caulfield12

https://www.politico.com/magazine/story/201...-indiana-216273 Heartland Dems to Washington: “You’re Killing Us!” So far, 32 House Republicans are either retiring or running for other offices. That's more than double the 15 Democrats who are not running for re-election. Rep. Ed Royce, the chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, and Rep. Darrell Issa, the former House oversight chairman, joined the list of retirees this week. Rep. Martha McSally is set to become the 33rd departure when she launches her Senate campaign Friday. Why do retirements matter so much? Because it's much harder for the challenging party — in 2018's case, the Democrats — to beat an incumbent than to win an open seat. The Cook Political Report has useful data that lays this out. There are several Democratic retirements that have given Republicans big openings, too: Minnesota Rep. Tim Walz's departure could allow the GOP to take a district that President Donald Trump won by 15 points in 2016. Rep. Carol Shea-Porter's New Hampshire district has a long history of switching hands. And Rep. Jacky Rosen's decision to run for the Senate in Nevada opens up a competitive seat there, as well. http://www.cnn.com/2018/01/09/politics/10-...erms/index.html

Consensual? Or a deliberate choice of consent being modified? https://www.politico.com/magazine/story/201...ont-work-214167 The World is Full Of Walls That Don’t Work https://sports.yahoo.com/ohio-youth-team-pl...-163830808.html Racism coming out from the shadows...Ohio youth team thinks their racially offensive jerseys are just a funny joke

Trump’s around 37% right now. Check back after next Fri, the government shutdown confrontation, DACA, border walls, CHIP, etc. Typically, presidents in their second year lose support. Obama was down 10-11%. Reagan, similar...pretty sure there was a recession at that time as well. You’re pretty much guaranteed at least 1/3rd support no matter what. The GOP problem is that what reason would those in the middle have to support him, unless they were hugely invested in the stock market? Even then, Trump’s going to start taking the blame more and more for health insurance issues. If that overrides a $700-800 (middle class) tax cut and rising stock market, time will tell. Hard to imagine being much more polarized than we already are as a country. The tax cut and ObamaCare repeal were two of the most unpopular pieces of legislation in recent memory. He could always luck out and handle an international crisis fairly well by doing everything the opposite of Obama.

“His is turning out to be an enormously consensual presidency. So much so that...there has never been a day that I wished Hillary Clinton were President. Not one. Indeed, as Trump’s accomplishments accumulate, the mere thought of Clinton in the W.H., doubling down on Obama’s..... — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 8, 2018 Goodwin actually wrote “his is turning out to be an enormously consequential presidency”—one of the few things we agree on—but for whatever reason, Trump’s mind seems to be circling the concept of “consent” lately. Things didn’t get better with his follow-up tweet, which, for some reason, included Goodwin’s email address. ....failed policies, washes away any doubts that America made the right choice. This was truly a change election, and the changes Trump is bringing are far-reaching and necessary.” Thank you Michael Goodwin! (Please read entire column) mgoodwin@nypost.com https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2018/01...a=recirc_recent Not exactly staking a claim to that genius label so far this weekend...still 30 minutes left.

QUOTE (Jack Parkman @ Jan 7, 2018 -> 12:55 AM) I think this is why our corporate overlords have given people the proverbial middle finger since then. They figured out that increasing salary only increases productivity so much, and so they are asking people to do more work with less benefits and salary, because they don't get anything out of it with the way things were working. The only people who seem to be "getting ahead" or even making ends meet these days are those who put their career above everything else in life. It is their way of taking control of the masses back. People were actually being happy, having fun while not working, being able to take nice vacations, being able to afford nice things, etc. They are saying "No. f*** You. You can't have those things. They are mine and you can't have them." https://finance.yahoo.com/news/sec-probing-...7--finance.html But if you invest at least $500,000 from China into Jared Kushner’s struggling NJ real estate project, you’ll get preferential treatment to get a green card.

