Q-and-A

 1.  What happens to Nikki Haley as she exits the race?

Well...she waits until summer...hoping Trump picks her up as VP (he won't), then she waits to November...figuring she'll get a cabinet post (she won't).  

My guess is...in mid-summer of 2025....she's hired by a SC university board to be a Chancellor/President of the college.  She'll write a book or two, and then in the spring of 2026....as Graham retires....she seeks his Senate seat and will attempt to sell herself as Republican.  

2.  What did the Supreme Court really say on Texas, razor-wire, and the federal gov't?

The ONLY thing they said....the feds can come in and remove the razor-wire.  They didn't say that Texas is banned from putting up razor-wire.

3.  Did NY City really say that social media is hurting society?

Yeah.....but as they put this 'idea' out....it went to social media.  Not sure if it matters or not.

4.  Is Joe Biden a unifier?

Oddly, yes....he's got more than 25 states unified to support Texas.

5.  Have I developed a Romney-mute-twitch with my finger?

Yes, I've noticed that my mute finger goes to turbo anytime Mitt Romney comes on for a comment or interview.  It's like a three-quarters of a second reaction.

6.  All this Civil War chatter going on....doesn't it seem odd....the good guys in 1860 were the Republicans, and the bad guys were the Democrats.  Today....2024....it seems the roles are reversed.

Yeah, plus you could say that Joe Biden is Lincoln in some way.  

But in this scenario....who are the 'slaves' for 2024?  Migrants or US citizens themselves?

Layoff Chatter

 Over the past six months, I'd say that I've noticed at least twenty-odd newspapers, news magazines, and networks....on a layoff  'binge'.

The chief problem?  It's such an industry that is seen as toxic....that there is NO real recovery process possible.

Adding to the burden....once you get the layoff notice....then what?  No one is hiring.  Even if you are employed....the odds are that you are looking at a 10-year period of stalled pay-raises.

Continuing trend?  Well....if you have a newspaper or network with marginal public respect....the odds are that the layoff pattern will just continue on.

If you were in your second year of college and preparing for a journalism degree?  You might want to ask for some advice, and dump this field of study.  

How we got to this point?  I would suggest since the 1990s....the management of most news units have been compromised and turned mostly into propaganda units.  Even if you sat down with reporters from SF or LA....explaining that they need to ask demanding questions of city council folks or state authorities....most of the journalists would suggest that this is unfair journalism.  

Interesting trend....like the way that blacksmiths went....as cars evolved.  

How Does Joe Biden Say He's Exiting?

 Over the past week or two....I've pondered over this scenario developing where Joe arrives at the Democratic Convention (19 August), and declare either on day 1 or day 2.....he's out...allowing for Michelle Obama (likely to be slated for the big evening speech on day 1) to catapult herself into the fill-the-gap position?

You see....if he says bad health....well, then you'd have to ask....why are you still at the White House?  Shouldn't you be allowing VP Harris to take charge?

Could he say he's got a bad heart?  No....VP Harris would have to take charge.

Could he say he's been weak for the past 6 months?  No...VP Harris would have to take charge.

Would he admit he's got lousy numbers and can't win?  That's not Joe Biden's style.

I am at a loss on how....day 2 of the convention....how he walks in and says 'I'm out'.

The only thing you can count on....Michelle Obama is giving a major prime-time speech on day one (ever before a schedule even comes out), and it'll be crafted by some former speech-writer for President Obama.

Selling People On Michelle Obama As Presidential?

 For the past week or two....I've tried to contemplate the Presidential election of Trump versus Michelle Obama.  I've come to four observations.

1.  It's an enormous amount of burden shifted to the news media....more than 2016's effort with Hillary Clinton....more than 2020's effort with Joe Biden, and even more than what was generated in 2008's election with Barak Obama.

CNN running 12 hours a day of hype for Michelle Obama?  It's hard to imagine that you'd find enough commercial backers to make this hype possible.

2.  This ending up with RFK Jr getting one out of every three Democratic votes?  I'd go out and say in several states (NY for example)....it might be possible to get 50-percent of the Democratic votes.

I don't think RFK Jr will run in all fifty states....but if he just runs in half of them....it'll dissolve any chance of Michelle Obama of winning.

3.  On debating between the three?  No....I don't think Michelle Obama will agree to a single debate.  Trump and RFK Jr probably will debate, and that will shift votes around.

4.  I've seen the Oprah-like friendly interviews that Michelle Obama has done and she handled those in a positive way.  Going to the level of blunt talk that either Joe Biden or Barak Obama have given?  I've yet to see a single occasion of that type of talk.

It's like bringing up one of Hillary Clinton's top three problems....talking tough while speaking.  She could not really deliver at the level required.

All of this effort now to open a 'path' for Joe Biden to exit,  and this is the great replacement?  I don't really buy into it.

Things That Popped Into My Head

I sat there today, and five thing popped into my head....wondering:

1.  Has anyone talked much over the Epstein client list?

2.  What happened to Joe Biden's Senate classified papers?

3.  Did they ever discover the owner of the cocaine found in the White House?

4.  Was there a second gay sex tape from the Senate Hearing room?

5.  What ever happened to that hammer-dude connected to Paul Pelosi?

Always seems like great movie scripts....lingering.

Five Observations

 1.  Did Family Guy, and South Park (adult cartoons) actually deliver Trump to the American public?

I've been a viewer of South Park for a dozen years....having watched about 250 of the 320-odd episodes.   And for Family Guy....I've probably watched around 100 episodes. 

I think both geared people up to be overly skeptical of politics, entertainment, sports, and reality.  So accepting Trump....wasn't much of a distance to cross.

2.  Just a humble feeling.....the number of true intellectuals in America....while they may have doubled, the truth is that half of them are marginalized and unable 'prove' their status.  Fake intellectuals?  Yes, by the tens of thousands.

3.  I suspect if you applied a IQ test to all House/Senate members....most of them would score in the 85-percent range....meaning less-than-average IQ.

4.  When someone says they want to 'rebuild-trust'....they typically mean their old theme/message of BS isn't working presently, and they need to invent a new brand/message to indoctrinate you.

5.  Just odd....seems like Pakistan and Iran....might be at war.  

Sports Illustrated: Finished?

 Around age 13....on the farm....I subscribed to Sports Illustrated (my first magazine). It was mostly for basketball and baseball 'stories'.  There were probably three or four periods throughout my Air Force period....that I subscribed.  But along the late 1990s...I got skeptical of the writing and the 'slant' of the stories.

To be honest....other than one that I picked up at some airport around 2006....I haven't read it in years.

Last night....I read that the 'boss' of Sports Illustrated sent out a notice to the remaining writers....they were finished.

The deal?  The ownership of the company was not the production company.  They'd made some decision in the past decade....to contract out production to a 2nd company.  This second company?  They cut their 'license' to produce.

This producer did two things that sent a signal.....back in late 2023...they ran some articles  produced by AI....pretending they were really human-produced articles.  Second, they ran a Trans swimsuit edition.  It got a fair amount of negativity.

What the old ownership company said?  They were going to evolve and find some way of returning.  Personally, with a evolving public....I doubt that they can generate enough to run such a company.