… then you need to vote, my fellow Americans. Because Donald Trump will make football great again.
After talking about Iraq, he segued onto the topic of the NFL, with playoff games on his mind.
“It’s a Sunday, who the hell wants to watch these crummy games? I just want to watch the end. By the way — okay, let me go there for a second. Let me end that story. So we gave them Iraq, we’re stupid. We’re stupid. I’ll change things. Believe me, I’ll change things. And again, we’re going to be so respected. I don’t want to use the word ‘feared.’ What I just said about a game — so I’m watching a game yesterday. What used to be considered a great tackle, a violent head-on [tackle], a violent — if that was done by Dick Butkus, they’d say he’s the greatest player. If that were done by Lawrence Taylor — it was done by Lawrence Taylor and Dick Butkus and Ray Nitschke, right? Ray Nitschke — you used to see these tackles and it was incredible to watch, right?
“Now they tackle. ‘Oh, head-on-head collision, 15 yards.’ The whole game is all screwed up. You say, ‘Wow, what a tackle.’ Bing. Flag. Football has become soft. Football has become soft. Now, I’ll be criticized for that. They’ll say, ‘Oh, isn’t that terrible.’ But football has become soft like our country has become soft. [Applause] It’s true. It’s true. The outcome of games has been changed by what used to be phenomenal, phenomenal stuff. Now these are rough guys, these are rough guys. These guys — what they’re doing is incredible, but I looked at it and I watched yesterday in particular. So many flags, right? So many flags. And I could imagine a guy like Lawrence Taylor and Dick Butkus, who was really rough, and some of these guys sitting there watching. ‘Wow, what a beautiful tackle.’ ‘Fifteen yards! That’s — the game is over.’ You can’t kick a field goal any more.”
When personal fouls are outlawed, only outlaws will have concussions. Or something.
Get The Picture 
I feel like I agree with about 50% of what Trump says. The problem is that the other 50% is bat-shit insanity.
LikeLike
You’re half right. About 100% of what he says is bat shit insanity.
LikeLike
Look, the guys a maniac, but he’s a populist maniac. You should agree with at least half of what he says, because it’s dirt simple obvious stuff that every politician says.
LikeLike
I think his attraction is actually the opposite. He says a lot of stuff that no politician would dare say. And 50% of it sounds pretty reasonable… until someone asks him for details like “how do you plan to accomplish that”? But the other 50% is batshit crazy.
LikeLike
I think Trump played football without a helmet. At least that would explain a lot of the things he says.
LikeLike
LOL.
LikeLike
deadly mix of topics here.
LikeLike
Oh, I didn’t even want to click it…but I had to see what was going to happen.
LikeLike
Ain’t none of it insanity!
The problem with football today is the instant replay. Get rid of it and make the officials responsible for their calls. Finance a school for officials with rigorous standards and go from thiere.
LikeLike
He says things that make me scratch my head at times but on some level I also agree with him. I guess he could put some things more eloquently but given that we have a silver-tongued eloquent devil in the white house now, maybe a straight-shooter is exactly the type of person this country needs.
LikeLike
Yes, because everyone knows that insisting Mexico pay for a wall we’ll build between the two countries is the essence of straight-shooting.
The guy’s shrewdly tapped into the Republican id. That doesn’t make him any more honest than Fox News.
LikeLike
Fox News is not honest??? What will I tell my grandparents?!?
LikeLike
It is republican”id” to think that a country should actually have a border and keep it’s people secure? So should I infer that the Democrats think open borders and allowing ill-educated immigrants to enter on their terms is a good policy. I guess that is why the Democrats no longer have a super majority in the Senate and a majority in the House. That open mindedness is simultaneously stupid and dangerous and that is why Trump is polling ahead of all potential Democratic candidates. Stopping an invading Army isn’t republican or democrat it is a logic that the vast majority of Americans understand. How do we get Mexico to pay for the wall…withhold the the half a billion a year we give to Mexico as foreign aid and apply it to the fence. The democrats assume that Trump’s appeal is drawn only from the far right at their own peril because it is clearly and demonstrability not true. Besides at this point ,what difference does it make? Vote for Hillary save the world.
LikeLike
^this
LikeLike
That you jdrip?
LikeLike
The “id” is that you’d have the exact opposite opinion if the Irish were coming. Or is persecuted Christians from the Middle East were coming. Or if Cubans fleeing Castro were coming.
