Me and Davey Johnson

In October of 1969, the New York Mets were transfigured into the Miracle Mets by winning the World Series against the vaunted Baltimore Orioles of Frank and Brooks Robinson (no relation), Boog Powell, and Jim Palmer.  The series ended after only 5 games when Orioles 2^nd baseman Davey Johnson lofted a lazy fly ball into the mitt of Cleon Jones standing just in front of the left field 371 ft. mark.  Cleon caught Johnson’s ball and went to one knee, partly in relief and partly in a prayer of thanksgiving.

A Cleon Jones-signed black and white photo of him catching that Davey Johnson pop up hangs on my man cave wall.  It signifies that miracles can come true in this world.

In 1986, the same Davey Johnson was then manager of Mets, no longer a surprise team, but one expected to win.  Davey had young talent (Dwight Gooden and Darryl Strawberry) and productive veteran leadership (Keith Hernandez and Gary Carter), and he molded these elements into a baseball juggernaut, winning 116 games that season (including the playoffs).  The 1986 season and that Davey Johnson team is best remembered for a slow roller up along first that went “BEHIND THE BAG!” as Bill Buckner stood in shock and awe at his error.  Game 6.

A Buckner-Mookie Wilson signed color photo of that ground ball scooting down the first base fair line hangs on my man cave wall.  It signifies that John McNamara should have made a defensive replacement in the bottom of the 10^th inning, but also that miracles can come true in this world (and nothing in life is guaranteed, especially for Red Sox fans).

The 1969 Mets World Championship defined my youth, and the 1986 Mets defined my young adulthood.  Both moments shared Davey Johnson as a common thread.

Today in 2012, Davey Johnson is again at the center of my sports universe.  His team, the Washington Nationals, is my adopted team.  They have the best record in baseball this season; they have the best pitching staff in the game; they have young talent and productive veteran leadership.  Most of all, they have Davey Johnson, and when Davey Johnson enters my realm, miracles happen.

Should this baseball season conclude with Washington on the top of the major league mountain, it will again be an unforgettable sports moment for me with Davey at its center.  I’m starting to trust that guy. 

If Davey had coached the 1994 New York Rangers to the Stanley Cup instead of egomaniac Mike Keenan, this story of mine would have an even more perfect ending, but how much can you hope for in one sports lifetime?

I’ll settle for the first baseball championship in Washington, DC since 1924.  Any miracles left, Davey?  I have room left on my man cave wall for one more autographed championship photo.

The High Ground

Politics can be so cruel sometimes.  Small situations can be blown out of proportion.  I, however, will not fall prey to the base instincts of some partisan political commentators who invent faux outrage to advance their candidate.  I can rise above that.  

For example, I do not think it should be highlighted that Mitt Romney held a campaign event Monday evening at a Miami juice shop owned by a convicted cocaine trafficker.  That would imply guilt by association, and that should be beneath our dignity in a civil society.  If Mitt Romney chooses to appear at El Palacio de los Jugos, which is owned by Reinaldo Bermudez, a man who pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute cocaine in 1999 and served three years in federal prison, that is his right.  It is not even worth reporting so I will refrain.

Some could try to smear Mitt Romney and Sen. Marco Rubio (he was there, too) by insinuating without saying directly that there must be an illicit connection between the candidate and a known drug pusher.  This would be completely unfair and I will not join in the cynical mob mentality.  Romney was filming a campaign ad at the juice shop, aides said, so how mysterious could this clear connection to the convicted Miami drug lord be?

The Romney campaign didn't immediately respond to a request for comment. Phone calls placed by The Associated Press to the juice shop weren't answered, and there is no reason these questions should be answered.  No one should be asking them in the first place.  So let me be the first to say that no one should ask about Romney’s benefactor and close confidante or the massive shipments of cocaine that he smuggled onto our shores for kids to snort.  That kind of stuff is off limits in my book.

Bermudez told the Miami New Times that "Here in Miami there are a lot people with money who have had problems with the law.  Thankfully, we all have the opportunity in this country to re-enter society when we've done something wrong**."  That’s the message that we should focus on – people with money and drug convictions should be allowed to support the candidate of their choice, and even run for the Presidency regardless of past drug use and distribution.  That’s a message of inclusion.  Frankly, any attempt to tie Bermudez’ conviction to Romney and his ‘alleged’ tax evasion and ‘alleged’ tax fraud is just plain wrong.  I denounce it!

In media reports in November 1997, Bermudez was identified as one of 12 people accused in a Colombian drug smuggling operation. The arrests followed a seven-month investigation led by the FBI and U.S. Customs and Border Protection.  Agents seized about 2,850 pounds of cocaine at three South Florida ports over several months.

