John McCain: The Last Republican

This has been a week of memorials and tributes to John McCain, the Vietnam war hero,  Republican senator from Arizona and presidential candidate who died at 81.  Senator McCain served his constituents and the nation with honor, dignity and integrity.

Unfortunately, the Republican Party no longer exhibits any of those qualities. So as we mourn the death of a great leader and patriot, we should also take some time to mourn the passing of the Republican Party.

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I used to consider myself a moderate Republican. No more, since the Republicans have abandoned any notion of compassionate conservatism to become a party consumed by corruption, racism and greed. And it amazes me that the people in this country who need help the most continually back the candidates who are determined to make sure that they don’t get it. Go figure.

Senator McCain admitted that he was far from perfect. And I agree. But my sense was that he tried to do the right thing by basing decisions and actions on what was best for the country and not for his own personal gain.

Still, McCain was not liked or respected by many Republicans who believed he wasn’t conservative enough. I guess they feel better now having Douchebag Donnie sitting in the White House, watching Fox News and waiting for the Mueller subpoena to land on the doorstep. And this is all happening while the current Republican leaders in Congress and elsewhere are milling about like innocent bystanders at a train wreck.

So we can say goodbye to the Republican Party at the same time we honor and bury John McCain: The Last Republican.

The Summer Of Omarosa

I guess it’s a good thing that nothing is happening with the Mueller investigation, the Manafort trial or the wildfires that are charring California. Oh wait. How would we know?

It’s the summer of Omarosa.

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For those of you living in the wilderness somewhere without access to any form of print or electronic media, Omarosa is the celebrity who came to fame during the Apprentice and then rode that horse to a senior position in the Trump White House. Now she is out with a book, Unhinged, that has the talking gasbags on cable news and elsewhere wetting their shorts and panties.

Hey. Who says this isn’t a great country?

And for all I know, Omarosa might be a sweet, caring lady who only has the country’s best interest at heart.

Still, I wonder if the day Omarosa took the White House job she began plotting how she could best leverage her exit? After all, that seems to be the culture for those who can successfully navigate the swamp inside the beltway.

A few thoughts on this fiasco:

Listening to the interviews with Omarosa is a waste of time. Even if what she is saying is credible (a big if) there is nothing that she can reveal that will change anyone’s view of the Prez. He was elected in part by the reality TV circus of an election that was created in large part by the same so-called journalists and out-of-government-but-waiting-to-return pundits who now spend their days slamming Trump. The time to really challenge Trump on his views and positions was prior to election day 2016, but the media folks for the most part gave him a pass because he made for good TV.  And when you elect a clown,  you have to expect a circus. In this regard, Trump did not disappoint.

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Second, even for the reporters who openly dislike Trump and the Republicans, this must be a tough story to cover. American journalism has never been “fair and balanced,” but sitting down for a conversation with Omarosa must make even the most ratings conscious scribbler gag a little while keeping a barf bag hidden under the desk.

Even the generally likable Savannah Guthrie looked like she had just downed a shit sandwich after Omarosa basically told her to shove it where the sun don’t shine during an interview on the Today show this morning.

Omarosa Manigault-Newman appeared irritable and fumed at Savannah Guthrie before abruptly cutting off an appearance on NBC’s “Today” show on Monday morning, claiming she had another interview to get to minutes after proclaiming, “I’ve got all the time you need.”

Manigault-Newman was on the morning show to share a recording of a conversation she says she had with President Trump the day after she was fired by White House Chief of Staff John Kelly. Guthrie began the interview by playing the recording and plugging Manigault-Newman’s new book, “Unhinged,” but things quickly turned awkward.

Guthrie asked the former “Apprentice” star if Trump was lying in a tape that was played seconds earlier, but Manigault-Newman wanted to talk about a different topic and started asking rhetorical questions about why Kelly allegedly mistreated her. She also focused on Trump saying “they” run a big operation at the White House.

Guthrie tried to take charge of the chat, but Manigault-Newman barked back, “I’ll get to the second part.”

Guthrie then attempted to ask a follow-up question, but Manigault-Newman shot it down.

If you missed this interview, don’t worry. NBC’s farm team, MSNBC, will be replaying it every hour for the next few days.

Fortunately, for those of us who would like to know what is going on in the world these days, the summer of Omarosa will only last a few days.

Until then, remember that we are living in a time when reality television stars and celebrities dominate the news cycles and control pretty much the national conversation on just about any issue.

So it goes.

 

Brutus Buckeye Weeps Today

Well, in fairness I guess Brutus Buckeye, the beloved Ohio State University athletics mascot, may not be weeping just yet. But surely he is holding his breath along with many in the extended Ohio State family, waiting to find out the fate of iconic football coach Urban Meyer.

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It appears that Meyer, now on paid administrative leave instead of patrolling the pigskin sidelines, may have stepped in some career-ending dog-doo related to domestic abuse allegations involving one of his former assistant coaches.

Here’s from CNN:

Ohio State University football coach and three-time national championship winner Urban Meyer is on paid leave as the school investigates exactly what he knew about the spousal abuse allegations leveled against his longtime assistant.

Courtney Smith, ex-wife of former Ohio State wide receivers coach Zach Smith, spoke to Stadium sports network, outlining accusations that Zach Smith on various occasions threw her against a wall, picked her up by her neck, took a golf club to her car and broke her windshield after a recruiting dinner.

It appears the accusations, which Zach Smith denies, center around two incidents, one in 2009 (which Meyer said he knew about) and one in 2015 (which he claims he wasn’t aware of).

Here’s more from CNN:

Zach Smith, grandson of the Hall of Fame former Ohio State head coach Earle Bruce, and his wife moved to the Columbus area in 2012, and “everything went out of control,” Courtney Smith told Stadium. She felt the pressure of his job forced him into a toxic lifestyle, and he became abusive when questioned, she said.
Courtney Smith separated from him in 2015 after eight years of marriage, hoping it would end the abuse, but it didn’t, she said. In the 2015 incident, Zach Smith came to her house wanting to take their son, but it wasn’t his parenting night. She told him no, she recalled.
“When I stood up to him, he didn’t like it. He took me and shoved me up against the wall with his hands around my neck — something he did very often. My daughter was clinging to my leg,” she told Stadium.
She called police after he left with their son, but Zach Smith was never charged, she said. “I don’t know what happened,” she added.
At a news conference last week, Meyer said he was unaware of the 2015 allegations.
“I got a text last night that something happened in 2015, and there was nothing,” Meyer told reporters. “I don’t know who creates a story like that.”

Well, we’ll see. Add into the mix that Meyer’s wife, Shelley, may have known about the allegations in 2015 and the situation gets pretty dicey for Meyer and for the university.

If Coach Meyer knew, he had a moral and contractual obligation to do or say something.

And if he punted on that, then university administrators are going to have a tough time not benching the beloved coach permanently.

Then Brutus Buckeye will  be weeping.