You’re very welcoming unless it buts into your prejudices and/or racist attitudes and/or hurts your electoral chances.
You are the same small minded idiots that fought against rolling back Jim Crow and women’s rights and rights for same sex couples. You act like your courageous but the truth is that you are fearful of every fucking inch of progress that this country ever made.
This is who you are:
This is what people like you do:
http://www.ushmm.org/wlc/en/article.php?ModuleId=10005267
LikeLike
Dreck, did they drop you on your head or something when you were born? You’ve got a lot of hate issues there.
LikeLike
I do hate small-minded morons with a great deal of passion. People who would consider voting for a guy who is unabashedly running for dictator are among them. People who support defaulting on the national debt are among them. People who thought toppling Saddam would just be an awesome thing to do are are among them. They are morons. They are dangerous and there are serious consequences for their miscalculations for a lot of innocent people. They are why we can’t have nice things and I resent them a whole helluva lot.
LikeLike
“I do hate small-minded morons,” he said, too small-minded to recognize the irony.
LikeLike
+1
LikeLike
Guess what? Those people marching in your video happen to be affiliated with a party whose name doesn’t start with an R.
LikeLike
I am well aware. They switched after 1964. You know why.
LikeLike
I’m a libertarian who leans conservative. That group doesn’t represent me or my values in the least. They are a bunch of racist cowards.
LikeLike
I don’t have any problem with people who are thoughtful conservatives and libertarians. I think they both have valuable things to say. What I don’t like is using people’s ignorance to advance their own agenda, like Trump.
LikeLike
Derek, do you think asking foreigners to get permission to cross our borders is a racist activity, or an activity typical of most governments, including governments in Africa and South America?
Should anyone who wants to enter the country be able to do so at any time, without filling out even the paperwork the existing citizens of the country have to complete?
At what time in modern American history were millions of Europeans / Irishmen allowed to come to America without passing through immigration?
If one of the explicit functions laid out in the governing documents of the American federal government is to protect American citizens’ welfare (not humanity in general) – are there any understandable reasons – rather than racist reasons – the federal government might want to restrict – or at least track – the immigration of desperate people?
Did you know some European immigrants died on ships waiting to be because they had contagious diseases?
Why do you accuse the Republicans of having a stance on immigration solely to protect their electoral chances, but don’t share the same cynicism for Democrats wanting to add to their own numbers?
In your heart, do you really believe Republicans are primarily motivated by hate and Democrats are motivated by love, making Democrats “nice people” and Republicans “bad people”?
LikeLike
Of course not. When we can discuss these issues calmly and without the racist dog whistles like “they’re rapists” then we can talk. That is intentional. He didn’t say that to an audience thinking “I love Mexicans but I just love the law more.” We both know that.
LikeLike
You know, you could put that mass mind-reading skill you have to good use and make a fortune in advertising.
LikeLike
Advertising doesn’t really present that much of a challenge does it? Seems straight forward:
Unfortunately the “erogenous zones” in politics are often more disgusting than that which triggers a consumer purchase.
LikeLike
It’s Republican id to use a video in your campaign ad of people flooding over the border in Morocco without attribution when discussing immigration in the US.
LikeLike
“Open borders and allowing ill-educated immigrants to enter on their terms” was official US policy until 1882 with the passage of the Chinese Exclusion Act. After that, the policy was “Open borders and allowing ill-educated immigrants to enter on their terms so long as they ain’t a Chinamen” was the official Policy. In fact, they couldn’t deport people until 1888!
In 1924, they first set quotas based on nationality, and established the border control. Until then, the Northern and Southern borders were COMPLETELY OPEN and anyone (except for Asians) could just fill out citizenship paperwork and become a citizen on site.
Militancy about borders is a very new phenomenon.
LikeLike
Sherlock, all that is probably true, but a fundamental of being a nation state is the ability to control your borders, to have your castle if you will. The concept of bigotry and racial/ethnic prejudice should not apply to controlling the birders.
Bear in mind also that notwithstanding the lack of quotas before 1924, Ellis Island and similar installations were a substantial barrier to entry.
LikeLike
It will be the biggest Mexico, Morroco, World War Z wall ever!
LikeLike
You missed the point of my post entirely. I was commenting on the peoples desire to have generally open borders in the past. The idea of controlling national borders didn’t really become an issue until they started the welfare state. Back when people didn’t have to pay for the healthcare, education, food, housing, etc. for “ill-educated immigrants”, nobody gave a shit who came here. The big thing was make sure they were deloused. Milton Friedman was never truer than he was about open borders and the welfare state.
