Random Notes, October 2022

 My latest mish-mosh of thoughts and opinions: 

+ The fallout of Dobbs v. Jackson was bound to make at least one anti-abortion candidate look like a hypocrite. There is substantial evidence that Herschel Walker, a football star turned political novice running for US Senator in Georgia, paid for an ex-girlfriend's pregnancy termination. In spite of the scandal, the notoriously inarticulate Walker is in a toss-up race with incumbent Dr. Raphael Warnock, because... it's Georgia. He's even playing the Christian card, even though Warnock is a prominent minister. Pro-lifers historically don't waver, but the campaign is well-funded enough to make one of the most incompetent campaigns in recent memory (hi Dr. Oz!) an ungainly deadlock.

+ Why are the senate and house both contested this close to the election, when the president's party historically loses ground in their first midterm? Two wedge issues: Democrats and progressives are motivated by Dobbs v. Jackson and women's health rights, while Republicans and conservatives are concerned about the economy. The Big Lie is a secondary factor, demonstrating that of the dueling echo chambers, the Republicans' reinforcement of ideals is the most airtight. The spectrum of liberal politics are setting their differences aside for a little while for the greater good, a GOP that is still tied to Trump and hijacked by jerks, rubes and wahoos.

+ As I write this, every team in the reconfigured National League playoffs with home field has been eliminated. The 5 and 6 seeds will face each other in the NLCS, two playoff spots that didn't exist as recently as 2011. If the pattern persists, a Phillies team that ran hot and cold all season will defy the odds and face either the Yankees, Guardians, or Astros in the World Series. I mention this because... I don't know if I like this or not. Several more deserving teams faltered at the worst possible time. It became the Friars or Phils almost by default. 

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Random Notes, August 2022

 Hot takes, sometimes reheated:

+ After a lengthy schnied, the Biden Administration has a modest winning streak going. After 18 months of COVID-distracted sputtering, culminating in Biden contracting the virus twice in two weeks, he's finally getting stuff done. The climate change bill might define his presidency so far, and college debt elimination was a modified campaign promise. Whether this saves him or the Democrats in '22 and '24 could either be just enough or too little, too late. 

+ What to make of the midterms? At the moment, the House of Representatives is a toss-up, but I think the Democrats will retain the U.S. Senate and then some. The GOP simply has too many vulnerable incumbents (Ron Johnson, Marco Rubio) and peculiar first-time candidates (Dr. Oz, Herschel Walker). That's not to say any of the above will get blown out, but polls are not tipping in their favor. 

+ I often tell friends that radio was my great unrequited love. Hosting and producing barprov shows is a distant second. In 2 1/2 years of COVID, Flower Shop Bangers has produced exactly one in-person show. The fact of the matter is, barprov in Chicago is more or less dead. An entire thriving scene in 2012 steadily whittled down to nothing; a lot of local pubs simply don't make money on the shows. As I write this, Dan and I are re-strategizing. Stay tuned. 

Next time: my annual NFL preview.

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