Was anyone really surprised by the results of yesterday’s Presidential debate?
I did not watch the debate live. Why did anyone, particularly journalists and the press, expect anything different? There are outcries by many Republicans today that Trump was unprepared and did not have good debate management. Are you kidding?? Review any book written by a Trump administration insider and you will find that Trump does not read or prepare for anything. He “wings” it.
A word of caution to the Democrats. Hillary cleaned Trump’s clock in the 2016 debates and still lost. The MAGA mind is probably blaming ABC for their hero’s atrocious performance. It’s still not over…
Before reading this book, I was already intrigued by the Scopes trial, having encountered it through reading Inherit the Wind by Lawrence and Lee in my youth and viewing the film adaptation starring Spencer Tracy as Clarence Darrow.
This book captivated me, not just with the story of the Scopes trial itself but also with the rich background it provides on the cultural and political climate in America leading up to the trial. The country was grappling with racism, antisemitism, women’s disenfranchisement, and a stark divide between the North and South. Religious leaders were increasingly uneasy with the rise of science, and efforts to suppress scientific education in schools were prevalent—an issue that resonates even today.
Wineapple profiles three key figures of the era: Clarence Darrow, H.L. Mencken, and William Jennings Bryan. These profiles were the highlight for me. All three were intelligent, influential, articulate, and deeply flawed. Their strong beliefs on issues like racism, antisemitism, and religion shaped their actions.
Bryan, a staunch defender of the Bible, believed its teachings should be taken literally. His speeches and sermons, especially in the South, were widely popular. Despite three failed presidential campaigns, his political ambition never waned.
Darrow and Mencken, both agnostics, were critical of religious hypocrisy. Liberals in their politics, they used their legal and journalistic skills to push their principles. It’s fascinating that Bryan, Darrow, and Mencken ended up at the center of such a pivotal cultural and political moment.
Reading this book made me reflect on how much progress the United States has—or hasn’t—made in areas like racism, antisemitism, and the influence of religion in education, law, and politics. The challenges to science that existed in the 1920s are still relevant today.
I highly recommend this book as an insightful snapshot of American culture and politics in the 1920s and is still happening today.
Saturday Night will always remain burned in my memory as long as I live, as being the day when I heard the most religion preached, and the least practiced.
Pickleball: where tennis players go to die. (Seen on t-shirt)
“Kamala holds the hopes of a lot of people in this country who are praying that she doesn’t fall on her face in the next 72 days. She can take heart that she’s driving Trump crazy. He is jealous of her looks, her crowd sizes, her star power and her vivacious, bodacious vibes. That’s a good start.”
Daffy Donald, Turning Pea Green With Envy NYT Maureen Dowd
Planning a wedding has become so expensive that some couples are asking their guests to pay to attend their special day…Matthew Shaw, the founder of Sauveur, a wedding planning company in London, said that selling tickets “introduces a strange relationship between you and your guests, turning your guests into customers.”
He added, “You’re no longer hosting — you’re offering them a paid experience, which introduces a very different narrative in terms of what guests are expecting.” (NYT)
NYT Hardcover Non-fiction Best Sellers
SHAMELESS by Brian Tyler Cohen
2. MEN HAVE CALLED HER CRAZY by Anna Marie Tendler
3. THE ART OF POWER by Nancy PelosI
“School board candidates backed by Moms for Liberty, a conservative vanguard whose members popularized restrictions on classroom library books, are losing elections in Florida and some swing states. Republican leaders who rallied against critical race theory and LGBTQ+ issues recently faced recalls in red pockets of California.”
Are Republicans losing the culture wars? Politico
Babe Ruth ‘called shot’ Yankees jersey fetches record $24M
The Democrats are experiencing a bit of “irrational exuberance.” It’s the same feeling that Republicans were feeling about three weeks ago. It’s way too early for any self congratulations. Too many things and events can change. Economic events and the Middle East could change the campaign around. Don’t discount the possible influence and effect that Joe Biden will have on this election.
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If I was Kamala Harris, I would not debate Donald Trump. The man isn’t capable of discussing policy issues. There really isn’t much of an upside for Kamala – – she will be expected to clean the floor with him.
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How can there be any undecided voters for the Presidential election?
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Hard to believe that JD Vance may be a worse Vice Presidential candidate than Sarah Palin, and Dan Quayle.
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Is there anything more insulting to a person’s intelligence then the political commercials being run right now?
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Ideal Presidential Debate Media Team: Hosts: Dana Bash and Jim Acosta (CNN); Questioners: Rachel Scott (ABC) Chris Wallace (CNN) Bret Baier (Fox) and Kara Swisher.