LikeLike
LikeLike
If you meant to say Republican candidates, that would be accurate. If you meant what you typed, that would not be correct.
LikeLike
No, latest polls show Trump beating Hillary head to head.
LikeLike
Well, in all honesty, at this point, we could find a poll that says anything. Ive seen several polls though, that show either Trump, Cruz or Rubio beating Hillary in a head-to-head, but who knows…
LikeLike
http://www.christiantoday.com/article/presidential.poll.updates.2016.donald.trump.vs.hillary.clinton.20.percent.of.democrats.likely.to.vote.for.trump/76188.htm
LikeLike
Polls show Trump losing a head to head vs Sanders pretty soundly.
LikeLike
God help us, the end is near
LikeLike
According to this site, US aid is a lot less than that. And a lot of it is military assistance.
No doubt your suggestion would be well-received.
LikeLike
Okay Bluto, what news organization do you consider honest?
LikeLike
False question. What news organization other than Fox News sees promoting party propaganda as an aspiration?
I don’t doubt liberal bias existence in news media. I don’t think there have been instances like this though: http://www.nytimes.com/2002/11/19/us/fox-news-head-sent-a-policy-note-to-bush.html
You find a similar example going the other way and we’ll talk.
LikeLike
Dreck, did they drop you on your head or something when you were born? You’ve got a lot of hate issues there.
LikeLike
If suffering fools gladly is what you like in people, well then we’ll have trouble getting along.
LikeLike
I’m suffering you, so I must be able to suffer fools. Excuse me. Reading your schtick reminds me I need to go take a dump. Back soon.
LikeLike
Do you need any reading material
LikeLike
Thanks. I’ll put it the magazine rack beside the toilet.
LikeLike
Nice ad hominem
You feel like answering his question?
LikeLike
David Rhoades is the President of CBS News. His brother, Ben Rhoades is a National Security Advisor to the White House.
Claire Shipman is a senior national correspondent at ABC News, and married to Jay Carney, the White House Press Secretary until recently.
Ben Sherwood, the president of ABC News, is the brother of Dr. Elizabeth Sherwood-Randall, who is a special advisor to Obama.
The incestuous relationship between the Obama White House and the media outlets is well-documented, but Im guessing you had no idea, because this makes your example of a note that Ailes sent to Bush after 9/11 seem like a Valentine.
Want to talk?
LikeLike
Completely? Can’t think of one off the top of my head.
But Fox News is partisan promotion masquerading as journalism. It’s in a totally different category.
LikeLike
Maybe I’m too cynical or refuse to stick my neck out and stand for something, but I wish a pox on all of them, from Fox to MSNBC and all in between.
LikeLike
I don’t watch any of ’em, but Roger Ailes is a thing unto himself.
LikeLike
I mean I can acknowledge the truth in what you say about Fox. If you don’t say the same about MSNBC, though, respectfully I would question your own open mindedness. I’m sure you don’t care, just saying.
LikeLike
As I said elsewhere in this comment thread, MSNBC is the liberal analogue to Fox. I don’t follow it any more closely than I do Fox.
LikeLike
If you don’t watch any of them where do you get informed? Surly there are some outlets you find more trustworthy than others. I am not attacking just curious.
LikeLike
Read a lot of papers and look at plenty of websites across the political spectrum. There are plenty of places to go for information. I just think broadcast media is poorly suited for that.
LikeLike
As the Senator said – read multiple sources to get the common factual information, ignore the agendas, and come to your own conclusion. This is why I make snarky jokes when people in these comment sections tell me I should read this conservative slanted site or that liberal slanted site to get a better viewpoint. I already read both of them and have a perfectly fine viewpoint of reality. The people recommending those to me would probably be better served to check out the other side once in awhile and leave their echo chambers. Both the best thing and worst thing about the Internet is that it helped us find like-minded people. This was really cool in 1994 when you wanted to find somebody else across that country that loved Pulp Fiction as much as you and you could talk about it. However, it’s morphed into a situation where you can reside in echo chambers all day long and never have your worldview challenged which is a bad thing, IMHO. I learn new things everyday by interacting with thoughtful people from both sides of the political spectrum and it challenges how I think about things and view the world. Fox and MSNBC are so successful b/c they repeat exactly what you want to hear so many times that you just accept it as truth. It’s confirmation bias at its finest. It’s human nature to want to have your belief system validated and those networks tap into that.
