Yesterday was a dreary day at Great American Ballpark. It had been raining all day. Three and a half hours later, the game started. As the game went on, it didn't look good. The Cincinnati Reds were about to get swept in a three game series at home by the Washington Nationals. Lose this game and the Reds slip below .500. Going for the Reds was the fact the Reds are great on getaway days. Also going for the Reds is that they have Joey Votto.
It's bottom of the ninth. Reds down 6-5. One out. Bases loaded. Up comes 2010 MVP Joey Votto. On a 2-2 count against the Nationals closer, Votto took a short swing and blasted a fastball over the centerfield fence. Walk-off home run. Walk-off grand slam. Did I forget something here? Yeah. The walk-ff home run was Votto's third of the day. Here video of the walk-off home run. By the way, Votto has beaten the Nationals before. Joey Votto is showing he's worth every cent of the ten year, two hundred twenty five million dollar contract.
Joey hails from Canada. Time to thank them again. Time to thank them for socialized medicine also. Hey, if national healthcare works in Canada maybe it will force the right-wing nuts to listen. But I digress. Thank you Canada for Joey Votto.
Here's the story of the game with video.
Monday, May 14, 2012
Sunday, May 13, 2012
Could Ronald Reagan survive in today's Republican Party?
I've heard this comment many times. Former President and god to the Republicans could not get the presidential nomination in today's Tea Party dominated Republican party. The argument being that the party has swung so far right that even Reagan would no longer be welcome. Those ideas are now coming from Republicans. Former Nebraska U.S. Senator Chuck Hagel told "The Cable" this:
"Reagan would be stunned by the party today, .... Reagan wouldn't identify with this party. There's a streak of intolerance in the Republican Party today that scares people. Intolerance is a very dangerous thing in a society because it always leads to a tragic ending," Ronald Reagan was never driven by ideology. He was a conservative but he was a practical conservative. He wanted limited government but he used government and he used it many times. And he would work with the other party."
After losing the Indiana GOP U.S. senate primary, Richard Lugar who is a moderate said this about the direction of the Republican Party :
"We are experiencing deep political divisions in our society right now, and these divisions have stalemated progress in critical areas."
Lugar criticized his Republican opponent Richard Mourdock, who was a darling of the Tea Party, by saying in a statement, "[H]is embrace of an unrelenting partisan mindset is irreconcilable with my philosophy of governance and my experience of what brings results for Hoosiers in the Senate.
Mordock in his victory speech attacked President Obama, Democrats and liberals,
"Today we see the Obama White House and we see a Senate chaired by Harry Reid that's doing everything it can -- though perhaps not intentionally -- to turn our dreams, to turn our great national hope and our dream into the nightmare of ever-growing government, to make us that … western European-style nation,... Just yesterday, France elected a socialist, ... There are those I'm sure in the administration and in the left side of the Democratic Party that were cheering for that. But we're not going to stand for that in Indiana because the supporters of Barack Obama are not going to win!"
Calling Democrats socialists is nothing new. It happened under Sen. Joseph McCarthy (R. Wis.) in the fifites. That was when McCarthy went on his witch hunt for Communists in American society.
Today's Republican Party with the help of the Tea Party have moved to the far right. Gone are Gerald Fords, Nelson Rockefellers, and now Richard Lugar of the moderate wing of the party. When I was younger, I supported George H. W. Bush when he ran for president in 1980. He was a moderate. And if you think this is partisan ranting by a liberal, the University of Georgia did a study which indicated the Republican Party has moved to the far right. Here's the story on that study.
The question remains. Could Ronald Reagan survive in today's Republican Party? Well, survive is one thing. He certainly would have trouble winning the nomination since at times he worked with Democrats. Reagan's theory of supply side economics and pro-life policies would certainly find a home with today's Republican Party. But the compromises and the fact that Reagan raised taxes would kill him. So, he probably would not get the presidential nomination.
The bigger irony is that father of conservatism, former Senator Barry Goldwater (R-Ariz.) would probably be drummed out of the Republican Party. Goldwater took on the religious right, now a foundation of the modern Republican Party. He supported pro-choice positions. And he did not want to ban gays in the military. Those positions are outside of the modern Republican Party. What would they call him? A liberal?
