Trash Talk Returns From The Dead

Hi there Wheelheads! Trash Talk has been on hiatus since April, nearly five months, and that was kind of a one off NFL Draft discussion. But real football is back, fall is….almost….in the air (hey, it’s going to be 107º here today). For those new to the Emptywheel blog, Trash is open season for anything, and all about fun, music and cutting loose, even though it starts off sports based. So, welcome one and all, and welcome back to the longtime folks. Let’s rock and roll!

Okay, Saturday is for the student athletes, better known as NCAA, Inc. We have a bit of a big national game tonight just down the road in Tempe, with the Sparty’s of Michigan State coming to meet the newfangled ASU Sun Devils. The Devils have all new coaching, with former NFL head coach and ESPN analyst Herm Edwards taking over. He has promised a “corporate approach”. No idea what that means, and there is much fear and trepidation where a once proud, but now withered, program is headed. ASU won it’s opener over a woefully outmatched UTSan Antonio team, so that is no indication. The Spartans, expertly coached by Mark Dantonio, however, are a far different thing. It could get ugly for the home boys. The Devils are not without some weapons though. Senior QB Manny willing is a great kid, and a pretty heads up field captain. Receiver N’Keal Harry is one of the best receivers in the country and a potential lottery pick for the NFL later. On an ironic note, Sparty’s starting QB, Brian Lewerke, is a former high school star from right here. We shall see how Herm’s “corporate” style works, but place your money on MSU.

In some other college games of note, the Sooners host UCLA in Norman Oklahoma. The Bruins are already 0-1 and headed to 0-2. Georgia at South Carolina might be pretty good, though the 3rd rated Dawgs look like too much for the Cocks. If there are upset specials, I’d look to Nebraska at Colorado or Penn State at Pitt. Without much question, the best game of the day is #17 USC at #10 Stanford in Palo alto. That is a hell of a matchup for so early in the season. USC is starting a true freshman at QB. JT Daniels looked pretty promising versus UNLV in the Trojan’s opener, but, man The Tree is loaded. Looks like tough sledding for Tommy Trojan tonight.

In the pros, the Iggles edged out the Falcons, barely, in a penalty filled lackluster game Thursday night. A win is a win I guess, and Nick Foles keeps winning. The Niners at Minnesota might be interesting, Jimmy G versus Kirk Cousins. Lot of folks expecting big things from San Fran this year, but the Vikes are stacked. I don’t know why, but the Steelers at Browns interests me. There is a lot of noise around the Browns, but than they play yet?? Stillers are a tough opening game. Tennessee at Miami is a matchup of two teams that either both could be pretty good, or both could be pretty bad. Who wins that one? The Chargers are a real sleeper. Their team really started to come together last year, and they still have Phillip Rivers. Joey boss apparently out though, and he is a big play guy. The Bolts are at home in their cracker box soccer stadium, but still trust Andy Reid and the Chefs more.

Washington and Cardinals here will be interesting. Cards, like the Sun Devils above, are all changed in coaching and roster. How will Sam Braford work with Larry Fitzgerald? Can any of the other really young Cards receivers play? A LOT of unknowns to be fleshed out in that game. The Bears visit a kind of revamped Green Bay, but, uh, the Pack has that Aaron Rodgers guy. Seattle at Denver is interesting in that both teams look to be in turmoil; Mile High always tough though. Houston at New England is pretty clearly the game of the week. Deshaun Watson was ripping the league up last year before getting injured, but now he is back. The Tejans also have added Tyrann “Honeybadger” Matthieu to an already killer defense and have JJ watt back. The Pats, well, they have a couple of old geezers named Brady and Belichick. That has been enough usually. Discuss any and all other games, or anything else, at your leisure.

Crank it up, Trash is back from, and with, The Dead. Hat tip to Rosalind, who loves The Dead!

