An Obligation to Comment

I perceive social media predominately as an outlet for quick takes, so I use this particular platform to address more complex and convoluted issues. (I've had this blog for 20 years. If you just found this, hello, and better late than never.) I've been fairly transparent about some of the personal issues I've had over the last couple of years, but my blog is also where I can give a more articulate response to current events and complicated topics.

Outside of inadvertently irking a couple Republican high school classmates, I haven't said that much of the death of former Trump staffer and conservative pundit Charlie Kirk. I found out about the shooting while glancing on my phone at work. A student asked if I wanted to see the video of the shot; I said no, but he shared it anyway. I put my phone on airplane mode for my weekly chiropractor appointment; when I turned the Wifi back on, Kirk had passed away. When I turned on the car radio, the first song that played was "Dialogue (Parts 1 and 2)" by Chicago, an up-tempo number about political discourse that ends abruptly. I'm still figuring out to interpret that.

This is sad and appalling, but it's hard to mourn this guy. It is perfectly possible to believe that guns are a cancer on America, and that Kirk's rhetoric enabled that. It's not hard to find his opinions on an array of hot button issues, including gun control. I see no need to repeat them here.

I worked at a right-wing AM news/talk station for two years, and I noticed the commodity placed on younger talking heads to counter aging personalities like Rush Limbaugh and Michael Savage. I was in the same office space as Guy Benson, and after I was let go, I saw from afar the football get passed from Guy to Milo Yiannopoulos to Tomi Lahren to Ben Shapiro to Kirk. Guy lost favor because he's a moderate conservative; the other four were more extreme, annoying at best and appalling at worst.

To be clear, I'm not celebrating his death. I'm also not trying to give credence to the inevitable conspiracy theories. He was a family man, after all. However, American society is polarized and all this will do is divide us further. 

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My 19th Annual Thanks/No Thanks List

Late November already? Fall is more than halfway over, and I'm in my usual denial stage; I insist on wearing a fleece jacket when a winter coat would probably suffice. It's also time to reflect, and as I have for nearly two decades I give thanks (and no thanks) to the things that affect my life. This hasn't been an easy year for me or most of my closest and dearest, but sometimes it's the little things. 

Thanks: an end to the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes (and those who fought and directly benefitted), reconnecting with old friends and acquaintances, reinforcing my existing friendships, and that after 13 years my Keurig still works every morning. 

No Thanks: inflation, misinformation, miscommunication, antisemitism, Islamophobia, and the ongoing GOP clown car.

Enjoy your Turkey Day, friends. 

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Random Notes, September 2023

 I write essays when I can. In the meantime: 

+ About two weeks ago, I attended my 20-year high school reunion. I tend to get anxious about reconnecting with people I haven't seen in a long time, and this event was no exception. I went to a fairly large high school in the Chicago suburbs, and getting over 500 people to agree on a day, time, and location was a Herculean effort, so that alone made my attendance an obligation. In the end, about 125 of us had an epic reminiscence at a Loyal Order of Moose lodge, guzzling domestic beer and eating mediocre delivery pizza.

+ The first Trump-free GOP debate was a futile exercise. The second was a hot mess. The uneasy slog to an inevitable Trump-Biden rematch continues, and the race to GOP second place truly offers no winners. 

+ Not to belabor the point, but the modern GOP really *can't* get their shit together. Speaker McCarthy has done little to prevent another government shutdown; his quench for congressional power apparently means kowtowing to the fringe right. 

+ Dianne Feinstein was a liberal stalwart and one of the first LGBTQ allies on the national political stage. She'll be missed, but like Ruth Bader Ginsburg before her, she held on for far longer than she needed to and was too stubborn to just retire. 

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File This!

On paper, Trump looks screwed. Alas, I doubt his punishment (assuming he really does get punished) won't fit the crime. After a presidency that was more scandal-plagued than Nixon and Clinton put together, we watched one Trump lackey after another get thrown under the bus while the boss remained relatively unscathed. On top of that, Trump has no intention of dropping out of the 2024 GOP primary, where he's polling better than all the other declared candidates combined. At least 51% of the party is sticking with their guy, prison or not.