"Reagan would be stunned by the party today, .... Reagan wouldn't identify with this party. There's a streak of intolerance in the Republican Party today that scares people. Intolerance is a very dangerous thing in a society because it always leads to a tragic ending," Ronald Reagan was never driven by ideology. He was a conservative but he was a practical conservative. He wanted limited government but he used government and he used it many times. And he would work with the other party."
After losing the Indiana GOP U.S. senate primary, Richard Lugar who is a moderate said this about the direction of the Republican Party :
"We are experiencing deep political divisions in our society right now, and these divisions have stalemated progress in critical areas."
Lugar criticized his Republican opponent Richard Mourdock, who was a darling of the Tea Party, by saying in a statement, "[H]is embrace of an unrelenting partisan mindset is irreconcilable with my philosophy of governance and my experience of what brings results for Hoosiers in the Senate.
Mordock in his victory speech attacked President Obama, Democrats and liberals,
"Today we see the Obama White House and we see a Senate chaired by Harry Reid that's doing everything it can -- though perhaps not intentionally -- to turn our dreams, to turn our great national hope and our dream into the nightmare of ever-growing government, to make us that … western European-style nation,... Just yesterday, France elected a socialist, ... There are those I'm sure in the administration and in the left side of the Democratic Party that were cheering for that. But we're not going to stand for that in Indiana because the supporters of Barack Obama are not going to win!"
Calling Democrats socialists is nothing new. It happened under Sen. Joseph McCarthy (R. Wis.) in the fifites. That was when McCarthy went on his witch hunt for Communists in American society.
Today's Republican Party with the help of the Tea Party have moved to the far right. Gone are Gerald Fords, Nelson Rockefellers, and now Richard Lugar of the moderate wing of the party. When I was younger, I supported George H. W. Bush when he ran for president in 1980. He was a moderate. And if you think this is partisan ranting by a liberal, the University of Georgia did a study which indicated the Republican Party has moved to the far right. Here's the story on that study.
The question remains. Could Ronald Reagan survive in today's Republican Party? Well, survive is one thing. He certainly would have trouble winning the nomination since at times he worked with Democrats. Reagan's theory of supply side economics and pro-life policies would certainly find a home with today's Republican Party. But the compromises and the fact that Reagan raised taxes would kill him. So, he probably would not get the presidential nomination.
The bigger irony is that father of conservatism, former Senator Barry Goldwater (R-Ariz.) would probably be drummed out of the Republican Party. Goldwater took on the religious right, now a foundation of the modern Republican Party. He supported pro-choice positions. And he did not want to ban gays in the military. Those positions are outside of the modern Republican Party. What would they call him? A liberal?
Saturday, May 12, 2012
Colbert on a Playboy Playmate's appearance in a Mexican presidential debate
In Mexico, they have better presidential debates. They have Playboy Playmates prancing around the stage. Okay, she was an usher. Well, this is great comic fodder for Stephen Colbert. Check out his hilarious piece.
The Colbert Report
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Colbert on Obama's support for gay marriage
Stephen Colbert covers President Obama's support for gay marriage and North Carolina's rejection of it. Funny stuff and poignant at the end of the piece. Check it out.
The Colbert Report
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Colbert slams right wing artist John McNaughton
Conservatives have their own fine art. He's painter John McNaughton. His political views are expressed in his paintings and folks, they are not subtle. He's as subtle as a sledgehammer. Some of his paintings have Obama desecrating the Constitution. Yeah, he's a hack. Stephen Colbert who knows something about art, slams him with his brand of sarcasm. Funny stuff. Check it out.
The Colbert Report
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Vogue's editor Anna Wintour on Colbert Nation
Vogue's editor and chief Anna Wintour was interviewed by Stephen Colbert on the Colbert Report. She takes a cue from Diane Keaton and does not play the straight man. She has fun with Colbert. She also discusses the Met's Costume Institute exhibit "Schiaparelli and Prada: Impossible Conversations." The great thing about Colbert is that he's both high culture and low brow at the same time.
The Colbert Report
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Stephen Colbert hits it out of the park
On May 9, 2012, Stephen Colbert had a great show. In it, he covers a Mexican debate dominated by a Playboy Playmate, right wing artist John McNaughton and an interview with Anna Wintour. Here's the show. I'll like separate videos from the show on the blog.
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