Monday’s Forum
Steven L. Taylor
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Monday, June 16, 2025
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25 comments
About Steven L. Taylor
Steven L. Taylor is a Professor Emeritus of Political Science and former College of Arts and Sciences Dean. His main areas of expertise include parties, elections, and the institutional design of democracies. His most recent book is the co-authored
A Different Democracy: American Government in a 31-Country Perspective. He earned his Ph.D. from the University of Texas and his BA from the University of California, Irvine. He has been blogging since 2003 (originally at the now defunct Poliblog).
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The sports headline of the day- After horrid start, J.J. Spaun rallies to win the 125th U.S. Open at Oakmont Country Club
A couple of comments
Spaun is American but he is also part Filipino so my wife was rooting for him yesterday.
Spaun started the final round horrifically. He was five over par for the first six and looked to be destined for a final round collapse before getting his golf game straightened out again.
Throughout the golf broadcast and in news reports on yesterday’s final round, many bits of US history were cited. Fine, but all these reports were missing a great big elephant in the room. Spaun’s disastrous start could have been compared to but never was to Ernie Els at the 1994 US Open also played in Oakmont. Els stated an 18 hole playoff b0gey-triple bogey or four over par for the first two holes. Like Spaun, Els came back to win.
@Bill Jempty:
Spain finished the round with a beautiful 65’ birdie putt. $4M purse, I believe.
@Bill Jempty:
An incredible achievement under brutal conditions. Oakmont rough was just nearly impossible if you drew a horrible lie. This will be career changing for Spaun.
I wish the USHA had not restarted the round after the heavy rain. There were casual water shots they didn’t allow drops from. Ball squirting left.
@Daryl:
Better was Spauns drive on 17. Spaun had a great driving and putting tourney. In the end his driver won it.
@Connor:
Honestly, Spaun is a journeyman. I don’t expect him to have a big career.
Journeyman golfers, 2 to 6 wins on the PGA Tour or other tours careerwise, have won majors from time to time. Charlie Coody, Tommy Aaron, Dave Marr, Larry Mize, Tom Lehman, Ben Curtis, Brian Harman, Lou Graham, Lucas Glover, Gary Woodland, Wyndam Clark, to name a few. He played great golf yesterday and deserved to win but Spaun fits in that group.
From The Guardian:
‘Extremely disturbing and unethical’: new rules allow VA doctors to refuse to treat Democrats, unmarried veterans
To repeat from last night, Vance Boelter has been captured.
‘No Kings’ demonstrator dies after being shot at Utah protest, police say (The Guardian)
Another tragic coda to the weekend that was both great for democracy and sad, as well. Prayers and peace to Mr. Folasa Ah Lo’s wife, kids, and friends. He was a Samoan-born fashion designer of some renown, having competed on Project Runway and been invited by Buckingham Palace to display there during London Fashion Week. He was very much involved with SLC’s AAPI community.
@DK:
Yet another example of peacekeeping or peacekeeper being an oxymoron.
Here is a good compilation of No Kings photos from Texas:
Photos: “No Kings” protests across Texas
It was exactly 10 years ago today that Trump descended the golden escalator in Trump Tower.
@CSK: “A date which will live in infamy.”
@just nutha:
That’s for sure. I remember laughing contemptuously at the spectacle. Little did I know.
@Bill Jempty:
Oh, I agree. He’s the classic journeyman; only one prior victory if I recall. But the exemptions and the endorsements should really change his world. But Scotty Scheffler he ain’t.
@Bill Jempty:
And since you seem to be a fan………
How would you compare the career’s of Nicklaus vs Woods? I’ll go first. To your point, there is always a guy who has a great week. And then there are the real core group of studs who are repeat winners. In Woods era who were the 3+ guys to Nicklaus’ peers of Palmer, Player, J Miller, Tom Watson, Seve, Trevino, Floyd, Boros, Casper and Irwin? And how about Nicklaus seconds and thirds?
Woods really had Mickelson, after he stopped shooting himself in the foot, Els, McIlroy and probably Speith.
Imagine if Scarlett O’Hara had had Tik Tok or other short video app 165 years ago.
Full disclosure, I thought they should have set up a guest worker program for Mexicans back in the Bush II admin.
@Connor:
Nicklaus prime years were 62 to 80 and Woods 96 to 2009. The list of Nicklaus rival you put up is very strong with a couple of caveats. Seve didn’t become a real force till 1980 and while Boros won two majors in Nicklaus prime, his best years were already in the past. On the other hand, Nicklaus had to also contend with Dave Stockton (2 majors and a serious threat in several others), Tom Weiskopf, Gene Littler, Tony Lema (who won 11 times in a 3 year span during 62 to 65 before his tragic death in 1966), Doug Sanders, Hubert Green, Tony Jacklin and Ben Crenshaw. All of whom were a serious threat to win a major when they teed it up. Lanny Wadkins, Don January, George Archer, Bob Goalby, Bobby Nichols, Gay Brewer, and even possibly Miller Barber (super consistent) and Dave Hill could also be possibly be thrown on that list too. Hill won a Vardon trophy* after all. All those players but Barber, Sanders, and Hill won majors and all my additions won 10 times or more on the PGA Tour .