LikeLike
There was a study done on that about a year ago. They watched the cable news channels and judged them on the amount of time spent on news and the amount on opinion. CNN was ~54% news / 46% opintion, Fox News was ~45% news / 55% opintion, and MSNBC was ~15% news / 85% opinion.
http://www.stateofthemedia.org/2013/special-reports-landing-page/the-changing-tv-news-landscape/
BTW: Don’t watch TV news. It will make you stupid.
LikeLike
There was also a study done that investigated the proportion of information that is factually true, as opposed to how information is delivered.
http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/article/2015/jan/29/punditfact-checks-cable-news-channels/
LikeLike
Nice link. I would like to point out for other people that the study is about the “Opinion” parts of the channels. That means that ~32% or everything on Fox News and ~37% of everything on MSNBC is “Mostly False” or worse. That is absolutely embarrassing.
LikeLike
What is MSNBC?
LikeLike
Fox “news” is full on propaganda, plain and simple. I grew up watching Huntley, Brinkley and Cronkite. No one anywhere that I am aware of deserves to be mentioned in the same breath as those three. Sad. These days all we get are on-air personalities. They may be liberal or they may be conservative, but their primary talent is reading a teleprompter. Off the top of my head, I can’t really name anyone I consider an actual journalist. I’ll get back to you on that one.
LikeLike
I’ve no doubt you are a great fan of the straight shooting, great American Chris Matthews. The fact that Fox News is your example of dishonesty says a great deal about your wisdom in discerning facts from the spittle drooling out of our white house the past seven years.
LikeLike
I don’t follow broadcast news. I think Matthews is a flaming asshole, though, if that matters.
LikeLike
Shouldn’t go into politics here. Unless you prefer Senator Blutarsky (D -UGA)
LikeLike
Post was about football. Politics intrudes into that just like everything else, unfortunately.
LikeLike
Mexico has every incentive to pay for the wall. You can start with the fact that we give (as in for nothing) them about 1 billion every year.
LikeLike
I already addressed this in the comment thread. It’s nowhere near that much.
Also, this. Not that I expect you give a shit about reality.
LikeLike
I love the term “straight shooter.” What I say might be dumb as hell but as long as it’s what I’m thinking then I’m a straight shooter. Donald Trump as the emotional maturity of a 5 year old, but, yeah, he’s a straight shooter.
LikeLike
The straight shooter in this election is the democratic socialist on the other half of the primaries.
LikeLike
Feel the Bern, baby!
LikeLike
Perhaps ol’ Trump could enlighten us with some straight shooting about the abject failure of the New Jersey Generals as well as the USFL?
LikeLike
He has plenty of $$$ to spectacularly fail at whatever he touches.
LikeLike
Or the multiple bankruptcies he has had ? Yeah what a great business man !!
LikeLike
I am certain this comment section will contain rational debate that everybody can agree will be civil. 🙂
LikeLike
You know, a similar thought passed my brain as I hit the post comment button on my prior comment. Why grease the tracks….
LikeLike
I think the Donald has had many, many concussions. It would explain both the rhetoric and the hair.
LikeLike
actually his hair WAS his helmet !
LikeLike
He’d move football back to where it belongs…the spring!👍
LikeLike
+1 (and with Herschel as VP, or maybe Secretary of State; or Chief of Staff —- with all the personalities I think Herschel could handle all posts)
LikeLike
And he took Herschel away from us to the stinking Jersey Generals. Trump’s own current helmet is made of orange hair plugs and industrial spray, with a combover engineered by a Tek grad.
LikeLike
The guy is a bonafide caricature of “The American Dream”!
LikeLike
Balderdash! The Party of Small Government would never stick their noses in the business of a privately held corporation.
LikeLike
at least not that one.
LikeLike
Maybe he should start a new league and show those NFL idiots how football should be played… Oh wait. Well, if the football idea doesn’t work he could always open a casino in Atlantic City… Well, maybe not. Those airlines are screw-ups too… Umm, that didn’t work either, huh?
Oh Donald, stick with what you know. You should take pride in being the world’s best slumlord.
LikeLike
We’re so doomed.
LikeLike
That jackass ought to go to Paul Oliver’s mom and wife and tell them football is soft.
