, George W. Bush and of course “The Donald” are cited in the book as national embarrassments. The dumbest candidate of all time was not mentioned in the book, Herschel Walker. Walker was outed for paying for an abortion after he claimed that he did not. This font of sanctimony is decidedly pro-life. He has consistently lied about his education and credentials. Yesterday he received a standing ovation from members of the First Baptist Church of Atlanta.
There were various spokespeople who went on news shows to defend him. Who is dumber? Walker or the people who still support him?
Borowitz’s book was meant as satire. I saw no humor in his stories. It was depressing. So very few of the people profiled by the author read books. Aides could not dumb down information for Reagan or Trump.
Unless you have been in a cave or quarantined for 40 years, most of the stories in the book have already been reported. This is not a book for Republicans. There are a number of Democrats who have experienced issues with judgment but not like the GOP.
If you’re smart, you believe half of what you hear. Brilliant is when you know which half. Robert Orben
In my younger years I had a friend who was a great storyteller. He spun stories of his various adventures in travel, career and financial success and seducing women. His stories enthralled many a stranger or new acquaintance. My friend’s tales were entertaining and always showed him in a positive light. The sad part was that my friend was starting to believe in his stories. He could not differentiate between truth and fiction. He believed in his lies.
Lies and exaggerations are the verbal currencies of politics, business, advertising, culture and social media. The more outrageous and fanciful the lie or exaggeration, the more likely it is to spread and to be believed. Indeed, in politics, many campaigns spin fake news in order to stoke contributions and support.
Followers of professional wrestling are labeled as “marks.” Marks totally buy into the character branding of the wrestlers, the contrived storylines and rivalries and that the match results are not scripted. They have not understood that pro wrestling is entertainment, not sport. Great athletes performing choreographed feats of strength, agility, strikes and body slams.
Politics also has “marks.” They are known as “Trumpsters.” Donald Trump has worked with World Wrestling Entertainment in the past. He has participated in a Wrestlemania storyline and his casinos sponsored Wrestlemania events in the past. One of Trump’s Cabinet appointments was Linda McMahon who along with her husband Vince owned the WWE. January 6, 2021 was Trump’s political version of Wrestlemania. Trump promoted the event and his “marks” thought that they could overturn the results of a fair election process. Just like a “battle royale,” Trump’s followers battled Capitol police and even used not so hidden foreign objects just like “heel” wrestlers do to cheat in their matches.
George Washington purportedly said in his youth, “Father, I cannot tell a lie.” There is very little evidence that Washington ever said those words. It’s part of the myth around our first president. Sadly, no modern day politician could ever say that phrase with a straight face.
I have picked on politicians and their lies. However the business world is replete with lies, exaggerations and spin. One cannot trust the accuracy and integrity of quarterly corporate results, CEO guidance, product and service capabilities, mission statements and denials of corruption, regulatory malfeasance, sexual harassment and mismanagement.
Esot-eric 