More to Tex’s point... AARP opposed the GOP tax plan for a variety of reasons, and coming cuts to Medicare were a big one. Despite Trump’s campaign promise to not cut senior health care, the tax law he pledged to sign will trigger $25 billion cuts to Medicare in 2018. These cuts come automatically from the “pay as you go” law (PAYGO). This law exists to keep the deficit in check. When a new law adds to the deficit, PAYGO prompts mandatory cuts to programs like Medicare. .... You’ve heard about alternative facts, but are you ready for alternative inflation? Paul Ryan and others in the GOP conference have pushed for a new system for measuring inflation for years, and they finally got it in this tax law. (President Obama supported the idea, briefly, before getting pushback from Democrats in Congress.) Social Security benefits and other key spending items will now use “chained CPI” to measure cost of living. What does all that mean? People can get deep in the weeds trying to understand it, but a helpful article in Bloomberg simplified it. Calling it “a stealthily growing tax hike,” the author cited a 2013 analysis on which tax brackets would be affected most. You guessed it: Folks earning between $25,000 and $50,000 would feel the biggest burn. ... However, during the tax debate in December, GOP Senators Pat Toomey and Marco Rubio could not promise they would leave Social Security alone for future generations. After Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont) pressed them on the issue, he translated for anyone listening. “[Toomey] just told you he’s going to cut Social Security,” Sanders said. When deficits run high — in this case, because of tax breaks — deficit hawks look to “entitlement” cuts for savings. https://www.cheatsheet.com/money-career/old...ax-plan.html/9/

”Donald J. Trump is a libel bully. Like most bullies, he's also a loser, to borrow from Trump's vocabulary," the report stated. "Trump and his companies have been involved in a mind-boggling 4,000 lawsuits over the last 30 years and sent countless threatening cease-and-desist letters to journalists and critics. But the GOP presidential nominee and his companies have never won a single speech-related case filed in a public court.” http://www.medialaw.org/index.php?option=c...tem&id=3470

Or there would have been no recovery from the Great Depression...a balanced budget amendment sounds fine, in theory, but would never work when private markets are frozen/broken.

QUOTE (Buehrle>Wood @ Jan 6, 2018 -> 04:51 PM) Chiefs got robbed hard there with a forward progress call. Wow Sixth consecutive home playoff loss...most fairly heartbreaking and more and more expected with a sense of dread by Chiefs’ fans. Mahomes will be the next QB to try to break the string.

The Kardashians, Honey Boo Boo and Paris Hilton have to qualify as well...going by this new standard of reality television success. Shouldn’t it actually be Mark Burnett, due to multiple successes like The Apprentice, Survivor, The Voice and Shark Tank? Trump is the People’s Choice Awards of geniuses. He can’t even recall running for president in 2000. Should have gone with JFNJr’s A Beautiful Mind, instead. Heck, Mr. Ed was a more “stable” genius! Bankruptcy = 6 times Trump University =Failed Trump Airlines = Failed Trump Steaks = Failed GoTrump.com = Failed Trump Vodka = Failed Trump Mortgage = Failed Trump the Game = Laughably Failed Trump Magazine = Failed Trump Ice = Failed The New Jersey Generals Football Team = Failed Tour De Trump = Failed Trump on the Ocean Resorts = Failed The Trump Network = Failed Trumped! Radio Network = Failed Trump New Media = Failed Trump hiding his real height from doctors so BMI can’t declare him obese = Succeeded Making Bush2 look like a genius = Succeeded Bankrupting numerous casinos = Genius Trump Water = moderate success (probably created to avoid poisoning by wives)

If it weren’t for the Mariners, Padres and Timberwolves...then the Browns and Buccaneers, now that Buffalo’s 17 year string ended, the White Sox could be gaining more attention for their current run of futility, which will be at least a decade entering the 2019 season. Amazingly, the NHL hasn’t had a string last longer than 8 years. (Well, maybe not so amazing with extended playoff teams in the NHL and NBA.) Of course, Minnesota and the 76ers are likely to break their runs, as well.

When Andrew Miller signed his four-year, $36 million contract with the Yankees prior to the 2015 season, that contract was considered a shocking luxury to rival executives, the kind of deal that only a big-market team could consider. Just a few years later, a $9 million annual salary is the going rate for a good reliever, paid this winter by the Phillies to Tommy Hunter (two years, $18 million), by the Rockies to Jake McGee and Bryan Shaw (both signing for three years, $27 million) and by the Rangers to Mike Minor (three years, $28 million, with an opportunity to start). ESPN.com

http://www.cnn.com/2018/01/05/politics/tru...tive/index.html Trump trails Obama in performance of stock market during their first years