Okay

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79 replies
  1. Leslie Wilde says:

    Jon Gruden’s first stint as a head coach was with the Oakland Raiders, 1998-2001. His last game as a head coach in Oakland was the infamous “Tuck Rule” game against Bill Belichik, Tom Brady, and the New England Patriots. A few weeks later Gruden was traded by Al Davis in the middle of the night to Tampa Bay for a bevy of draft picks. Ironically, Gruden led the Buccaneers to the Super Bowl the following season and faced none other than his former team the Oakland Raiders. For some reason that year there was not the typical 2 week span between the Championship game and the Super Bowl, so the Raiders did not have time to change their audibles and signals which Gruden himself designed and installed as head coach there. The result was the already vaunted Tampa defense knew the Raider’s schemes, plays and snap count before they was called. The Buccaneers easily defeated the Raiders by a score of 48-21, with QB Rich Gannon (league MVP that season) setting a Super Bowl record for interceptions.

    Gruden continued to coach the Buccaneers with mixed results through the 2008 season where in his last game of another mediocre season his team faced the Oakland Raiders again, this time in Tampa. The Raiders won the game and Gruden was fired the next day. He remained out of coaching until this year when he was hired by the son of the late Al Davis to return to Oakland and coach the Raiders again.

    I live in northern California 12 miles north of a convergence of 3 fires that have shut down the interstate and traumatized our communities into in a perpetual state of impendimg evacuations. The smoke is as thick as San Francisco fog. But on Monday my wife and I will make our way down to Oakland where we scored tickets in the “Black Hole” section of the Oakland end zone and watch Jon “Chucky” Gruden’s return as head coach, and the Raider’s season opener against the Los Angeles Rams. Go Raiders!!

    • bmaz says:

      Outstanding! I have always wanted to visit and experience the Black Hole. I cannot believe how much Davis the younger paid Chucky to return. Frankly, he has always struck me as more hype than Belichickian genius. But the Raiders were in need of a jump start, so who knows, maybe it will work. Kind of a weird off season for the team though, so we shall see.

  2. jonb says:

    Just a reminder from the SUPER BOWL CHAMPIONS…fly eagles fly….winning this week without the best qb in football last year..Philly Philly

  3. Bri2k says:

    “I Need a Miracle” might be a more appropriate Dead tune, especially if you’re a Pitt fan. The kickoff is only a few hours after the Buccos are done losing and if there’s a rain delay the two games might bookend even closer. It’s times like this I’m glad I don’t live on the North Side.

  4. Rapier says:

    As a Bears fan I would like to say that Green Bay has no chance and should just concede, but I can’t.  I do say that that Rodgers guy isn’t so much good as he is just lucky. Whatever, he’s better than Trubisky who is not going to be even good.  On the other hand the Bears do have Tarik ‘Hall of Fame’ Cohen.

  5. jo6pac says:

    Well let the fun begin.
    It will be tough for the 9ers to win but should be a good game.
    The Raiders trade away the Best D player in the league so I’m sure who’s going to win. I guess when Chucky said he would turn the team around in Oakland he had fingers crossed. The future looks bright for them in LV.

    You Brown fans, you now have Great D.

    A fun look back at the late Bill Walsh.
    https://www.theringer.com/nfl/2018/9/6/17822756/gridiron-genius-mike-lombardi-bill-walsh

    Nap time for me and it’s only going to be 94 in the central valley of Calli.

  6. Bob Bancroft says:

    The soon to be Las Vegas Raiders?  I f there was any justice in the pro sports world, the people of Oakland would own the Raiders franchise, a la Green Bay, but instead, the serially extortioner Davis family will go on grifting…

    • Peterr says:

      If there was any justice in the pro sports world . . .

      . . . Colin Kaepernick will become NFL commissioner (dethroning King Roger) with an untouchable 10 year tenure, as part of a negotiated settlement over the collusion case.

      [And whatever you think of Nike or Kaepernick or the NFL, that new Nike ad is amazing. Absolutely stunning.]

      • readerOfTeaLeaves says:

        Totally agree about the Nike ad.

        I was so aghast at video of Kavenaugh’s ineptness that I gave up having the news on (low, in the background) while I was working, went out on errands, and swung into a favorite shop specifically to by some Nike togs.  It’s a sad time when the best way to ‘send a message’ to McConnell, et al, is to buy new yoga pants.   Totally agree about that ad: stunning.