At least one conservative pundit has compared Trump's unfair treatment to how George W. Bush was scrutinized by the "liberal media" in the 2000s. Was Bush 43 a trust fund bumbler? Yes. Was he too trusting in the wrong people? Often. Was he corrupt? No. Trump is not being prosecuted for being a Republican, nor is being prosecuted by cable news. Trump is being prosecuted because he is likely a criminal.

Then there's the Trump lackeys, his homers, his ride-or-dies. The sizable chunk of the GOP he hasn't alienated. Naturally, they're pretending the overwhelming evidence against Trump isn't real, that this a politically motivated witch hunt or exaggerated by partisan vitriol. In other words, they're incorporating their two favorite tactics, gaslighting and whatabout-ism. Either they're saddled by unconditional support or they're lying to themselves, it's often hard to tell.

Let's play that GOP tactic right now: what about Joe Biden? Yes, he did have confidential documents stacked in the garage. However, there weren't nearly as many as Trump hoarded, Biden cooperated with authorities, and Biden apologized. Mike Pence, the stoic Christian, committed the same sin. Even so, the 2024 race is shaping up to be Biden against... something, and for all of Biden's flaws he is the only palatable option. In other words, vote blue... or until Mark Levin is blue in the face.

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The 50.5% Solution

Any projection of GOP "red wave" in this year's midterms was exaggerated, or like many GOP claims, baseless. That's not denying that they made a ripple; both houses of Congress were a toss-up several days after the election, and it looks like the Republicans will take a narrow majority of House of Representatives.  On the other hand, the US Senate is secured for the Democrats... for now.

Speaking of narrow, the record number of races with margins under 1% is concerning, especially with some of the candidates that lost narrowly. A fair number of Republican candidates that received approximately 49% of the popular vote (or slightly less) ran on the Big Lie or received wholehearted endorsements from ex-President Trump. At least one losing candidate was actually at the failed Capital siege in January 2021. 

That's not to say this was a banner year for Democrats. If the GOP had its share of rotten eggs, the Dems are heavy on stale bread. A fair number of liberal candidates were elected because the Trump-backed Republicans were either inept or just unpalatable.  Age remains an issue; I've discussed Nancy Pelosi and Joe Biden's age in the past, but 89-year-old Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA) was just elected to an eighth term. At least we have our first Gen-Z congressman. 

In the end, it all breaks down to the race that garnered the most media attention: the ugly U.S. Senate race between Rev. Raphael Warnock and Herschel Walker in Georgia. Neither nabbed 50% of the vote (shades of 2020), and the difference between them was literally in the triple figures, so a run-off will be held in early December. Stacey Abrams is both the reason why a deep south state is suddenly purple and the state's sacrificial lamb, having lost twice to a former Secretary of State that conveniently altered election rules in his favor. Sadly, there's still a possibility the mealy-mouthed Walker can still beat Warnock. 

Next Week: my 18th annual thanks/no thanks list.

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Remember, Remember, The 8th of November

 Election Day is tomorrow. This is my ninth election cycle since I started this blog, and I feel like with each passing decision the stakes have risen. I've grown to resent how the first midterm of a president is an early moratorium on the sitting president; that has taken an uneasy turn, as a president as uniquely vulnerable as Joe Biden could be handcuffed by a GOP that has descended into pseudo-fascism and cult of personality. 

Misinformation has always had a home in American politics. Even before the internet, lies and slander were ingredients in the average candidate's word salad. Now we have dueling echo chambers, with the GOP's arguably being the loudest and more shrill of the two. The events of 1/6 should have been reckoning, a moment of crisis for Republicans at every level; instead, 1/6 "attendees" are running for office, and the majority of GOP candidates think the 2020 election was stolen without any proof. It's saddening and appalling, but the seeds of this were planted over a decade ago with the Tea Party. 