I am a huge Bill Maher fan. I’ve been watching Politically Incorrect since it debuted in 1993. Maher could be considered the Will Rogers of today’s culture. But Maher is more cutting, dynamic, controversial and cynical than Rogers ever was. Plus Maher has met plenty of people he did not like. Maher’s style is more like H.L. Mencken. Maher and Jon Stewart are the rational minds and voices that Americans need badly.
I’d recommend Maher’s books of essays about politics, media, cancel culture, Trump, education and civil war etc. to anyone interested in current events, history and politics. But I understand that 40% of the country might prefer to listen to Greg Gutfield and The Five. Their loss! I find Maher to be a very fair interviewer on his show, civil and willing to give opposite views from him a fair hearing.
Read the varied essays at your leisure. Maher incorporates humor with his opinions and criticisms. Try it, you may like it…
I have posted some excerpts that caught my eye and mind…
A job in Congress is just so much better than racking the weights at CrossFit, which is what Marjorie Taylor Greene did before she set her crazy eyes on the prize. And once you get the gig, it’s yours for life. The re-election rate in the house for incumbents in 2022 was 95% – – that’s better job security than a pedophile priest has.
Everybody keeps asking, how could a guy (George Santos) like this happen?” I’ll tell you how: because no one cares anymore about substance. It’s all tribalism. The only thing that matters is “is he on our team?” Is he doing our schtick?” Santos is just the first one to realize you could do both sides’ schtick and get away with it because people have completely tuned out anything that doesn’t already fit their narrative.
Americans are far too dim and distracted to responsibly make a (voting) choice in just weeks or even months. Americans actually think it’s a brag to say that they’re cynical about politics and therefore don’t follow it. Don’t flatter yourself. Cynical comes when you know too much; you, on the other hand, haven’t bothered to learn anything.
This country simply has no education standards anymore – – they will let you out of a public high school and give you a diploma and you don’t have to actually know anything. Which used to be a mission of schools: knowing things.
Facebook, Instagram, TikTok – – these are not places to read in the sense of garnering real and valuable information; they are what replaced reading so you’d have more time to take pictures of your dick. Sorry, but staring at your phone doesn’t make you a reader anymore than watching fireworks makes you an astronomer, or getting a tramp stamp makes you ass a museum.
Trump calls the Mueller report “the crazy Mueller report, “and in a way he’s right, because it’s over 400 pages detailing terrible crimes by a corrupt president, yet Mueller doesn’t prosecute. If Dostoevsky had written this report, it would be called “Crime and no Punishment.”
In fact, I wouldn’t be surprised if Trump nicknamed his penis “Mike Pence” because it’s not hung like it should be.
Our economy no longer creates a middle class, it sucks it dry. Sometimes “middle class” just means you’re poor but you don’t do meth. And remember, this is the good economy, where 40% of Americans can’t afford a $400 emergency expense and 50 million have nothing saved for retirement. Sorry, but it is not middle-class when your retirement plan is a lotto ticket.
When did the American business model switch from honestly selling you a product to tricking the consumer who doesn’t read the fine print? You ever wonder, “Why is my cell phone contract longer than a CVS receipt?” If you forget to turn off “data roaming” and you go to Vancouver for the weekend, Verizon gets to keep your children. This is the way we do business, and it’s all based on the cynical premise of you fucking up: that they can wear you down, confuse you or count on you to forget.
Before we tackle any of our daunting specific problems here in America, we have to figure out how a country can solve any problem if so, many of its people are so intractably,, astoundingly, mind numbingly stupid. And I’m not saying that as hyperbole or just out of frustration. I mean this country just might be empirically, verifiably too fucking dumb to continue as an ongoing enterprise.
Colleges have turned into giant, luxury daycare centers with overpaid babysitters anxious to indulge every student whim.
Every year at graduation time we witnessed the ritual of commencement addresses, when America’s overrated, gas bags, and wisdom-free celebrities are invited by star fucking universities to come to their school and tell a bunch of spoiled, stoned, debt laden brats things like “You’re only limit is your own imagination” and The world will be a better place for having you in it.”
Before the Internet, you only had to put up with your wingnut uncle on Thanksgiving. Now he’s forwarding you proof that Trump won Arizona and Epstein was murdered by the QAnon shaman. The street corner nut with the sandwich board used to be laughed at; now he’s linked to.
Do you know the reason why advertisers in this country love the 18 to 34 demographic? Because it’s the most gullible. A third of people under 35 say they’re in favor of abolishing the police – – not defunding, but doing away with a police force altogether, which is less of a policy position, and more of a leg tattoo. 36% of millennials think it might be a good idea to try communism.