        FWIW, I was not the only buyer taking Nike items out the door.  Nice sense of camaraderie among the shoppers.

  7. jharp says:

    I’m a Big Ten fan but I’ve been rooting for the Mid America Conference a lot lately.

    And of all things Eastern Michigan knocked off my beloved Purdue today.

    Ohio State fan first.

  8. BroD says:

    I’m over football.  Not a principled stand or even deliberate.  I played in HS & college, rooted for the home NFL teams (sequentially plural) but I’m just not interested anymore.

    • Bob Conyers says:

      I hear you. I think a big part of it for me is the broadcasts are bloated, busy and stupid. Expansion has diluted the product. The mechanics of games – everything from the stadium parking to the replay procedures to the rulebook – keep getting worse. And I find the toll on bodies and minds is harder to accept.

      I don’t think football will collapse soon, but it’s declining and I don’t think anything is going to reverse the trend.

      • koolmoe says:

        I agree with this. The only real reason I watch (pro) football anymore is cause my mid-teen son is into it…and having Philly roots, last year’s superbowl was a great family experience :)

        But agreed with all of Bob’s points, with the addition that soccer is really a great sport and, IMO, fun to watch…and as of yet not laden with commercials. I’m thrilled at the progress ‘American Football’ has made and enjoy those games more than I did actual football as a younger.

    • bmaz says:

      More than fair. It is not as easy to be into it as when I was younger, and it is brutal beyond belief. Also still great drama. But fully understand what you are saying.

      So, there would have been Formula One here too, but it is an off week after Monza and ahead of Singapore. Also, there is often a lot of music discussed in Trash. And any other sport (for instance, kind of a stunner today at the US Open where 20 year old Naomi Osaka beat Serena for her first Grand Slam championship, and she did so rather convincingly and admirably). Feel free to chat on any subject at all!

  9. bmaz says:

    Okay, here is some more music stuff. Maybe BroD will be more into this than football:

    Couple of threads ago, we got into a little discussion of Leon Russell off of a Joe Cocker response I gave. This seems like a good place to continue that.

    Leon Russell was incredible (as was Cocker, of course). Dude could play all night and often did. Here is a studio cut of Delta Lady. It is great.

    But for those that never had the pleasure of seeing Leon live, here is the “Leon and Friends” version of Honky Tonk Women. It is simply killer. When Russell came to town, he brought the circus with him. I am not kidding. While this video was kind of a staged live shoot, that was pretty much exactly the case at many of his road shows. Check out the folks in the rocking chairs. It is so hilarious to see after all these years. Wow!

    • Sabrina says:

      I’m glad you mentioned Russell. He is an amazing player and it’s hard to find people who are familiar with his work. A lot of musicians owe a lot to his style of playing and he tends to get overshadowed.
      Also, since I’m (relatively) new here, I didn’t realize there were some Grateful Dead fans here. Just my 2c (and from Canada, that’s like $1.50 American, so worth even less lol), but Phil Lesh is one of the greatest bass players ever. Sure, there are many that are flashier, but like Jack Bruce (White Room, anyone?) and some others of the day that are iconic, when you go back and realize how musical their playing was, it’s just astounding. As a bass and piano player, I’m a pretty huge fan of both the Dead and Leon Russell. Few people realize the influence Leon had on someone like Elton John- go back and listen to Tiny Dancer or Your Song and tell me the influence isn’t striking.
      Great stuff! Thanks for the thread.

