March 9, 2016

Ted Cruz won Idaho

March 9, 2016

Watch Ohio next week

Polls have Sanders down 30, but the polls showed a similar deficit in Michigan. Following what was seen as a terrible debate, and 16 anti-Sanders articles in the WaPo, he won MI.

I'm in Florida, and I don't think he'll win here. So much of the vote is already in (I cast my ballot last week). But he could pull off another improbable upset in OH.

February 15, 2016

Will Bernie come to Florida?

Our primary is March 15, a few weeks after the so-called "SEC primaries".

I've been hoping Bernie Sanders would come to campaign in Florida. I was able to see Barack Obama three times when he campaigned in Florida.

The public polling done last year has Clinton way ahead, and it's traditionally not been a good state for liberal Democratic candidates. I do hope he decides to make a campaign appearance. Even though FL isn't seen as competitive, there are literally hundreds of events set up by Sanders' supporters to do outreach to Floridians and beyond.

September 7, 2015

Had Clinton not run, who would have been on the DNC bench?

This is more hypothetical, since it's been known for years that Hillary Clinton would be seeking the party's nomination in 2016. But it does bear asking, had she not been seen as so inevitable, or had the backing of most of the party's machine, who would have emerged as potential candidates?

1) Sanders -- He was likely in no matter what. His message is unique, and Elizabeth Warren would be the only other candidate to rival his message.

2) Cuomo -- From New York, but hated by liberals in New York. Would have received a well-justified Lieberman treatment.

3) Gillibrand -- Also from New York, a female, and ambitious enough to run for president.

4) Warren -- Maybe she runs if not for Clinton's perceived strength.

I support Sanders and his message, but something troubles me about the lack of youth in upper-levels of the Democratic Party. For a Party so popular with younger voters, it seems like O'Malley is the only fresh voice in the party. I like Castro of Texas, but was turned off with his characterization of Sanders as anti-Hispanic.

November 10, 2014

Is Anti-Union Propaganda Widespread in Hiring Orientations?

For the first time in seven years I started a new job today at a major retail outlet (not Wal-Mart or Target). Everything was going well for the first few hours of orientation. I know a lot of jobs are P/T today, and I'm just trying to get some income while I study for a more stable career. The company seemed friendly and I was optimistic about my time there, even if it would only be for a few months.

But at the very end of a lengthy orientation, the Store Manager played an anti-union DVD, which was essentially propaganda. They talked about an "open door policy" to handle disputes, only to learn later that Target uses that exact same language in their anti-union propaganda presentations. They conjured up images of union leaders harassing employees in the parking lot, saying we were prime targets to help their struggling union membership. Most notably, they were adamant that union officials would try and trick employees to sign a document that would be deleterious to your relationship with the company.

Of course, they made it as wholesome as possible, having the spokespeople be a black woman, Asian woman, and older woman who all felt disillusioned by past union experiences. The theme of the video was that unions were trying to destroy the relationship between employee and employer.

I took such umbrage that I am seriously considering whether or not I can ethically work for this company.

First, they talk about the power of your signature. Each propagandist talked about how valuable their signature was and how they weren't going to give it away for free. However, upon orientation new hires are given multiple forms to sign, including an arbitration agreement that is hard to make sense of, especially by a fellow new hire who wasn't proficient in English.

Secondly, I never even thought of joining/starting a union. It's a P/T job and I don't plan to be there long term. Also, are unions really that interested in my dues for a job that would pay $16,000 for the equivalent of a F/T year. I've worked in retail for years and never been approached to join unions.

Third, in what should be a sign that unions are needed, they never discussed a starting salary and gave me the same minimum wage with seven years of experience as a student just out of high school.

Having not had more than a job or two in my life, I'm just wondering if this is the sort of thing that is commonplace in the year 2014. I've always known retail outlets were anti-union, but I was dismayed that they put out company sanctioned propaganda that basically portrayed unions as organizations out to steal your money but give no benefits in return.

September 9, 2014

Why is Floyd Mayweather lauded while Ray Rice is banished?

Roger Goodell was rightfully pilloried for his meek suspension of Ray Rice, and he would be playing in 2 games were it not for the TMZ tape.

However, professional boxer Floyd Mayweather is fighting this weekend on Showtime PPV (owned by parent company CBS) and is guaranteed at least $32 from CBS.

http://deadspin.com/the-trouble-with-floyd-mayweather-1605217498

Mr. Mayweather spent nearly three months in jail for domestic assault in 2013, and was given glowing media coverage upon his release. Mayweather is against charged this week, in a civil lawsuit filed by his former partner Ms. Jackson, of similar atrocities.