LikeLike
Another episode of wincing and laughter brought to me by Donald Trump.
LikeLike
Since I’ve essentially given up the ghost that U.S. politics can save us, I have a new plan: I am gearing up for what will surely be a more entertaining general election season than any in history.
I mean, can anyone possibly imagine what will go down between Hillary Clinton and The Donald — one an accomplished prevaricator and the other an unabashed buffoon? I just wish I cared more for my country than to revel in the mayhem.
LikeLike
It’s a lousy slate of choices on either side…you can either almost kind of sort of vote for individual civil liberties (D) or almost kind of sort of vote for individual economic freedom (R).
Whichever way one votes, we will unquestionably slip in both categories. It’s just which side of your personal freedom are you most comfortable taking a shot to?
The machine is so corrupt you’ll ultimately get nothing from either party but a lot of lip service – it’s just fantasy. Debates on policy are a joke – even when you run good policy through that cesspool it comes out bad.
Trump is an embarrassment; Clinton is an embarrassment. Most of them are embarrassments.
LikeLike
That’s what I’m talkin’ about. I went into the ’16 political Presedential process liking Kasich (OH) but I have to suppose the lack of any high-rolling PACs behind him made his chances virtually DOA from the start.
But he struck me as a different breed of Republican, and unpalatable to the party money men.
LikeLike
This is where I’m at. Government=entertainment. No longer effective at doing things to help us regular people.
I hope Trump wins, does some sorely needed house cleaning, then we can treat D.C. Like Buckingham Palace, “That’s where the people who think are our leaders work, the real stuff happens over there.”
LikeLike
+1 on that.
LikeLike
He has my vote but head to head collisions are a problem for football. I don’t even mind protecting the QB but I hate pass interference. There are at least 2 penalties every game where they call PI and I don’t think it is a penalty. I thought the PI on the Bama player last night was bogus and I can’t count how many times it was called for the NFL playoffs.
LikeLike
Even though he isn’t my first choice, I’d take Trump over Hillary any day.
LikeLike
Trump is my second-to-last choice. Hillary is rock bottom.
LikeLike
https://twitter.com/billmon1/status/687014279812395010
LikeLike
Nobody 2016!
LikeLike
Trump is Muschamp.
LikeLike
Mustrump is about right.
LikeLike
Trumpchamp
LikeLike
What a tool.
LikeLike
Whole lotta stupid in this comment section.
LikeLike
Cain’t fix it either.
LikeLike
I gather a large cohort here thinks Donald Trump lacks the experience, maturity, tempered judgment, ability to work with others, and intellect, to be president, and he is a self centered narcissist to boot. The same is true of Barack Obama.
LikeLike
LikeLike
I am not here to defend Obama, however, what you described is a pretty accurate depiction of both sides of the aisle these days. The politicians have fostered one of the most partisan climates in our countries’ history, not only in DC but among the electorate also. This has made compromise a four letter word up on the hill and they are all terrified of not being reelected. They have mostly done this through fear tactics and the moralization of issues.
LikeLike
Well I guess this post officially launches the off season.
LikeLike
So true.
LikeLike
If only somebody could show some self-restraint
LikeLike
Due to heavy traffic, Worldpress has insisted that The Senator block 30% of his followers from posting. Until today The Senator was not sure how to devise a method to eliminate the bottom 30%, hence the provocative Donald Trump football post.
Senator, your method is genius.
LikeLike
Sounds like Trump is still upset about the call against Ramik Wilson against Vanderbilt.
LikeLike
I’m still upset about the call against Wilson in that game. It changed the outcome of the game, and we didn’t get so much as a “sorry” from Steve Shaw and his minions in Birmingham.
LikeLike
And we know that was the previous head coaches fault, just like Walsh missing that field goal last Sunday was.
LikeLike
Thank goodness football is over so we can talk about politics. The best part of this is those of us who aren’t good liberals get to hear about how anyone who is guilty of that sin is stupid, mean, greedy etc. also, that the one major media outlet covering news that isn’t a cheerleader for the Democratic Party is bad. Trump is evil but Clinton and Sanders are good. Roger Ailes is bad but the folks who own MSNBC and pay people like Chris Matthews are ok. The Koch brothers are a threat to the very fabric of America but George Soros is a swell guy. Guns are horrible and something must be done but abortion is just fine. You liberals have got plenty of shit on your own faces. So you have no right to tell anyone to wash theirs. You have no place to lecture anyone about kindness, honesty, or anything else because those who represent you are every bit as disgusting and full of shit as those you find disgusting and full of shit. Despite what you think, you aren’t standard. And you’re too full of yourselves to see it. What a bunch of assholes.