Agents first seized 430 pounds of cocaine at the Port of Palm Beach in July 1997 and then 117 pounds in late September at the Port of Miami. Those shipments were concealed in containers filled with fish imported from Trinidad, an island in the south Caribbean. The largest and final seizure came in late October at Port Everglades, where officials found 2,304 pounds of cocaine in a container of soap imported from Venezuela.

These are the kind of sordid details that have nothing to do with Romney’s plan to fundamentally reshape America.  The implication that Romney relies on a seedy criminal element to fund his campaign should be ignored.  If anything, he is unequivocally on record against redistribution, and I assume that includes grams of white powder.

I will do my part in cleaning up the political discourse.  I will not take advantage of Romney’s choice in associates.  Let the man run on his own merits, and not be judged by the criminals that surround him.  It’s the least I can do. 

  

** - As a convicted felon, Bermudez wouldn't be eligible to vote in Florida unless the governor and the Cabinet restore his rights, but I have a feeling Republican Governor Rick Scott will be filled with compassion and the spirit of leniency in this case.

Independents Shrugged

Ayn Rand, the L. Ron Hubbard of the conservative movement, wrote Paul Ryan’s favorite book, Atlas Shrugged, in 1957.  Atlas Shrugged turns the concept of class warfare on its’ head by telling the sad story of the abuse and victimization of the creative and entrepreneurial class at the hands of the lazy moochers in the working class.  In her fictional tale, business owners and entrepreneurs go on strike to demonstrate that they are sick and tired of supporting everybody else in society through their efforts.  It is a manifesto that preaches vigilance against the jackbooted thuggery of a top Federal income tax rate of 39.6%, like we had during the economic depression of the Clinton years.  

 

Just as L. Ron Hubbard gave birth to a zealous religious following with his novel Battlefield: Earth, Rand has mothered a cult of believers who hold that her romance story is a cautionary tale about a government overrun by Democrats and Obamalytes.   Her religion would argue that feudal lords were oppressed by the serfs who demanded land for planting, plantation owners were oppressed by the slaves who demanded freedom of movement, and industry titans were oppressed by a government that demanded laborers have a safe working environment.  In her world, we owe homage to these providers and should be thankful for whatever pittance we are granted, lest these leaders take their economic ball and go home.  Any attempt to limit the damage that one group can inflict on another distorts the perfect marketplace where all is purified as Darwin predicted, although I am told that Darwin’s writings are theories only.

Newly minted Vice-Presidential candidate Paul Ryan believes so strongly in the book’s message of a coming reverse class warfare that each intern for the congressman receives a copy of the book for Christmas.  He insists that his acolytes indoctrinate themselves in the message that workers and like rabble with demands are “moochers”, and government regulations punish and discourage wealth creation.  The poor have it too easy in Ryan World, and his interns need to learn that lesson early and often. 

Reality has never supported this extreme Ayn Rand/Paul Ryan fantasy world, but it does make for an entertaining read.  America was not relegated onto the ash heap of history after the passage of the Fair Labor Standards Act in 1937.  Business creation did not end with the passage of the Americans With Disabilities Act during the Bush 41 administration.  Unemployment insurance has had less impact on the public work ethic than the proliferation of shows like Jersey Shore. 

  

The problem with cults is there is little room for middle ground or nuances opinions.  In Paul Ryan’s Atlas Shrugged inspired world view, you are either part of his solution or part of the problem.  The rich are victims.  Ignorance is strength.  War is peace.  And now, he would aspire to be a heartbeat away from the Presidency.  Paul Ryan’s Atlas Shrugged religious values bother me more than Obama’s imaginary Muslim beliefs, and we should consider Ryan’s allegiance to this book’s teachings when entering the polling station in the fall. 

    

Make no mistake.  Paul Ryan is an effective politician (if not a legislator – in 13 years in office, he has proposed and passed two bills, one of which was renaming a post office), savvy in interviews, well-spoken in public debates.  Democrats would do well not to underestimate his skills.  He is not Michelle Bachmann.  While he has less executive experience than the last GOP VP nominee Sarah Palin, and less real world working experience than the last Democratic presidential nominee, Barack Obama, he is inexplicably considered presidential timber.  Perception in politics is reality, so Romney did not blow it with his choice.  There were far worse options for Romney, and the list is long with pretenders and wackos who think they deserved consideration.  Paul’s greatest qualification is that most of the public has never heard of him, and with only 10 weeks until Election Day, that’s a plus. 

   

Romney’s choice of Ryan, besides pleasing fans of Presidential ticket naming alliteration, was a clear nod to the Far Right base of his party, a skeptical base that required reassurance that Mitt is as “severe” a conservative as he said he was a few months ago (he does tend to change his positions).  Unfortunately, in bending over for the party’s base, independent voters may shrug, and may decide not to hold him up on their shoulders come November 6^th.  Time will tell.