My message remains the same: vote. I beg of you, vote. Your decision in the booth makes an impact. Do your part as an American citizen, and afterwards if all else fails, hope for the best.

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A Season of Bloodshed

If the USA in 2022 is a Chuck E. Cheese Whack-A-Mole machine of crises, then gun control is the latest plastic rodent to be hit with a cushioned mallet. A bipartisan bill has been signed but isn't in effect just yet. Regardless, this is already shaping up to be one of the bloodiest summers in recent memory, with mass shootings in Buffalo, NY, Uvalde, TX, and most recently Highland Park, IL. Those are just the most notable shootings; there has been a smattering of massacres all across the continental US.

I said this several years ago, and my stance hasn't wavered much: if you keep a .45 in the house, fine. You own a hunting rifle or two? Cool. If you own an AR-15 assault rifle... why? I'm personally not interested in guns, but I respect the constitutional right to own one. At the same time, there is a time and place for military grade weaponry, and that's if you're in the military, in the heat of combat. The rest is just paranoia and politics. That the Highland Park shooting happened at an Independence Day parade, the most patriotic of holidays, a day to celebrate democracy and freedom, is cognitive dissonance. 

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Two Quick Things

The results of the 2018 midterms, mixed as they were, were an undeniable rebuke of President Trump. Purple went blue, but the overwhelming majority of red areas stuck with their man. This gives the president actual checks and balances for the first time in his administration, but that silver lining is tamped down by at least two more years of gridlock. At worst, this gives Trump a new (and very tangible) punching bag, an obvious scapegoat for anything and everything that goes wrong in his administration. Impeachment only seems marginally feasible now.

+ Finally, it just isn't Thanksgiving without my annual thanks/no thanks list.

I Give Thanks To: enduring friendships, consistent work, morsels of self-actualization, and anyone and everyone who has been reading this blog here and on TV.com for the last 13 1/2 years.

And No Thanks: a lack of common sense gun laws, property taxes, writer's block, and poor communication.

Next week: the thumb incident.

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Our Man in Arizona

John McCain was a flawed human. As far as I'm concerned, let the nutjobs and Trump lemmings that have hijacked the GOP --to the say the least of some picky progressives-- piss on McCain's grave. I didn't see to eye with his politics, but McCain was a patriot and warrior. My respect was unwavering, even though I only voted for him once (as a write-in for president in the 2004 primary). As a POW, his bravery under astonishing duress cannot be questioned.

When McCain said something potentially offensive, he apologized (with one possible exception). The fact of the matter is, all politicians have done something regrettable.  If he came off as brash and arrogant upon first impression, he sat down and listened soon after. He was the last of a dying breed, a Republican that believed in bipartisanship for the sake of the nation, and a maverick before it became Tea Party cliche. With McCain's death, the rift widens further.

Next Week: my 2018 NFL preview.

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What About Bob?

Let me make the understatement of the century: this is not going well.

The centerpoint of the Russian hacking investigation has turned to Michael Cohen in the last two weeks or so. The feds' raid on Cohen's office and ensuing revelations about his clients is the latest distraction for an administration that can't stop extinguishing its own fires. The revelation that Fox News star (and Trump sycophant) Sean Hannity was a Cohen client served to add more fuel to the conspiracy coal bin.

We want to assume that there will be a Frank Capra moment where a high-ranking Republican comes to their senses or something, but in reality Trump is too much of an intangible. Trump et al. is pulling the strings and not vice versa, and one who crosses him (see "Corker, Bob") gets thrown under the bus. The GOP knows how to rally and work in lockstep; they'll fight this to the bitter end, regardless of whatever Mueller finds.

As far as I'm concerned, let Mueller do his job. The ongoing investigation will pay off in some way, and its not impossible for Trump to be exonerated. It is highly possible that the president simply trusted the wrong people --the story of his administration thus far-- but there is a sliver of a chance that Trump was complicit. For now, give everyone the benefit of a doubt.