QUOTE (wrathofhahn @ Jan 6, 2018 -> 01:27 AM) I don't think KC is crazy at all they would be crazy if they signed Hosmer but they don't have to have a huge payroll to rebuild. I think the problem is they are not getting prospects back. They have no farm. That is going prolong the rebuild if they can't get something for the future with the few assets they have. I mean the more I think about it the shopping of Hererra the shopping of Duffy. I mean I don't think KC front office are geniuses by any stretch but it's hard to see them committing to Hosmer for 150 million considering the makeup of the team. Makes no sense. Story is probably a boras plant. I think another part of the problem KC has is most of the guys are coming off down years. Duffy is really the only guy who could get them a significant package back. Hererra is coming off a down year makes like 9 million after arb and is a FA after this year. They are stuck with Gordon, Hammel, and Kennedy. They are still estimated to have around 120 million payroll after the move and looking to cut. If I'm the whitesox I follow up with Hererra. I mean he's a good bounceback candidate and won't cost a whole lot via trade because his salary and lack of term. Probably about the same as Soria some C- fringy prospect. As far as the Sox go I mean it sort of depends on how Hahn wants to play it. As of now I wouldn't be surprised to see Eloy remain in the minors he's ready but keeping him there to June gives an extra year of control it also gives the FO leverage in trade deals for OF already on the roster. Same goes for Kopach and the rest of them. In the meantime the team is going to bad and build up some losses. I think 70 wins would be optimistic. I mean remember you are also subtracting the talent they traded away. Q, Milk Man, Kahne, Jennings and Roberson from that group. Even Duffy doesn’t have ace value because of his injury history...they actually need to decide if they want to deal Sal Perez while he’s still close to peak. Then cut budget down like what the White Sox are doing and hope Strahm, Gordon, Soler, Cuthbert, Herrera, etc., recover some of their value. Too many blown high draft picks like Starling and Zimmer.

Greg has threatened to withdraw his MLB Extra Innings package more than any customer in the US. It’s kind of cute. If you follow message boards, you’d think NFL attendance and tv ratings were similar to MLS with how many are claiming they refuse to watch, buy jerseys or renew season tickets. Frankly, those broadcast deals are huge bargains if you consume sports regularly and enjoy following other teams/broadcasters.

Soria is living in the minds of some Sox fans as the original, prime of his career version. Same reason Yost kept going to him in high leverage despite all evidence to the contrary. Jack (Soria’s nickname) is simply a calculated risk. He’s been bedeviled by injuries the last five years. A velocity gain isn’t that meaningful because he’s losing movement and his FBs are flattening out more. There’s a decent chance he goes down to injury, about the same as the odds of flipping him for a Top 100-200 player if he reasserts himself as a dominant closer again. To me, the need for Avilan was the bigger element of the deal. KC is officially crazy. Last year proved they can’t win without a solid pen. No surprise. Herrera sucked and Strahm got hurt. Different situation when they could go Herrera, Wade Davis, then Holland. Overspending on Hosmer won’t do a thing besides get KC a #8 pick instead of #4 overall. Alex Gordon is toast. Sal Perez gets beat up more and more each year. Their bullpen is in shambles. Ventura died. Ian Kennedy hasn’t worked out. Sure, Mondesi, Bonifacio, Cuthbert, Soler, Merrifield, etc., could shock the world. Anything’s possible, why not? But the odds are higher of Kopech, Jimenez and Hansen leading the Sox to 85 wins this year...when almost everyone has them in the mid to high 60’s for victories.

McNabb, Eric Davis officially fired by ESPN https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nfl/2...ion/1008935001/

After his KKK remarks, Trump got on Marine One and spewed his actual beliefs while traveling. "Privately, he kept trying to rationalize why someone would be a member of the KKK—that is, they might not actually believe what the KKK believed, and the KKK probably does not believe what it used to believe," Wolff wrote. "And, anyway, who really knows what the KKK believes now? In fact, he said, his own father was accused of being involved with the KKK—not true. (In fact, yes, true.)." As Wolff notes, Trump’s father, Fred Trump, was arrested after a KKK riot in Queens, New York, in 1927. https://www.yahoo.com/news/trump-defended-k...-182219679.html