As I have said before, Romney never really scared me all by himself.  Romney with a Republican Congress scares me, and now he has chosen to marry himself to the ideological extreme of the least popular Congress in history.  That to me is scarier than Atlas taking the world off of his shoulders for a few minutes of rest, regardless of what Ayn Rand thinks.   

Love and Politics

After a long and exhaustive vetting process, the choice of running mate has finally been made.  Now it is up to the public to decide if the right choice has been made.

There were many suitors along the way for the job.  Each had qualities that would have enhanced the popularity of the top of the ticket.  Each would bring valuable assets to the arrangement.  To earn the nod, you had to be your own person, with your own accomplishments, but yet not overshadow the real star of the show.  Now that the announcement has been made, it is clear that this selection was not about money, religious compatibility, or looks alone (although it helps to look good in official photos).  Personal chemistry trumped all other considerations.

Now it is the public’s turn to vet the selection, and we can expect the media to dig up as much dirt as possible.  We can expect months of unflattering stories, embarrassing pictures, and former friends to appear on the Today Show, Entertainment Tonight, and maybe even 60 Minutes.  The quest for information and disinformation will seem endless, but that’s how our democracy functions.  We can only hope that it will be a healthy debate and that everyone’s personal privacy will be respected. 

 

Jennifer Aniston has selected Justin Theroux as her life running mate.  While Jennifer’s unfavorable have come down slightly since the announcement, we’ll see how long the bounce lasts.  Already there are reports that the other campaign of Pitt-Jolie is planning a quick wedding to temper any enthusiasm in the Aniston-Theroux camp.   We’re in for a long fall season.

Politics and romance are dirty businesses.  I like to watch.

Off the Grid

It has been 11 days since my last MSRP post, so it should come as no surprise that I took an unpublicized vacation.  The family and I enjoyed a few sun-soaked days at the beach in North Carolina where even a few bouts of rain were not enough to dampen the joy of not working.  As you Fin Fans are surely aware, “Weather is here, wish you were beautiful.”  I was mentally off the grid, and it was good.

Every day meant beach time, and every evening meant watching the XXX Games (the clean XXX Games, not the other kind featured after 11 PM nightly on Cinemax, check your local listings you pervert).  Sitting unplugged in front of the world class competition was freeing.  The half-naked athletes did all the work while I sat half naked drinking cold beer and room temperature aloe vera.  That required very little work from me, as it should be on vacation.  Carmelita Jeter had one heck of a six-pack, but my six-pack was pretty tasty in its own right.

My companions in the living room however were not content to sit idly in front of the Olympics and become part of the furniture.  They needed some juice.  They needed some spice, the kind of flavor you can only get with a reliable wi-fi connection.  They all sat in silence with their faces buried in their personal electronic devices while Phelps swam, Giffords danced, and Bolt bolted.  My daughter had her iPhone humming.  My son had his iTouch buzzing.  My wife had her iPad burning.  My brother and sister-in-law had their dueling pads crackling. 

    

In their defense, they were interacting with one another – silently, through words games that held no interest for me.  They were actually interacting with unseen others, too.  The multiple computer games were being fought in cyberspace with absent family members who were also not giving their full attention to the Olympics.  In effect, everyone else in the room was more interactive and social than I was staring at the one-directional TV screen.  My daughter could quietly text my brother-in-law that his word choice was pathetic, weak and only worth 12 points.  I could not let Bob Costas know in real time that his striped tie selection with his plaid shirt was offensive.  They were engaged in participatory behavior.  I was apparently lonely but didn’t know it.

This knowledge did not stop me from raising my nose in tipsy superiority at my family’s technological addictions on this particular vacation. 

I am certain that my parents would have condemned my insistence on staring at the TV during an evening of vacation when instead I could have been outside “doing something”.  Now the tables have turned, and I am condemning my family for “doing something” when they could instead be sitting with me staring at the TV “doing nothing”.  Am I the only one who understands what vacation is really all about?

Next year for the first time ever, the term “Internet Use Disorder” will appear in the index of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders.  Based on my recent vacation, I will not be pictured in this medical volume above the caption “IUD Sufferer in his Natural Habitat”.  I cannot say the same for my poor family.

For their sake, I think they need to stop being slaves to these electronic devices and watch some TV with me, at least until Television Use Disorder becomes an official diagnosis.  That should happen right around the invention of Smell-a-vision.  

When Smell-a-vision is finally commercially available, that’s when I’ll skip the Summer Olympics on TV and get myself a smartphone.  Who wants to watch Olympic dressage on a Smell-a-vision?  If that’s a choice, I’ll happily challenge anyone to a friendly game of Words With Friends.   