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A Casual Guide to the 2018 Illinois Governor's Primary

I've been so caught up in the Washington garbage fire that I've barely had a chance to discuss the Illinois gubernatorial primary. (We're still seven weeks away, but still.) Incumbent Gov. Bruce Rauner is no sure shot for reelection --the epic budget windfall will be his legacy, win or lose-- but the field is as uninspiring as its ever been. After alienating religious conservatives with his pragmatic stance on abortion, Rauner holds a narrow lead on his onetime ally, State Rep. Jeanne Ives. A self-made multi-millionaire, Rauner used his own money in 2014 and is doing so again; Ives, however has more endorsements and the state GOP's war chest. A recent debate where Rauner looked under-prepared and outmatched has further complicated things.


People have likely wised up to the idea of any candidate running the country like a business. *cough*  The Democratic gubernatorial race looks like it will be bought, not unlike Rauner four years ago. Philanthropist J.B. Pritzker has been running ads on TV since the summer, has spent more money than all his other opponents combined, and barring a scandal or fiasco will run away with the nomination come March 20th. Connections to Blago aside, the race has been a cakewalk; for lack of a better term, Chris Kennedy (son of RFK) and State Sen. Daniel Biss are splitting the anti-Pritzker vote, and Tio Hardiman (who also ran in 2014) has been a non-entity.

In short, this race is running against trends in other parts of the country. There are a greater number of female candidates for public office overall, but with the exception of Ives the women in this race are relegated to running mate status. I find none of the candidates all that inspiring, but in my home state everything could go bust in a second.

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Random Notes, January 2018

So much to say:

+ There is reason to believe President Trump had sexual relations with a porn actress in 2006, a year or so after he married his current wife. If this were any other president, this would be beginning of the end. Michael Wolff believes Trump is still philandering as we speak.  Alas, one year in and the Trump Administration continues to defy logic and common sense. The machine keeps chugging...

+ ...or maybe it doesn't, since we just witnessed the fourth government shutdown in the last 25 years. Trump's inherent stubbornness (and his well-established race problem) triggered the shutdown, but the weak leadership of the Democratic Party brought it to a prompt end. With more voters identifying as independents, this was a misfire by a party that can't risk making any mistakes. Giving the GOP carte blanche on DACA is not something people will forget come November.

+ I'm training to become an improv coach! After doing improv for 8 1/2 years and having performed at One Group Mind in Wicker Park for four of them, it just seemed like the next logical step. This doesn't mean I'll be coaching a team immediately after this class ends (which will be in early March) but I'm benefiting somewhat from the insight.

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The Stool Pigeon & The Turd

I almost want to take pity on Andrew McCarthy. For as long as the Trump/Russia controversy has dragged on (nearly his entire first year in office) McCarthy has tried to give the president the benefit of a doubt in his column in the National Review. Michael Flynn's decision to plead guilty Friday, however proved that his best intentions for were for naught, and that all his assumptions were dead, dead wrong.

Even if the conversations between Putin's and Trump's underlings had nothing to do with collusion, the fact that these conversations were covered up is still peculiar and suspicious. Of course, the White House is doing an atrocious job of damage control. President Trump's hair-trigger temper and reputation for belligerence (as seen on Twitter, of course) is veering into the red, the scattered outbursts of a man who simply doesn't know what he's gotten himself into.

This almost distracts from the GOP tax bill that the U.S. Senate passed in the wee hours of  Saturday, December 2nd but not quite. I'm also certain that atrocious bill ever saw daylight because the GOP knows they're vulnerable in the 2018 midterms and they'll need the financial support of the super-rich. One monkey scratches the other's back.

Next Week: the year in music, 2017.