LikeLike
Damn, Mike, tell us what you really think! 🙂
LikeLike
Great post. If you have already called someone a nazi, a kkk member, or simply a racist then this is for you. All of these people are partially responsible for the rise of trump.
LikeLike
Bingo. Trump is doing as well as he is because of the shrieking viper’s nest that is the American left. They made a successful Trump campaign possible.
LikeLike
First off, lose the personal insults. I didn’t label you and don’t see why you can’t debate the issue without dropping into the gutter.
Second, do you know anything about Ailes? He made his bones as a political media operative for Richard Nixon. That doesn’t make him evil. It just means that what he’s done at Fox – which was genius, in my opinion – is different that what we’ve seen at traditional media operations. Sorry if that disturbs you.
LikeLike
“Do you know anything about Ailes?” Liberal for-You don’t agree with me so you must be ignorant. Yes. Know quite a bit about him. I don’t even watch Fox News but I’m informed enough to know that blanket statements about how “Fox lies!” are nothing more than liberal talking points and the equivalent of throwing things against the wall hoping something will stick. While guys like Hannity make themselves easy targets, they are opinion shows. Period. how can it be propaganda if it is an opinion show presented as such? It can’t. And the actual reporters like Bret Bayer, Chris Wallace, etc are actually about a million miles from the opinion stuff. The real issue is Fox has the temerity to not join the chorus of “Four legs good, two legs better!” and that Is simply more than the supposedly open minded can tolerate. As for you not labeling me, maybe not me personally but conservatives absolutely. As for insults, when the lefties here stop crapping in their hands and flinging it around, I’ll stop calling it what it is.
LikeLike
Is Fox and Friends opinion or news or both?
LikeLike
My Ailes question for you was rhetorical – you know, just like you used hyperbole about my characterization of Ailes to make a rhetorical point.
As for Bret Baier being a million miles from the opinion stuff, doesn’t he host a pundit roundtable every show with the likes of Krauthammer?
LikeLike
It WAS different before MSNBC, desperate for ratings, copied Fox News’ success in appealing to partisan viewers.
LikeLike
I agree that MSNBC offered itself up as a liberal analogue to Fox… and it’s just as relevant to me because of that.
LikeLike
Extremely well put Mike! I’m always shocked at the level of vitriol that comes from liberals, who are supposedly the caring good guys. The arrogance and hipocracy that they display at times is the why Trump is doing as well as he is. Thanks you for saying what you did, I go to school surrounded by Sean Penn level liberals and it’s great to know I’m not alone, bc I sure feel that way a lot these days.
LikeLike
You Sir, are 100% correct. Thank You!
LikeLike
LikeLike
https://twitter.com/owillis/status/687020550003146752
LikeLike
Damn,suddenly I’ve decided everything sucks. America and football have gone to shit and no one can fix it because there aren’t enough smart, decent people around to do it.
LikeLike
Devon Gales. Paul Oliver.
LikeLike
God help us!!
LikeLike
“I fear for my Country for I know that God is just” (or something to that effect) — Tommy Jefferson
I am ready for college ball season again!
LikeLike
What a coincidence, the Trump supporters here are the same ones who were all hot and bothered about Richt getting canned!
I did NOT see that coming!
LikeLike
It’s a war on Jesus and white Americans!!!
LikeLike
Not me. I am not voting for Trump.
LikeLike
Well, that’s not universal chili. I’ve hated trump since the early 1980’s.
10.11.15
LikeLike
Wait. Conservatives are the persecuted minority among the commenters on a college football blog? Damn; liberal media bias really is inescapable.
LikeLike
Senator, this is my favorite Georgia blog and you are a very talented writer but you are a complete asshole. I’ve read several comments where you’ve been extremely condescending to your readers. Just a straight up asshole like below and earlier where you attacked a point from a commenter about last season vs this season in the CFP ratings post. I will continue to read and love the blog, your still an asshole.
LikeLike
Jeez, dude, it’s an opinion blog with lots of snark and sarcasm. Of course I’m an asshole.
In my defense, at least I’m an asshole running a blog where you can come in and call me an asshole. 🙂
All sarcasm aside, I appreciate that you’re a loyal reader. And thanks for the (mixed) praise.