    • orionATL says:

      leon russell can play piano at my house all day. whatever the tune, that honkytonk sound he learned to play piano with is always in there somewhere.

      here is a somber piece for our times, but it’s not the lyrics i’m listening to, but russell’s delightful style – from an album “leon russell and the shelter people”.

      https://youtu.be/BxdhzAOzzCE

      albums? your history teacher told you about albums didn’t she, grasshopper?
      well, an album was a big round plastic disc, also called a record. you put it on a machine called a turntable and the music rolled out as the disc rolled round and round.

      i had a collection of these we carried with us from house to house for decades, with the turntable to play them, until just maybe 8-10 years ago. then, alas, we bought one of those ikea media centers, put it together, and found there was no place for the size of the record player and its cover. couldn’t just toss’em and so gave them all to a record shop.

      the album covers then were art, well, psychadelic art – the moody blues (in search of the lost chord), the beatles (sgt pepper’s lonely hearts club band), anything the grateful dead put out…

      i had a rapscallion of a youngest brother who not only showed me the light with this music, but also provided ample of the sweet smelling leaf to enhance the enjoyment. even my very conscientious wife with an infant to look after learned to enjoy the music and the ambience :)

      • bmaz says:

        I still have a wall full of records, think about 700 or so. And a turntable, and play them regularly. Even buy new ones occasionally.

        • orionATL says:

          l knew i shouldn’t have, i knew it. damn ikea.

          that is a serious collection.

          and i read vinyl is coming back (in britain). even the newest onkyo receivers have a dedicated phono intake to deal with that teeny, tiny current (but no love for self-made tapes of which i have several hundred). technology changes too fast and leaves little pockets and vast wastelands behind.

  10. scribe says:

    About f’g time we get the trash taken out. Starting to smell pretty ripe.

    I have many thoughts.

    EW’s Kittehs look to be interesting. I spent some time in the Mitten-land this summer and all the talk (after LeBron took his talents to Hollywood) on the radio was about whether Patricia was being too hard on the Lions in training camp. He also has imported something approximating Cheatin’ Bill’s news conference style, though he has not yet gotten to being “on to Cincinnati”. We shall see.

    LeVeon Bell is a Bad Teammate. When he comes back, the Stillers should inactivate him so he gets no game credits until, say, the last 5 games of the season. Reason being, (as I understand the rule) if he plays 6 games, then he can be a free agent next year. I will have more thoughts on my beloved black and gold later.

    Saquon Barkley looks to approximate the Real Deal, but given the size of his thighs his hamstrings are already suspect. As he showed in the pre-season. We will see how he works with Eli, whether we get Bad Eli sucking a lemon or Good Eli getting wins. I think Odell Beckham Jr may have learned his lesson. Those who pay attention will remember that last year he scored a TD in the Iggles house and promptly started making like dog at a hydrant, only to have the Football Gods allow an injury that sidelined him for no short time.

    As to Cheatin Bill and his Cheating Cheaters of Cheatertown, we’ve seen the pent up forces within the walls of Gillette start to force their way out through the bricks. In construction one should never underestimate the power of water and ice to demolish even the strongest edifice. In football the same rule applies though the irresistible force is that of clashing egos. And TB12’s trainer, reinstalled aboard the team plane and sideline, probably by the order of Ownership overruling Cheatin’ Bill’s edict of last year. Thing is, while TB12 is getting no younger and his skills must inevitably slide, Cheatin’ Bill can still coach. We will see this year the beginning of the end of the Brady Era. Whether we also glimpse the end of the road for Cheatin’ Bill only time will tell.

    Fans of the J-E-T-S JETS JETS JETS have a new reason to expect their souls to be crushed and in the most painful way, as is normal. A new QB. Wait for it.

    Two final thoughts before I check out for the evening: I’m pissed no end because the none of the channels on my basic cable currently carry the Adam West Batman series. This sucks.

    And as the predictable result of King Roger the Clown’s new Tackle Rule replacing the infamous Catch Rule, he’s given Vince MacMahon’s XFL, to launch next spring (I think), their advertising tagline: “XFL – the hard-hitting football you want and love.”

    Count on it.

  11. Peterr says:

    No mention of Urban “I know nothink!” Meyer? I’m disappointed, bmaz.

    Take it away, Diana . . .

    On Wednesday night, Ohio State announced that Meyer will be suspended for the first three games of the football season. At the press conference that followed, viewers got what anyone with a tinfoil hat and internet access could have predicted: a lot of talk about football, even more talk about how all parties involved respect women, the bare minimum in punishment, and almost no mention of Courtney Smith. Her name wasn’t even mentioned by any of the men who took to the podium until one of the questions near the end when ESPN producer Greg Amante asked Meyer what he would say to Courtney Smith. Meyer gave this pithy answer: “Well, I have a message for everyone involved in this. I’m sorry we’re in this situation. And, um … I’m just sorry we’re in this situation.” He couldn’t even be bothered to say her name.