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The Never-ending Chaos

He came, he saw... he Mooched? The first White House employee to serve negative time, Anthony Scaramucci's ten days between appointment and forced resignation were a whirlwind. There's not much I can say that hasn't already been said, beyond the fact that Scaramucci's demeanor made him horrifically ill-suited for the position, and President Trump's tendency to hire and appoint sycophants and close friends has reached peak hubris. Here's hoping Gen. John Kelly, a public servant as straitlaced as Scaramucci was loud and profane, will attempt to bring a level of dignity and gravitas we haven't seen yet in the Trump White House.

Early last week --just before Mooch's resignation, as a matter of fact-- I had read this editorial from the National Review and commented on it on Twitter. I joked that at least it wasn't "that pinko rag The Weekly Standard"; he liked the reply, but it was pretty clear he didn't know I was joking. It was another brief, discomforting reminder that quite often, arguing with Trump's most ardent supporters is a rabbit hole into obliviousness. They are brainwashed, putting patriotism before critical thinking, the blind led by the blind.

NOTE: I wrote these two first paragraphs before the act of terror and ensuing fracas in Charlottesville, Virginia on August 11th.  This weekend, for the first time since I launched Stu News, I posted something that wasn't meant to be satirical or jovial. The bigots and white nationalists that Trump catered to during the 2016 primaries feel validated, and for as odious and reprehensible their actions were, this was their rallying moment. (Incidentally, the National Review begged Trump to condemn the alt-right. Everyone is still waiting.) They were taught to hate, to vehemently distrust those unlike them, and now they think they have the same rights that everyone else has. I am appalled beyond words. My thoughts are with the Heyer family and those injured in Saturday's counter-protest.

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The Next Voice You Hear

As some of you know, I worked for the Chicago branch of Salem Communications from May 2008 to April 2010. As a recent college graduate pursuing a career in the radio industry, I perceived my part-time traffic assistant (i.e. accounts receivable) position as a foot in the door to bigger things. That was ultimately not the case, as I was replaced less than two years on the job. My departure was the first of several moves made after a major management change, and with flagship AM 560 WIND still struggling to get into the top 25 among Chicago radio stations, there is little to indicate things are moving in the right direction.

One of the many changes that occurred these last six years was the addition of former Congressman Joe Walsh (R-IL) as an on-air personality. Walsh set up an arrangement where he would host a drive-time show from 5 to 7pm on WIND and do the same thing all over again via satellite on a New York, Salem-owned station from 8 to 10pm EST. Walsh was commenting on a whirlwind week in early July: where an unarmed African-American man was killed in Minnesota, followed by a similar incident in Dallas, then a "retaliation" by a lone gunman that killed five Dallas police officers.

I imagine Walsh was a little more tactful on the air, but what he tweeted in the wake of the Dallas shootings was reprehensible: "3 Dallas Cops killed, 7 wounded. This is now war. Watch out Obama. Watch out black lives matter punks. Real America is coming after you." The tweet was deleted within an hour, but once again Walsh was fanning the flames of controversy. It's one thing to criticize the president but another to threaten him. What made it even more appalling was that it was almost certainly staged.

A couple of years, Walsh was (allegedly) removed from the air following a discussion of racial epithets, during which he said the N-word at least once. It was a publicity stunt, and a rather clueless one at that. Whether Walsh was encouraged by my old managers or action on his own is irrelevant; it was very much in bad taste. What transpired nearly weeks ago was cut from the same cloth.

I feel even more embarrassed to have been part of that organization. Given how long it took me to compose my thoughts on this hot mess, the media has moved on the next round of tragedies. The cycle of gun violence in America is spinning faster than ever, and I can't imagine that I'm the only American that is growing numb to the pain. Mercifully, a loose cannon like Walsh was not meant to be a long-timer in Congress, but his mouth and his chutzpah lingers, and his enforcers at WIND-AM couldn't be more pleased.

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The New Springfield Stalemate

Is Bruce Rauner a failure?