LikeLike
You may be an asshole, but you are our asshole!
LikeLike
Thanks, mane.
LikeLike
I see an asshole every morning when I look in the mirror so I know of what I speak. 🙂
LikeLike
I just wanted to pop in long enough to let you know how very much I appreciate this post and the comments attached to it. Politics in the South is almost as good as football in the South. After reading that portion of the Trump speech I didn’t think it would be possible to get any funnier but the comments proved me wrong. This one has made my last two days.
LikeLike
I disagree with everything the previous commenter said (except the part about the Senator being a very talented writer). I do hope you’ll reconsider one thing you said Senator, and that is “I don’t watch any of ’em”, referring to the various news outlets. I’m the opposite: I watch Scarborough, Maddow, O’Reilly, Blitzer, Cooper, the BBC, NPR, as well as read Stratfor, RealClearPolitics and 538. I find they all fail to tell me things I need to know and they all overemphasize certain things to push an agenda. The elections we are having this year are vitally important – in the next eight years we could have an economic meltdown, the education system could implode, someone could anonymously use a nuclear device to wipe out an American city. Worst of all we could allow the politicians to continue to divide us to the point that we’re at each others throats. That would serve their interest well, but not ours. Here we are all brother and sister Bulldogs, yet the comments to this post show how brilliantly the politicians have succeeded. I implore everyone to get their brains off autopilot, think long and deeply about the direction of this country, and let’s try to save the situation while we can.
LikeLike
What’s sad to me is the level of demonization that’s crept into our political discourse. I remember a time when it was easy to disagree with another’s political views without having to resort to the level of personal nastiness that’s all too prevalent these days. And that I do blame much of on talk radio and cable TV. (Along with politicians being willing to exploit that for personal gain… shocking, I know.)
LikeLike
Demonization didn’t start with Rush Limbaugh or Rachel Maddow. We’ve had founders kill each other in a duel. We’ve had someone use their cane to beat up someone on the floors of Congress in the aftermath of the Civil War. We’re now hearing our politicians call the other side their enemies. The personal nastiness is much easier to be anonymous behind a keyboard or smartphone rather than in a face to face conversation.
There’s one solution that would make much of this go away … Term limits for legislators at all levels of government. If 8 years in enough for the President, 8-12 should be enough for Congress.
LikeLike
I have to disagree with you mildly about one thing. Demonization didn’t start with Limbaugh, true, but it sure as hell ramped up because of how broadbased media access has become.
And I have to disagree with you strongly about another thing. Term limits are a horrible idea. All you wind up doing with those is making sure that staffers and lobbyists have even more control over the national agenda than they already do. The people have the power to vote the bums out… even if they rarely do.
LikeLike
I always wrestle with things in an effort to reduce a problem to a specific, final conclusion. Having said that, I feel that the success and power of the United States has eroded because the “representation” aspect of our federal government has become non-existent. Going back to the days, as intended by our constitution, where people like you and I serve in congress for a term or two with the intention of returning back to our regular lives/jobs would be a smart thing to do. The chasm of irresponsible representation between the current “career congressmen/senators” and being represented by “the guy that left the hospital board of directors to go represent us in congress for a few years” is wide but I reference it to make my point.
LikeLike
I’ll bite.
The 1st Amendment provides a free press and free speech. Regardless of your politics, infringing on that is a bad idea. I want more in the market of ideas not less.
On term limits, why then is it good for the executive? The regulatory bureaucracy has more control now over lawmaking than the Congress. Why is Congress so polarized? I would suggest because technology has made it possible to create safe districts for Congressional elections. I can be toward the fringe of my party, but I won’t lose in a general election because the district lines are drawn now with such precision. The bums never respond to the citizens … They respond to money. Sounds sort of like our AD.
LikeLike
I’m not arguing that I want restrictions on the media. I don’t. But I can’t ignore that our political discourse has grown cruder.
I don’t think term limits are good for the executive, either.
If gerrymandering is a problem – and I agree with you that it is – the solution isn’t term limits. It’s to address partisan gerrymandering.
LikeLike
Politics have grown cruder because generally, our culture has become cruder whether it’s media, entertainment, or most anything else.
I completely agree with you on gerrymandering.
LikeLike
Pingback: “Football players are in a car wreck every week.” | Get The Picture
Pingback: Super Bowl star regrets ever playing football – The Trumpiest