CBS, a supposedly reputable media outlet, has made Mayweather an executive producer on its promotional series "All-Access" that airs in four installments on Showtime.

I cannot believe that a habitual offender like Mayweather was essentially guaranteed $200 million from CBS over 30 months just months after his guilty plea for domestic abuse.

He can't claim the Nevada courts were biased against him, as they delayed his jail sentence in order to preserve his May 2012 bout against Miguel Cotto.

Many think that the Ravens appearance on CBS's new "Thursday Night Football" was the catalyst for the quick reaction to Ray Rice tape. Not wanting that issue to overshadow their new prize showcase, the league did eventually make the proper decision to ban Rice indefinitely.

Ironically, Mayweather's publicist Kelly Swanson caused an uproar on Twitter today, criticizing the NFL's reaction to the Ray Rice saga while defending her clients history of misdeeds.

August 10, 2014

WARNING GRAPHIC VIDEO: Tony Stewart MAY have murdered someone!

http://espn.go.com/racing/nascar/cup/story/_/id/11333895/tony-stewart-hits-foot-competitor-sprint-car-race-new-york-state

CANANDAIGUA, N.Y. -- Authorities are investigating a serious crash at New York dirt track where a witness says Tony Stewart struck another driver on the eve of a NASCAR race.

The fan says it appeared Stewart hit a driver who was walking on the track after they collided on a prior lap. Michael Messerly says the driver was thrown a great distance. He says Stewart did not appear to be injured.

Unconfirmed reports indicate a 20-year old driver may have expired during the proceedings. News conference should be coming soon.

We'll wait on more concrete details, but this doesn't look good for NASCAR or driver Tony Stewart. I've said the same thing about baseball as I do NASCAR. When dealing with deadly weapons, combatants shouldn't be so cavalier in these types of confrontations. I'm not sure why NASCAR drivers seem to get so physical when dealing with conflict, and in this case Stewart may have even intentionally murdered a rival. (Edited to remove incendiary comment)

&feature=youtu.be

August 8, 2014

ESPN is DEAD to me!!!

http://ftw.usatoday.com/2014/08/dan-le-batard-suspended-espn-lebron-james-billboard

ESPN television and radio host Dan Le Batard was suspended for two days after he paid for billboards in Cleveland that mockingly read “You’re Welcome LeBron; Love, Miami” and displayed the two title rings he won with the Heat. The billboards were a sly reference to James’ famed letter to Cleveland, which seemed to thank everybody except for Miami fans and their four years of support. The top line was written in Comic Sans, of course.

Basically ESPN has a guy in Skip Bayless who spent 4 years trolling Miami and LeBron James and he gets his own TV show. Stephen A. Smith defends domestic violence and after much deliberation only gets a 1 week suspension.

Look, ESPN has the right to censor LeBatard's material. Nothing wrong with that. LeBatard made a decision to join the Evil Empire, so he pretty much has to take whatever they throw at him.

I can't believe how awful Cleveland fans have become. I listened to some of their news coverage, and some idiot said "If you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything". Self-awareness certainly doesn't appear to be a great strength of their city.

I think it's hilarious. Whether or not James owes Miami a thank you, I could care less. Both sides made out well. People in South Florida have better things to do than attend parties hating on James. You won't see us urinating into toilets with James' face on it. You saw what happened when James left Cleveland. Their franchise was atrocious and got lucky by "winning" the lottery three times. Miami, while not a top contender, won't be relegated to the cellar as Cleveland was in their 4 post-James years.

I'd like to say I'd never watch ESPN again, but unfortunately they have such a monopoly on sports that it would be nearly impossible for any sports fan to take on. Really, the only reason to watch ESPN's original programming is LeBatard and Keith Olbermann.

I'm sure this actually played out well for LeBatard and his show. ESPN will be seen as the side who silences voices and defends domestic violence and sexually harrasses their employees. LeBatard takes a few days off and gets the publicity he wants.

July 17, 2014

The Trouble With Floyd Mayweather

http://deadspin.com/the-trouble-with-floyd-mayweather-1605217498

Floyd Mayweather is a misogynist. And not just a misogynist, but a batterer, and a serial batterer at that. This is a statement of fact that you will rarely see or hear from the professional boxing media, many of whom remain hopelessly dependent on the reigning box office king's goodwill for access. It's certainly not one you will hear from any of the assembled talking heads on Showtime, the CBS-owned cable network to which Mayweather is contractually wed. And while it may be easy enough to guess why the boxing media has been so willing to cover for Mayweather's sins, it's less obvious why so many others are so willing to look the other way.