Thursday, January 21, 2010

Paul Revere Lives!


In the bloodsport of modern American politics - Elephants vs. Donkeys - the special election of Scott Brown to Ted Kennedy's Senate seat in Massachusetts is the greatest upset ever.

Evah, you chowds!

Now I know about the infamous "Dewey Beats Truman" headlines. But that was due in large part, to ancient polling practices of the time.

This was a shocker on about 20 different levels.

For starters, let's be honest. IT WAS Ted Kennedy's seat. Brown was shrewd to point out that it was technically not, but that's like saying UNC getting a sub-regional #1 seed in Greensboro is technically not a "homecourt" advantage.

This was like Coastal Carolina rolling into Cameron Indoor and bitch-slapping Duke with a mother of a 30 point second half rally.

But unlike an early season non-conference game, pretend that Coastal somehow kept Duke out of the tournament with the win.

Now, we're getting closer to a better sports reference for an upset like this.

For the record, I don't look at politics like it is merely sport for fat and ugly people. It affects the food people can put on their table. It affects quality of life. It affects the future of our country.

It ain't no joke.

So when a miracle happens like this, to prevent what you think would have been a generational mistake of massive proportions, well then you run around the house in your socks and pump your fists until your elbow nearly dislocates.

Well, at least I did.

Ted Kennedy's fucking seat. Wow. Suck on THAT, Olbermann!

God Bless America, a country where a guy can do what Brown did: accept an assigment that is "mission impossible" - and then pull off THE IMPOSSIBLE!

The guy got in his truck, hit the road, and started shaking hands.

And he just kept plugging away.

Awesome.

Powerlineblog.com has this post, referencing some similarly miraculous campaign upsets and last minute rallies in recent memory. I still think this one trumps them all.

When it comes to sports upsets, I have this as my short list in order:

1. USA over Soviet Union - Lake Placid 1980
2. Texas Western over Kentucky - 1966
3. Francis Ouimet over Harry Vardon and Ted Ray - 1913
4. Joe Namath and the Jets over the Colts - Super Bowl III

You can of course, throw in Buster Douglass over Mike Tyson, Villanova over Georgetown, and Rulon Gardener over Alexander Karelin in the Olympics.

However those upsets all involved a certain element of "lucky punch" to them. The Top-4 all had impact and shockwaves beyond the actual upset itself.

The Miracle on Ice was a prelude to the fall of communism, Texas Western broke down racial barriers in college basketball, Ouimet began the American ascendancy in the game of golf, and Namath's Jets struck a mighty blow for the upstart AFL.

The shockwaves for Brown's Massachusetts Miracle are just being felt now. Ka-boom! Is there a truly "safe" Democrat anywhere in this 2010 cycle?

With the one year anniversary of Obama's inauguration, there are some pundits with some serious buyers remorse.

Notably, Mort Zuckerman who crushes year one of the Age of Obama thusly:

In the campaign, he said he would change politics as usual. He did change them. It's now worse than it was. I've now seen the kind of buying off of politicians that I've never seen before. It's politically corrupt and it's starting at the top. It's revolting.


Ouch.

Meanwhile, the Oracle of Omaha, Warren Buffett, is starting to re-think things, although not as drastically. He properly laments the idiotic notion of a special punitive tax on big banks that have paid the US treasury back - in full, with interest!

“If you’re really looking for the people who benefit from the government losses you’d have to look at Fannie or Freddie. Are you going to tax the member of Congress who ran Freddie and Frannie,” he said. “….I just think a tax that’s enacted with the idea that the headlines will be appealing and that a certain amount of vengeance will be achieved. I don’t think that’s the greatest form of tax policy.”



Yeah. Exactly, Warren. Welcome to the party. Where have you been?

I thought I never would see anything as jaw-dropping, holy-shit, did-that-really-just-happen amazing politically in my life as a virtual "tie" in a presidential election (Gore-Bush, 2000).

I was wrong.

Thanks Senator Brown. You are a hero to millions. Drive that truck right up the steps of the Capitol, throw it in park, and flip the keys to Harry Reid and say: "Park it, bitch."

Pretty soon, Nevada voters willing, he'll be doing that at Ceasars for a living.

22 comments:

  1. I have nothing to add on your political rants czabe (i know you love your politics)...but i did love the first team express today. Reminds me of the classic segment from back in the day "Ask Galdi."

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  2. How about Chaminade over Ralph Sampson and Virginia?
    Love the line, "suck on that Olberman!" LMAO!

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  3. I was glad Obama won. Bush was a disaster and we needed something new. I'm no longer glad Obama won. The biggest problem with Obama is he's too much like Bush. Ignore the obvious problems and focus on a sideshow. With Bush it was Iraq. With O it's health care reform. All the while our country is accelerating into a depression.

    Freddie and Fannie are a disaster, but FHA is going to be worse. Our country had a major problem with loaning money to people who can't afford to pay back the loan, and now, thanks to FHA and Barney Frank it's government policy to do this. The Dems believe that it's a good idea to do anything to prop up the stock market and housing prices. Getting people to overpay for things is good for the economy. Problem is, once the government stops pumping, things quickly deflate and the more they pump, the harder it is to inflate and the more likely things will pop.