    Suspending Meyer for the three non-conference games (and not even the weekday practices leading up to the games) was truly a work of genius that ensured that this year’s recipient of the Joe Paterno Award is the Board of Trustees of The Ohio State University! Orange jumpsuits sweatervests for everyone!!!

  12. Tracy Lynn says:

    I watched the US Open women’s final … Serena would have lost anyway without the official’s help. Naomi Osaka was on her game and not afraid of Serena’s forehand. But there are other issues this match raised: those of sexism, racism– not unlike our national dialog, come to think of it.

    • OrionATL says:

      naomi osaka is a brrillant talent. she surely will become a reigning #1. given her talent and the age disparity, it’s reasonable to think osaka would have won.

      but that misses jenkins point which is that there seemed a clear element of authoritrianism (actually sexism) in portugese umpire carlos ramos’ series of calls against. williams ramos has also had quarrels with venus williams.

      djokovich, murray, kyrgios.

      whatever the fair resolution, i’ll bet this has political repercussions in tennis umpiring that will change the way women’s umpiring is done.

      as jenkins said, quite rightly, this bit of clumsy authoritarianism clouds both the match and the victor.

  13. Tracy Lynn says:

    Serena was a bit of a diva. Okay. She was a LOT of a diva. I believe she robbed Naomi of her moment as much as the referee did.

  14. Kick the darkness says:

    We’re a soccer family so not much help….Arsenal fans actually so inured to pain and suffering. But…I did go to lots of USC (the original!) home games. After a while it no longer occurs to you as strange when one half of the stadium goes “Go” and the other half goes “Cocks”. And I saw the Dead and Black Flag on the same weekend, for however that gets marked down in the grand scheme of things.

    I am working on my “The day Trump is gone” playlist. The rule is that once a song officially goes on, I can’t play it until the day Trump leaves office. so far I have Borderline/Ry Cooder (it will be the last in the lineup, no matter what), Fat man in a bathtub/Little Feat, Strawman/Lou Reed, Dead Flowers/Stones, Political World/Dylan. There are others but hedging my bets until November. Anybody got a good suggestion from the Dead?

    • Peterr says:

      He’s Gone, of course:

      Rat in a drain ditch, caught on a limb
      You know better but I know him
      Like I told you, what I said
      Steal your face right off your head

      [Chorus 2]
      Now, he’s gone, now he’s gone, Lord, he’s gone
      He’s gone, like a steam locomotive
      Rolling down the track, he’s gone, he’s gone
      And nothin’s going to bring him back, he’s gone . . .

      Genius link for lyrics

      • Kick the darkness says:

        Thanks!  I don’t play the Dead that much, but when I’m in the mood for it usually want to play a few.  So, He’s gone, Ship of Fools as per Dr. Funguy below and then the Wheel cause I always liked it and it kind of fits too.  If the thunder don’t get you then the lightening will.  The play list is taking shape.

        • bmaz says:

          Now THAT is the spirit of Trash Talk! It is not just sports, although that is where it kind of started, long ago and far away. Music has always been part of it. I have a pretty bizarre and eclectic interest in music. Try to hit most of it here and change it up. The discussion on this one has been fantastic. Thank you, because the discussion has been wonderful. Keep bringing it!

      • Kick the darkness says:

        Thanks.  The Petty tune is perfect, and I know I’ve got a great live version of it around somewhere.

    • Trip says:

      Not a dead song, but “dead” in the title:

      (intentionallybrokenlink,butcut&pastetherest)https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PHQLQ1Rc_Js

      Perfectly appropriate after the ‘hunt’.

  15. Bay State Librul says:

    Scribe breaks his silence with his “same all” “same all”  schtick.

    I’ll chime in with my own song and dance.

    The Patriots are in a mid-life crisis with sports psychiatrists scribbling out their meds.

