Sunday Tabs
Andrew Weissmann and Ryan Goodman, Just Security, “The Real “Robert Hur Report” (Versus What You Read in the News).” tl;dr: Hur found zero evidence of criminal behavior on Biden’s part, rather than simply deciding he was a senile old man for whom a jury would feel sorry.
AP, “Jon Stewart changed late-night comedy once. Can he have a second act in different times?” The piece doesn’t answer the question but does a good job outlining the challenges, most notably including a radically changed landscape.
NYT, “Why the Age Issue Is Hurting Biden So Much More Than Trump.” tl;dr: Trump’s “impulsiveness and willingness to go off-script in ways that can be messy only adds to his image as an unrehearsed, unvarnished chaos agent” . . . “Verbal flubs by Mr. Biden, by contrast, undermine the image of experience, competence and professionalism that got him elected, and that even his supporters quietly fear may be slipping away.”
AP, “For Native American activists, the Kansas City Chiefs have it all wrong.” A controversy that has long since gotten tiresome for both sides.
Leana S. Wen, NYT, “Young people are drinking less. But one group is undoing those gains.” tl;dr: Today’s teens are drinking less than we did overall but college women are drinking more. And that’s continuing with professional women.
I loved that NY Times piece. “For reasons we can’t begin to imagine, people are far more concerned with Biden’s age than Trump’s.” Preceded by 15 articles talking about Biden’s age and followed by their entire staff of center and right columnists screaming that he has to step down because he’s too old.
It’s like them puzzling over why people all of a sudden thought that Hillary’s emails were a big deal.
If I thought I had as little agency as the Times claims it has, I’d give up on living.
Sure. True enough. Now, in what sense are you tired off it? In the sense of “why don’t those WTB STFU and go back to the rez where they belong” or in some other sense?
Re: The Chiefs. Brings three things to mind.
First, it’s a bad sign at any business when management can’t see that times have changed. I’m not saying that the Chiefs thing will bring them down, just that it shows a “we have always done it this way” mindset that will eventually cause them serious trouble in other ways.
Second, football has a serious problem with racism, misogyny and a general indifference to ethics and morals. I don’t know if it has to do with ownership, management or just the football culture, but it’s there.
Third, the modern practice of news media refusing to describe reality because they don’t want to offend is ridiculous. While there are not many people that don’t know the Washington football team was once known as the Redskins, that number is growing year by year. For the paper of record not to document just how egregious that name was crosses into dereliction. Instead, a reader is left with the impression that it was on par with the Chiefs and the Braves.
@wr: Seconding here. We’re seeing a clear campaign by the NYT to raise an issue for one side, while minimizing it for the other side.
Re the NYT on Biden’s age, I read today’s OTB bottom up. In the Open Forum I quoted Atrios’, in my view correct, opinion of that piece and FTFNYT in general.
Like Walter Lippman, they see their role as getting the little people to line up behind the elite consensus, which seems to be shifting toward Trump will let us sell oil and cut our taxes.
@wr: @gVOR10: @Barry: I don’t think NYT has carried the water on this alone. Heck, it was a major issue in the 2016 primaries. But, yeah, they’ve certainly banged the drum.
@Just nutha ignint cracker: I think the Native activists are tired of fighting the issue—which has been dragging on for at least 40 years now—and that sports fans are tired of hearing about it. Pretty much everyone that had “Indians” in their name changed it long ago and, obviously, “Redskins” had to go. There has been much less controversy over the Chiefs and Braves, comparatively, as nicknames but they were forced to get rid of the silly mascots. And, interestingly, the Florida State Seminoles and Chicago Blackhawks seem to have managed to get Native buy-in.
@MarkedMan:
Years ago when I was umpiring youth league girls softball in my little town, the association had sent out a bulletin that umpires had become lax on enforcing the rule that that when the pitcher get the ball and returns to the pitching circle, the play is over and all runners must either return to their previously held base or try to run to the next one at risk of being put out. (That is, girls were moving back to the base and instantly taking a leadoff–against the rules.) Our instructions were to 1) advise the coaches of the enforcement before the game started and fwarn once, then 2) subsequently call all infractions as “outs.” At the end of a play, a runner was jigging in the running lane in an attempt to lure the pitcher into continuing the play instead of completing her return to the circle. I called time, advised the coach to inform his players of the rule and enforcement change, and he went out to talk to the runner in question. When I gave the “play ball,” the same player who had just been talked to took a leadoff before the pitcher even wound up. I called time again, called the runner out, and the game proceeded apace, with only one or two additional base running “error” outs.