This loaded question was raised by an op-ed the Chicago Tribune, who suggested that the current Governor of Illinois was ineffectual beyond redemption, a mere 15 months into his first term. Succeeding the doddering Pat Quinn was one thing; to make Illinois forget their two immediate predecessors, George Ryan and Rod Blagojevich, is another. And yet, Rauner's strategy of running the state into the ground in order to build it from the ground up might be too daring a strategy to work.

Let's start with Rauner's alleged "turnaround agenda." In order to bring business back to Illinois, it seems that he wants to make companies that are already in-state even richer, while also filling the coffers of the super wealthy. Unfortunately, in order to justify this late-arriving attempt at trickle-down economics, Rauner has blocked any reasonable state budget, holding hostage contractors and state universities that rely on public money. Rauner conjures images of people (and businesses) bolting Illinois for greener pastures, but statistics say that's utterly false. It would be easy to blame the dictatorial State Speaker Michael Madigan, but in this case the fiscal crisis is not the fault of a calculating career politician.

In an election year where a shrewd, eccentric businessman is turning the GOP upside down, a multi-millionaire in Illinois is proving you can't run government like a business. Bruce Rauner could be a case example of putting hubris over responsibility, but the Republicans (and the country) are distracted by a primary race gone haywire. The word "failure" may linger over Rauner's head, but the window of opportunity to prove his brinkmanship right is shutting fast.

Somewhere Over the (Partisan) Rainbow

I don't believe I've ever intentionally spoken ill will of the dead. When Justice Antonin Scalia passed away a few weeks ago, rather than just say "RIP" on social media, I admittedly deferred the idea of criticizing a polarizing figure in American politics. I still received some flack from my Facebook friends, even though I didn't say anything specific about Justice Scalia. (I had my qualms, but so did a lot of other people.) One could argue, however that the Republicans that control both houses of Congress may have overreacted the most.

Judge Merrick Garland, a fellow Chicago native, is the third and likely last person that President Obama has nominated for the U.S. Supreme Court. His first two appointees, Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan, were left-leaning justices replacing fellow liberals on a court that tilted right. Garland's potential appointment will allegedly tip the scale to the left, or at least that's what the GOP fears; Garland has a history of being a moderate/centrist, a swing vote on a court that is now deadlocked at four and four.  In any other era of American politics, Garland would be a model nominee and have a swift confirmation. In a polarized Washington during an election year, he might not even get a hearing.

As of this writing, the only elected Republican to meet with Judge Garland is Sen. Mark Kirk, a fellow Illinoisan. It's an election year, and I can see why the GOP is trying to save face; they want to wait until Obama is out of office in nine months, apparently in total disregard of who might succeed him. At the same time, this group of senators was elected by their constituents to serve their country, and by refusing to give Judge Garland a hearing indicates a refusal to do their jobs. There is nothing to indicate that Garland is a liberal firebrand or would have any detrimental value to the nation's highest court, the GOP is simply being obstructive. A political party that is trying to vain to prove that they have ideas is doing everything but that. Whether they confirm or reject Garland, I'm not spending my tax money on a group of old men sitting on their hands because it allegedly compromises their principles.

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Random Notes, April 2016

On the election beat:

+ At this rate, a brokered GOP convention this summer is inevitable. Years of subtext have become context; the Republican Party, which promoted itself as the "big tent" party in the Reagan era, is as splintered as its ever been. The last of the mainline, old school conservatives, the party members that have either survived or narrowly dodged the Tea Party movement of the past decade, are hoping by default that John Kasich comes from behind to take the party's presidential nomination. It's one thing that Donald Trump's momentum has barely wavered, it's another that Ted Cruz is a palatable nominee in comparison. (Head-to-head polls aren't that favorable, either.) They might still control both houses of Congress after November 8th, but between this ungainly primary race and their holding the U.S. Supreme Court hostage, the GOP has more to lose than they think.