    Warning: The following may cause dizziness, drowsiness, and irritability

    Kraft is a cunning NFL owner operative, Trump supporter, and proud owner of the most hated franchise in the NFL. I’ll never forgive him for trying to move the franchise to Connecticut, and changing the name to New England. I love Vermont, Maine, Mass but could do without New Hampshire and Connecticut. Remember the Boston Red Sox are not the New England Red Sox.

    Belichick is an arrogant mother f–cker and Trump supporter. He treats the reporters with utter disdain. He has no humility.  Yet, he has been the head coach of the Patriots for 18 years. They have amassed a record of 213-75.

    Brady is the best quarterback in the history of the game and will be soon the 2020 Senatorial candidate from Massachusetts or California, after finishing his tour of duty on February 6th, 2020. He is the best postseason QB in NFL history and will reach Mount Rushmore within the decade.

    Despite Scribe’s “cheatin” label, Belichick and Brady are, as Bob Ryan said in 2014 “gifts of gods”.

    Take one tablet this morning and one tablet after the Houston game (on or about 4PM)

    Enjoy the season.

    • Kick the darkness says:

      thanks!  Gotta ask-does “cerevisiae” or “pombe” sound work-related by any chance?  You can tell me to mind my own mash if you want.  The facade of anonymity on the internet is really its only charm.

  16. What Constitution? says:

    Welcome back, TT! And apparently Mike Trout was so excited that there’s a new TT up (and that it has a Grateful Dead back-up, to boot), that he went out and posted a 5-for-5, 2 HR, 5 RBI game yesterday so I could mention him here to remind everyone who the Best Player in Baseball is. I won’t include anything about the Angels’ team woes, but hey. How soon will Trout be gone “like a steam locomotive, rollin’ down the track [to NY]”….?

  17. dakine01 says:

    While still getting no respect, at least the Wildcats killed another streak last night by beating the Gators in The Swamp.

    Too bad that contrasts with the Hilltoppers blowing a 21 – 0 lead and losing at home to FCS Maine 31-28.  My guess is Mike Sanford will soon be feeling heat

  18. J R in WV says:

    Cheatriots suck, dude, and that win loss record wouldn’t look so good without scouting other teams against the rules, would they?

    Two teams I always root for, whoever is playing the Dallas Cowboys, Texas’s Team, and whoever is playing the Cheatriots, Trump’s team.

    Otherwise, have a nice weekend, I’m enjoying ours. Going to meet best friends for dinner, then go to see Buddy Guy at a nice concert hall, one of the best Bluesmen still alive and touring at 80+ and cooking hot!

  19. greengiant says:

    OT because the topic is so buried under the WH Kavanough and NYTimes Op-Ed spam theater. Nativist America is “planning” to withdraw from the Flores agreement so they can make minors unaccompanied at will and stock pile them in federal military bases so state child protective laws won’t be enforced. A lot of the means are the ends, drive the left crazy with 20 different bull shit plans and walk them all back in a circle. Too many times people are dead, tortured, kidnapped, at the end of a Trump day. Anyone with knowledge of attachment disorder victims who are left with no empathy knows exactly what Trump has done by separating families.

  20. Pete says:

    Well, I’m calling Fins and Titans game in Miami the longest elapsed in history. And it ain’t over yet with 6+ hours at early in the 4th. Two, two hour, weather delays due mostly to lightning. And it was recently tied so just say no to OT.

    • Peterr says:

      Aaron Rodgers being carted into the locker room during the first half vs Da Bears make make this Cheeseheads v Bears game *feel* longer to the wearers of yellow triangular haberdasherie, bmaz.

  21. CTuttle says:

    Awesome sauce…!  I’m stoked to see Trash Talk back, bmaz…!

    My Donkos are off to a great start despite Keenum’s three picks, his three TDs and Von’s three sacks made up for it…!

    Meanwhile, the Bows QB, Cole McDonald, is putting up eye-popping numbers, after three games, he’s thrown for 1165 yds, with 78 comps in 111 atts, and, Thirteen TDs with Zero picks…!  ;-)

  22. Bay State Librul says:

    JR in WV

    Whattabout Brady?