Is there anything more self-defeating than not using old people as a resource? Not taking advantage of their accumulated knowledge? Everywhere else in the world elders are sought for guidance. In America, elders are sought for TikTok pranks.
Now, I get it, Christians love to feel persecuted – – it’s part of their origin story. But it’s been a long time since anyone was getting eaten by the lions in the Colosseum. 64% of the country is Christian, not to mention every president we’ve ever had, so please don’t tell me, in what universe does it make sense when Sean Hannity says, “The liberal media’s war against religion is alive and well.”
There can’t be many more stressful and thankless jobs than being the Director of the U.S. Secret Service. Kimberly Cheadle resigned from the job after dodging more bullets from a House Committee meeting yesterday than John Wick running through a gauntlet of assassins. Members of both political parties set their sights on Ms. Cheadle and took their best shots. There also have been complaints about the women who are on Trump’s secret service detail. They were accused of being too small in stature and one female agent was shown having difficutly in unholstering her gun. Best of luck finding a successor in taking a job where any misstep or failure in a very volatile political and violence prone country will get you ridiculed and fired no matter how diligent you and your associates perform.
I thought that having women in high elective office would elevate the national conversation and promote civility. Boy, was I wrong!. Nancy Mace, Lauren Boebert and Marjorie Taylor Greene among others (usually Republican women) have mouths that would embarrass a trucker, rapper or biker.
If you want to guarantee a solid workout playing pickleball, then either play singles or play with a hand-picked group of like-skilled players in a competitive landscape. Do not just go to the park and play 2 hours of pickup and expect it to be a great workout.
The Workout Value Of Pickleball Compared To Other Racquet Sports Forbes · by Todd Boss · July 22, 2024
I think that the author of the referenced quote did not take into account the age and physical condition of the player. I would agree that for a 20 or 30 year-old, two hours of recreational Pickleball doubles would not be a very good workout. But for someone who is in their 60s or 70s, it constitutes a very good workout.
So I’m wondering next month at the Democratic national convention, whether Joe Biden will give his concession speech for the presidential election. Why wait till November? It sure looks like a large number of Democrats have thrown in the towel and are already conceding that Donald Trump will be our next president.
I have to admit that Trump and his supporters have been awfully lucky (?) the past few weeks. Not only does Trump survive an assassination attempt but his politically appointed judges have provided incredible cover for his various legal misdeeds. Three months ago, Trump was a convicted felon and established rapist. Now he is anointed as God’s chosen one with polls showing him pulling away from Biden in the presidential race.
But let’s not pass blame on the Democratic Party. They win the cocktail party arguments, get the media endorsements and favorable press coverage but given the political power they have, do not use it effectively. Republicans are ruthless in political power games. They take no prisoners! Democrats return GOP haymakers with gloved hand slaps.
You would think that Merrick Garland would be an inspired avenger against the GOP who blocked him from gaining a Supreme Court seat after being nominated by Barack Obama. However, Trump is largely winning on the legal battlefields. Yesterday, the case against him for hiding and destroying secret documents was dismissed. Even though Trump was found guilty in the Stormy Daniels payoff case, I seriously doubt that he faces any real punishment, especially jail. From my perspective, it looks like the prosecution of Donald Trump was done half assed with very little coordination of effort and timing between State and Federal authorities.
The Democratic Party is weak! They need a “killer” not a feeble old man to take up the fight in the 2024 presidential election. If they choose not to replace Biden with another candidate, I sense that a lot of Democrats and Independents are going to stay home on election day.
Donald Trump is a survivor. He has weathered indictments, impeachment attempts, business failures, deep-seated animosity from half the nation, a failed reelection bid, and now, an assassination attempt. This latest incident may not only cast him as a hero but could also bolster his chances of winning the 2024 presidential election.
The occurrence of such an event should not come as a surprise. The volatility, hatred, and intense partisanship that define contemporary American politics inevitably breed violence. The current climate makes such “craziness” almost inevitable.
In the immediate aftermath of the assassination attempt, accusations flew, suggesting that Joe Biden or liberals, implicitly or otherwise, were responsible for the shooting. However, given Trump’s incendiary rhetoric, it could be argued that he was an accomplice to his own shooting. The political polarization pot has been stirred, and the maelstrom is just beginning.
This moment is critical in American history. We are in dire need of sound and rational judgment. Unfortunately, such judgment seems to be lacking among our national political leaders, the media, and, regrettably, within many of our citizenry.
Esot-eric 