Your Woods list, Spieth came up after Woods became a injury prone wreck. Mickelson was great, Singh and Els very strong, but the list of rivals to Woods after that don’t compare to what Nicklaus was up against.
*The same year the GWAA gave Orville Moody player of the year over Hill. What drugs were the golf writers on when they did that. Hill had 3 wins, the vardon, and one playoff loss. Moody the US Open title, and a playoff loss but no where near as consistent a play as Hill that year.
@Connor:
That includes the LPGA. Warning- Don’t ever get me started on how I think Jane Blalock (27 wins and owner of a 299 consecutive cuts made streak) has been blackballed from admittance to two golf hall of fames because of this. Blaclock’s accusers had a credibility problem as Sandra Palmer pointed out ‘if you see an infraction of the rules… you don’t wait until three years later to report something. Once you’ve signed that card, you’re as guilty as the person who committed the violation’. According to Dave Hill, Blalock’s lawsuit nearly destroyed the LPGA Tour. Contrast that with what happened when a PGA Tour golfer was caught cheating at almost the exact time as the Blalock controversy.
Don’t get me started on who I think has had the biggest impact on pro golf in the last 30 years. No it is not Tiger Woods but Se Ri Pak. She changed the face of women’s golf.
Well, this took me back: https://bsky.app/profile/adashtra.bsky.social/post/3lrlo5o37xk2k
It’s a picture of a sign that read “I remember the last time the National Guard was called out” They greybeard holding it was wearing a “Kent State Alumni” shirt.
I think the next time I read someone complaining about how Boomers Ruined Everything, I’m gonna repost this and tell them to get out there like that old boomer is.
@Bill Jempty:
Yeah. I realized I threw Miller in there. I don’t think he won 3. But he was #2 in world behind Nicklaus when he won the US. I think you get my point, though. I think Nicklaus had far the better competition than Woods. A point most miss.
As far as the ladies. I played competitively oh-so-long-ago. State level stuff then just club. I always tell people WATCH THE LADIES. Their games are so much closer to a good state and club golfers. One of my clubs hosted the LPGA for a few years. (We had the seniors, too.) When I followed Annika Sorenstam around she hit it just about where most of us in the top tier of the club hit it. One thing I’ve never really understood, though. They can’t putt. It makes no sense, but they can’t putt.
Anyway………
@Bill Jempty:
I forgot to comment. I didn’t find any film on Blaylock incident. But I’m kind of a Nazi on rules. In hockey, football and basketball – my other favorite sports – they all wink and giggle at getting away with one. Not golf. If she didn’t mark right, penalize her. Period.
I can’t speak to the PGA incident. Didn’t see it. But I’m sure you saw the Patrick Reed bunker problem. (And I assume you play) You and I know there is not a chance in hell he didn’t know he whisked away some sand on his takeaway. It should have been dealt with harshly.
As for Se Ri. I understand. But its women’s golf. I’m not really a big Tiger guy, but to deny his impact is to understate. She may have transformed women’s golf, and the Asian invasion, but it pails in comparison to Woods. I enjoy women’s golf. But if its Golf, capital G, the greatest impact is Woods.
Just blue skying now. True transformational players in golf? Hogan. Palmer. Nicklaus. Woods. (I know, I left out Seve and Norman, but their records and impact just didn’t do it.)
Now? I thought Speith was going to be unbeatable, then he splashed at #12 and changed his swing. McIlroy is the current face, but bland. Scheffler is so good, but not charismatic. I don’t know.
Did I miss a news story where it was announced that the penny coin is no longer going to be produced by the U.S. Treasury?
I stumbled across a Youtube video asking how the makers of those penny souvenir machines will fare now that the penny is no longer being produced?
I am guessing they might not have to shelve their machines just yet because there are still a crud ton of pennies out there and while a lot are in jars and not being circulated, it is not that hard to find pennies to add to your jar/collection that a parent could in turn give to their kid to put in those machines that turn them into keepsakes of the place you visited.
Well, before I decided to hit post comment I googled, yup…the penny really is going way, interesting.
@DrDaveT: Man, this REALLY pisses me off.
When I raised my right hand and swore my oath to support and defend, I swore it to defend ALL Americans. Democrats, Republicans, straight, gay, white, black, etc. etc. etc. ALL. AMERICANS.
I went to WAR for this country. And now, thanks to Trump, I can be denied the care I fucking EARNED with my fucking SWEAT and my fucking BLOOD because I vote Democrat. I am no longer entitled to the same consideration I gave all Americans when I enlisted.
Musk has weighed in about No Kings.
There seems to be a lot of “it is unclear…” going around these days.
It’s 8:52 pm. I was taking a walk. Low key, a three miler. Standard issue daily. I got waylaid by a pop up thunderstorm.
My fault. Didn’t check the forecast radar. Hard rain. Big wind. I found a nice overhang and am waiting it out. Big ass storms, big blows usually exhaust themselves out fast, or scoot past. Kinda like people when they get upset. That Big Energy is unsustainable.
I could walk home in the rain and wind or chill for a half hour under shelter and watch / listen to videos of songs I like. I’ll chill, thanks.