In the break between innings, a parent came over asked about the out call, and I explained the rule and the request by the league to tighten enforcement. The parent, in what I took to be candor at the time, asked “how are we supposed to teach our daughters to cheat if you guys are going to enforce the rules?” [emphasis added]. I replied, “you aren’t” [supposed to teach your daughters to cheat] and let things go at that.
I bring this story out from time to time because “general indifference to ethics and morals” is not a thing limited to “football culture.” Or even sports culture. These days, I wonder if general indifference to ethics and morals isn’t simply America writ large.
*Interestingly enough, my worst experience with rule breaking and working the umps happened in a recreational church league where we weren’t even hiring umpires–we all volunteered to umpire for games we weren’t playing in–and the “winners” of the league didn’t even get a trophy. 😐
@James Joyner: Agreed. Both sides are tired of the fight and it has been going on for ages–certainly most of my adult life. Back to my question about solution: are you a “those WATB need to STFU and go back to the rez where they belong” or a (dare I say it?)
wokeperson who would encourage owners and fans alike (and maybe even yourself) to go a different direction?(But you can have points for a nice attempt to finesse past the question.)
@Just nutha ignint cracker:..Years ago…“how are we supposed to teach our daughters to cheat if you guys are going to enforce the rules?” [emphasis added]. I replied, “you aren’t” [supposed to teach your daughters to cheat]…
What’s the matter with you? Don’t you know that these athletes from the “good old days” are just fascinating characters. What responsible parent wouldn’t want their kid to emulate the likes of Gaylord Perry.
(I guess that some Republican parents would object to Mr. Perry as gay is part of his name.)
@James Joyner: I agree that the NYT is not alone, but they are conspicuous as an allegedly non-partisan top publication which has gone as Fox level as decorum allows.
I used to enjoy Stewart and even more Colbert, however, I think that whatever genius they had is mostly gone. The hit producing team broke up and it wont be the same. Colbert is inconsistent now and what little I hear of Stewart is just not that funny. Of them all only Oliver has retained any of that magic and his humor is a bit too quirky for many people. Hope I am wrong but I expect this to flop.
Steve
@Mister Bluster: I stand firmly reprimanded and shamed. For what it’s worth, I didn’t do any more umpiring after I left Longview post divorce. I’ve tried to become a better person.
@Just nutha ignint cracker: I think we may be at the point of angels dancing in the head of a pin. Cartoon “Indians” tomahawk chops, and “Redskins” are offensive in a way “Chiefs” and “Braves” aren’t. I tend to think that they may as well just change names to get it over with but that the bar will continue to be moved because otherwise those who make a living off grievance have nothing to do.
@Just nutha ignint cracker:..I’ve tried to become a better person.
Don’t be so hard on yourself. Even if they did call you Ray Charles when you were behind the plate calling balls and strikes I’m sure that you gave it your best!
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@Just nutha ignint cracker:
It’s probably just esprit de l’escalier, but would like to think that I’d have replied with something like “If you’re doing it right, you’re teaching your daughters that breaking the rules can have consequences, which have to be weighed against the benefits.”
@DrDaveT: I was umpiring in a mill town where elite volleyball and softball were considered “my daughter’s ticket out,” that kind of answer would have been beyond the Barbie of most parents, let alone beyond their ken.
@Just nutha ignint cracker:
I actually respect that more than I do the mill towns where the fear is that the daughter will find a ticket out, so they try to make sure the daughter doesn’t have any skills anyone would want in some other town.
@DrDaveT: I’ve been in THAT town, too. Scary!
@Just nutha ignint cracker: Oh, God, flashbacks. Back when I went to church, we had one year of that (forced) volunteering to ump for another teams’ game. I’ve never umped in my life. And guess what? I made a couple admittedly bad calls and got reamed.
For some reason we went back to regular umps the following year.