QUOTE (raBBit @ Jan 5, 2018 -> 12:22 PM) Shocking you respond to my post with a post that is completely unrelated to my question. No, it’s not. (And how much did Kobach’s Commission waste in tax dollars running down rampant/widespread voting fraud?) Where do you want to continue to cut from the Federal budget, in order to lower taxes? It’s that simple. I have no problem paying a fair amount of taxes. I simply don’t believe that the middle class should pay a higher actual/effective rate than the Top 2-3% or corporations who exploit loopholes, accountants, offshoring, lawyers and PAC contributions to pay far less. Do you? If you think that’s just the way it is, the American Way...so be it. I also don’t understand why we’re increasing weapons spending by huge amounts yet completely gutting the State Department. What is our strategy moving forward? Isolationism/America First or intervening with every foreign nation around the world by threatening to use force against them? To force China and Russia to work more closely together? Who is setting it? Trump? Or McMaster, Kelly and Mattis?

Reggie Lynch, Minnesota BB, second accusation

Washington (CNN)President Donald Trump has stepped up attacks against a new book by Michael Wolff about his campaign and the early days of his presidency, calling it "full of lies." Trump, in a Thursday night tweet, implored people to look at Wolff's past and referred to his former-adviser-turned-latest-target, Steve Bannon, as "Sloppy Steve." "I authorized Zero access to White House (actually turned him down many times) for author of phony book! I never spoke to him for book. Full of lies, misrepresentations and sources that don't exist. Look at this guy's past and watch what happens to him and Sloppy Steve!" the President tweeted. Following his father's tweet, Donald Trump Jr. chimed in on Bannon's nickname, tweeting, "I have a feeling #SloppySteve is going to go big. Branding gold." And within minutes of Trump's tweet, "Sloppy Steve" rose to the top of the list of trending terms in the U.S. on Twitter. www.cnn.com Personal cell phones banned from WH in effort to stop leaks https://www.yahoo.com/news/personal-cell-ph...-135241272.html Hard Push Underway to Oust Bannon From Breitbart http://money.cnn.com/2018/01/04/media/bann...bart/index.html

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/mich...e-house-1071504 2nd Installment of Wolff Book, this one from The Hollywood Reporter Probably even more damning than the first, longer excerpt.

Let's put it this way. He had three clean 8th inning leads in July and August (3-2, 8-7 and 4-3) and blew all of those key games. The most egregious example, though, was August 15th vs. the A's. Entered the 8th with a clean 8-4 lead (not even a save situation), managed to give up 4 runs and only recorded one out. That was the killer game in their season (think Thome vs. Matt Thornton). Lost 10-8. From July 8th through August 15th (15 outings), he had: 1 Loss (started the 9th clean with a 1-1 tie against BALT) 3 Blown Saves 1 Blown 4 run lead 5 Holds

Just look at his game logs for the 2nd half of 2017. http://www.espn.com/mlb/player/gamelog/_/i...88/joakim-soria From July 29th to August 15th, in 4 out of 7 important outings...he was terrible. Each of those were games KC had to win to stay in the division race (where Herrera was on the shelf/struggling as well). No, he wasn't terrible for MOST of the season, his overall stats look pretty decent. This is more of a Jake Peavy thing...where, when they really needed him to step up, he just couldn't get it done.

Frustrating to watch what we THOUGHT would be at least a contender for post-season at Iowa become a B10 doormat. We have a very young team, SOME quality pieces...but just not enough athleticism or defensive ability, especially on the perimeter. Just goes to show the value of a point guard, as Bohannon's ideally suited as a SG (too short) and can't cut off dribble drive penetration to save his life (leading to more zones, which opens up the perimeter to a 3 point barrage and lots of offensive rebounds, due to the failure to block out properly). Sucks, because McCaffrey has two kids who were expected to contribute, and we have one really good recruit (Weiskamp from Muscatine) for next year, but I'm almost ready to pull the plug yet again. Alford, Lickliter and McCaffrey have each failed to make the NCAA's as consistently as Dr. Tom Davis. By my count, it will only be 6 appearances over an 18 year stretch. Unacceptable, compared to the 70's (Lute Olson), 80's (George Raveling/Davis) and 90's (Davis/Alford). It's also frustrating to look at someone like Chris Beard with Texas Tech. You look at his background, the obscure schools he's coached, but he just comes in and wins everywhere he goes (now at KU, no mean feat). Yet it's so difficult to find a coach who can consistently win (and recruit) at Iowa. (Of course, Hoiberg was doing it at ISU, and Creighton has an extremely respectable program as well, so there shouldn't be any excuses with the resources available.)