+ Speaking of fractured political parties, the Democrats will likely figure things out between Sec. Clinton and Sen. Sanders by August, but it's not a sure shot. Two brokered conventions would be ripe for drama but would ultimately benefit no one; it would only serve to prove political scientists right that the two-party system is outmoded and unwieldy. Where Sanders' supporters have youth and diversity to their disposal, Clinton is more appealing to moderates, independents, and (dare I say it) deep pockets. A George Soros type would have Bernie in the heart but Hillary in the brain. It would make for strange bedfellows, but a Clinton-Sanders ticket would be the Dems' best shot against Trump and the unfortunate patsy that would be his running mate.

+ I'm finally doing some traveling! Over a decade after the last time I set foot on an airplane, and four years since my last real vacation, I'm going to Houston for a few days. A good friend of mine is getting married, so I'm spending a three-day weekend in southeast Texas. After that, my duo Flower Shop Bangers will be playing the Omaha Improv Festival in mid-May. To all my far-flung readers: let me know if you're nearby, I wouldn't mind meeting up.

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Down The Stretch They Come

They finally started dropping like flies. At one point late last summer, there were 23 official candidates (six Democrats and 17 Republicans) vying for their party's nomination; by mid-February, the dogfight had been whittled down to two Democrats and six Republicans. With the possible exception of the ever-optimistic Gov. John Kasich, nearly all the candidates that didn't make an splash in the early going never gained momentum. Bottom-feeders and underfunded candidates like Lindsay Graham and Jim Gilmore couldn't find any substantial momentum; however, where Graham was out of the race by Christmas, Gilmore somehow lingered around until after the New Hampshire primary.

So who's left? The race for the Democratic party was going to be Hillary Clinton vs. Bernie Sanders all along. Even if Clinton (and most analysts) thought she was a sure shot last summer, there is a faction of her own party that doesn't think she's liberal enough to represent a party that is shifting further to the left. Secretary Clinton might be more qualified than the grass roots, rough at the seems Senator Sanders, but her flip-flopping and checkered history might be her undoing. Sanders is too much of an idealist (sound familiar?) but he's a worthy alternative.

Meanwhile, the Republicans and its remaining challengers represent a Grand Old Party on the cusp of a schism. Where the seemingly unstoppable Trump circus leads the pack, a fair number of Republicans would rather have a mainline conservative (Jeb Bush), an eager moderate (Kasich), a young, feisty Tea Party candidate (Marco Rubio), a literal interpretor of the Constitution (Ted Cruz), or an Christian-conservative outsider (Ben Carson) lead the way. In all likelihood, the upcoming South Carolina primary will determine who will land the nomination in August, as well as the soul of the GOP. Even if 30% of Republicans would rather have the brash billionaire, that means 70% of the party --and if I have my math right, 85% of the general populace-- would rather vote for anyone but Trump come November.

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Random Notes, September 2015

What's going on?

+ The second GOP presidential debate was not the eye-opening train wreck that the first one was. However, at over three hours in length it was an unprecedented marathon of bloviating, one that even I couldn't sit all the way through. Donald Trump did not apologize for remarks made about Carly Fiorina (remorse is not his thing) but the Hewlett-Packard CEO's steely, silent response was golden. The night was about all-or-nothing agendas; there will be no pragmatism for Planned Parenthood or illegal immigrants, but rather the same swift and close-minded platform that most social conservatives have held dear for decades. In the end, this was an 11-way dogfight and the democratic process lost.

+ Go Royals! I am really, truly hoping that our overworked bullpen has just enough left in the tank to make a second straight World Series appearance. The Bears' season is already over, Blackhawks training camp is being overshadowed by the Patrick Kane sexual assault case, and Bulls training camp is two weeks away, so at least I have something to root for.

+ Family Update: My mother is not undergoing surgery for her aortic aneurysm... yet. Apparently, only a handful of doctors are able to perform this type of surgery, but it is treatable and requires certain lifestyle changes (staying active, eating healthy, etc.). Worst-case scenario is, she would have heart surgery twice in one year, and it could be at the Cleveland Clinic two states over. However, at the moment she's taking the doctors' orders and doing just fine.

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