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  4. Word, Czabe, word. Brown winning was like a nuclear bomb. Every Democratic seat is now in play. Barney Frank's district voted for Brown! Notice how quickly he has changed his tone on health care.

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  5. Now all of the nation's problems are solved. Halleluiah! One man, the new chosen one has been elected! Run him for prez next election! (Everyone keeps saying how much of a blue state Mass has been, but what about their previous 4 Republican governors?)

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  6. carpied-

    Thanks for the latest lefty spin. If you think this is insignificant you're kidding yourself. This is a direct message to your god in the White House from the American people. Four Republican governors or not, 90% of the elected officials in the state are Democrats. A Republican hasn't held the seat Brown just won for over half a century. If that seat isn't safe, there isn't a seat anywhere that is safe for a Democrat.

    Obamacare was barely skating by as it was. Do you really think any of the Dems on the chopping block are going to put their neck on the line for that now? Universal health care is dead, just like it was in 1994. The American people overwhelmingly don't want it. Someday you lefties will figure that out. This changes everything, and if you think otherwise, you're kidding yourself.

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  7. Czabe

    Favorite spin: the White House saying Brown won as a reaction to hating Bush.

    Denial, thy name is the Glowbama

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  8. One of the physicians I work with here in Wisconsin saw how Brown was gaining momentum and promptly sent him $100 towards his campaign. We are thinking of getting some "Thank You MA" bumperstickers. Ol'Barry was kinda right with his take on all of this when he said the same wave of unhappy voters got Brown elected. Too bad he doesn't understand that it was Bush's liberal policies...spending, Medicare D, etc...that people are mad about. What does Barry do? Spends more. Expands govt. more. Throws away Bush's shovel used to dig the hole and picks up a backhoe. Unless he does like Clinton and moves toward the center, he will be a one and done president.

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  9. carpied:

    From little known state rep to senator.

    Where have I heard that one in ... drawn ... out ... proclamations ... with ... chin ... slightly ... tilted ... upward ...

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  10. Massachusetts has state health care, they don't want to pay for anyone else. Vote for Brown = "We got ours, go screw yourself America."

    It's that simple. If David Ortiz wants steroids the state will pay for it, but if Andy Pettite wants steroids, it's coming out of his own pocket. Damn this crazy world.

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  11. What delicious IRONY!

    The Prez loses his Senate super majority by losing the fabled "Kennedy Seat".

    Think a change of underwear was required when the results came ?

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  12. Good luck Team Elephant.
    Your platform is still just Torture and Tax cuts.
    Running for office on the single issue of "I'll vote no" is not leadership, it's cowardice.
    God help us.

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  13. Jack Holliday
    I don't see anything wrong with what you posted if the people of a state want health care then they should vote for it, why should the federal government decide this.

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  14. This political bickering is humorous. PIMCO's Bill Gross gives you the best sports analogy possible:

    "So you watch Fox, or is it MSNBC? O’Reilly or Olbermann? It doesn’t matter. You’re just being conned into rooting for a team that basically runs the same plays called by lookalike coaches on different sidelines."

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  15. What the abomination that is the 'Obama-nation' will never understand are these very simple-yet profound-principles: This country was founded on the principles of fear in God, LIMITED government, personal liberty and the acceptance of consequences that follow the choices made by the individual, private property ownership, and leadership provided by the common man in the absence of an aristocratic class.

    The ONLY major changes needed to the Constitution of our country have already happened; and may I remind all lefties out there that three of the most significant changes-the rights of women to vote, slavery, and civil rights-were all trumpeted by Republicans (or conservatives) and opposed by Democrats (or libs)!

    Bottom line-we are a God-fearing, Judeo-Christian country, and always will be! If you like Obama's policies, move to Europe; except-they are trying to get away from socialism because it is destroying them! Nevermind!

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  16. Voting no is cowardice? What else can they do in the current political climate? Reid and Pelosi won't let them have a say and pretty much told team elephant to shut their mouths. So much for bipartisanship. And if you completely disagree with something, voting no is the right thing to do. Voting yes to something you disagree with would be cowardice.

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  17. Jack...

    States Rights are great unless your state is a dumpster fire.

    Right now I am really wishing I would have had the money to buy the silver dome and secede the US. DOME NATION DOMINATION.

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  18. It was a great day for the USA...The line of the night money shot:
    "Our tax dollars should go to weapons to defeat terrorists, not lawyers to defend them!."

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  19. /honking car horn

    USA! USA! USA!

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  20. This has to be "just a start". Like the one about a thousand lawyers at the bottom of the ocean. Stay diligent America and if your rep. is like my rep; Ed Markey, vote them out. Did you see that tool during the election when 60% had been counted and Brown was up 100,000 votes? He blindly still thought Martha was going to win. They now want to give illegal aliens amnesty!!!! BS. Somewhere between Brown and the libertarian platform is where we need to get to as fast as possible.

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  21. Yes, vote now to return to the Bush years....wow, remember how great they were...limited government, excellent fiscal management, honest government, intelligent and well-articulated Presidential presence....don't you just miss the good ol' days.

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