    If you like the Cowboys, did you listen to Tony Romo as color man with Nantz.

    He was “full of praise and adulation” for Tommy, but he might yammer too much.

  23. Trip says:

    General trash:
    Katie Tur and (I don’t know his first name, don’t care) Schlapp yelling over each other (while Katie Tur fact-checks Trump lies). Why does MSNBC still have these disingenuous/dishonest flacks on?
    It’s a waste of time.

    German Dictionary:
    schlapp
          adj  
    inf   (=erschöpft, kraftlos)   worn-out, shattered   (Brit)   inf     
    (=energielos)   listless, floppy inf     ,   (nach Krankheit etc)    run-down
    (=feige)   [Haltung, Mensch]   lily-livered inf  , yellow inf     
    (=gering, unbedeutend)   measly inf     

  24. Trip says:

    Hey MSNBC: Just because Trump didn’t fuck up using a teleprompter during a speech, it doesn’t make him suddenly presidential.

  25. Trip says:

    Now I’m beginning to understand bmaz’s disdain for C Todd. He never pushes back on the conservatives, it’s all, “Yeah, you’re right”. WTF is this?

    Topic: healthcare. It’s going up in cost, the flack argues it’s ALL the ACA’s fault, but it is also taking that track through a huge GOP assist to kill parts of the ACA, based on the things they did to disassemble it. Some dems are pushing for universal healthcare. Medicare for all will cost too much, and will raise taxes, the GOP flack says. Are you fucking kidding me? No push back on the deficit created by the billionaire tax give-away, Chuck? No worries about deficits there…None. Military spending?

    Is Chuck in this position as benefit of nepotism or something? I do not get it. Is he dumb ? A Koch plant? He accepts all of the GOP flack arguments at face value, as a given, a consensus of thought, it seems.

    • bmaz says:

      Todd WILL, however, push back every time on the rare liberal that makes it on MTP. The difference in treatment is stunning. He is a complete hack. And, no, he is not particularly bright either.

  26. Bill says:

    I’ll drop this in, because why not. I do music, sometimes on the radio, sometimes with a guitar and a mic. I’m generally into the more interesting stuff, prog, jazz, but I like good pop. Honestly, I like anything that’s done well. I’d watch needlepoint if it were being done at an olympic or pro level. There’s a band from Canuckistan that ought to be the biggest rock band in the world, and for some reason, they’re not. They’re called Big Wreck, and they’ve been around for ages, just utterly unheard of in the US. I saw them in New York last year and it was mind-blowing. The frontman is a stellar vocalist, and a world-class guitar player. I just don’t understand how more people haven’t heard of these guys. The songs are sometimes very very heavy, but the choruses can ascend to heights that you wouldn’t expect, full of sparkly guitar and mandolin parts, and the guitar solos are worth a listen. I found them through a youtube video called something like “the captain meets Ian Thornley of Big Wreck”. Halfway through, my jaw is hanging open watching this guy play guitar. I’d recommend the songs ‘Ghosts’ and ‘I Digress’. ‘Blown Wide Open’ is an anthen from their earlier days which is very worthwhile. Enjoy.

  27. Trip says:

    Dubya as your lovable, affable, retired, harmless, painter-hobbyist grandfather has been the ultimate remaking of his persona, crafted by the MSM. His harsh words for Trump made him an unlikely resistance hero. His longing of days of McCain versus Trump, civility yadda-yadda, at the funeral, and his ethics guy pouring pithy puns to the press on the daily is the consummate rebranding of a shitty, defective and dangerous product.

    So where are we? Back to torture and Warhawks, Kavanaugh, Bolton and the Bush neocons. Now, in spite of how repugnant Bush claims Trump is, he is raising campaign funds for Republicans.

    Someone should ask Nicole Wallace and her expatriate Republican guests about this when they wax nostalgic for the Bush administration, and complain how keeping silent and voting yes for all of Trump’s policies just strengthens his rule.

    Raising money for Republicans who will not speak out against the president is, in fact, supporting Trump. You can’t have it both ways.

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