The War on Chicken

Two competing perspectives on the Chick-fil-A Appreciation Day:

Fox News News Crawl:

Hundreds of thousands of real Americans flocked to local Chick-fil-A restaurants yesterday to demonstrate their solidarity with the company’s embattled owner and show the overwhelming public support for traditional marriage and wholesome American values.

MSNBC News Crawl:

Over 99% of Americans refused to eat at Chick-fil-A yesterday to demonstrate their solidarity with embattled same sex couples and show the overwhelming public support for gay marriage and progressive American values.

********************************************************************************

My daughter was hungry after dance class last night.  I was driving her home, it was late and she had a very restrictive list of foods that would satisfy.  Chick-fil-A was nearby, and we had just enough cash.

As we pulled into the parking lot, I realized that a quick trip through the drive-thru was not to be.  It was Chick-fil-A Appreciation Day, and every Bible thumper from Stafford to Manassas was lined up to praise the Lord and nibble some chicken breasts in honor of heterosexuality.  Unfortunately when my daughter asked about why the restaurant was so crowded, I told her.  That wasn’t the unfortunate part.  The unfortunate part was that I shared my personal opinion about the deep fried controversy.

If I am misinformed, please let me know:

The owner of Chick-fil-A was quoted in a religious publication as saying that he believed in the Biblical definition of marriage (i.e. the one man, one woman part, not all the other parts that describe marriage in less than flattering terms).  Once his opinion became public, the mayors of Chicago and Boston spoke out against the company, and the mayor of Boston went so far as to attempt a ban of Chick-fil-As in his town.  In addition, same-sex couples around the country plan a kiss-in at the restaurants for Friday.

As far as I know, the owner did not cancel the health plan of known homosexuals, he didn’t refuse to hire or serve suspected gays, and he did not advocate for company sponsored protests at military funerals.  All he did, from what I have heard, is express his opinion on same sex marriage.  This could be cause to boycott Chick-fil-A as a way to keep this gentleman from making more money that he can turn around and donate to like-minded politicians.  This is not a cause to ban the opening of his restaurants in a major metropolitan area.

Hey, liberals, here’s a thought – the Far Right creates imaginary martyrs all by themselves all the time.  You don’t need to provide them with any real martyrs.  The owner of Chick-fil-A is on wrong side of history, but a city government refusing to allow him to open a location for merely expressing that belief, without a tangible discriminatory act, is heavy handed, unnecessary, and dumb.

Don’t eat at Chick-fil-A.  Fine.  Kiss inside a Chick-fil-A.  Fine.  Picket with rainbow placards.  Fine.  Restrict access to the most delicious chicken nuggets in the fast food industry?  Never!

Personally, I like that the place is closed on Sundays regardless of the reasoning.  It’s worker friendly, and frankly, more places should be closed on Sundays.  Whether you believe the Bible or not, we could all use a day of rest.  And we certainly need a day of rest from the War on Chicken.

The Right is right on this one.  Don’t get me wrong – I probably will be less likely to eat at Chick-fil-A knowing that the profits are funding causes I cannot support.  But ban the restaurants?  I won’t go there, and neither should you.

The Real Fraud

At what point can we call the current rush to require state issued photo IDs at all polling stations for the 2012 election what it actually is – a solution in search of a problem?

Republicans believe that they have a winning argument to disenfranchise thousands of would-be voters, specifically those who live on the margins of society with the softest voices in national affairs.  “Why wouldn’t we demand a photo ID to vote?  You need a photo ID to buy beer.  Isn’t voting at least as important?”  Try to ignore for the moment that voting is a right, not a privilege.

The GOP seems content to hang their hats on this line of reasoning, since it is clear that they have all but given up arguing that voter fraud exists in any statistically significant way in the states.  Pennsylvania Secretary of the Commonwealth Carole Aichele, testified during the state trial on their controversial voter ID law that she wasn’t sure about the details of the law, which she probably should before the trial started.

“I don’t know what the law says,” Aichele said under questioning.  I guess even after it passed, she still doesn’t know what’s in it.

Aichele also couldn’t provide any evidence that 99 percent of voters already have a valid form of ID, as the state has claimed.  

The commonwealth of Pennsylvania went even further than Ms. Aichele in her testimony.  The state has agreed not to argue that there is any evidence of in-person voter impersonation fraud.  They’ve formally acknowledged that there’s been no reported in-person voter fraud in Pennsylvania and there isn’t likely to be in November.  Doesn’t that undercut the need for the law?  

Their statement explicitly acknowledges that there “have been no investigations or prosecutions of in-person voter fraud in Pennsylvania; and the parties do not have direct personal knowledge of any such investigations or prosecutions in other states.”  In plain English, that means that the state admits that the voter fraud issue is a Right Wing Fantasy. 

The agreement goes on to state that Pennsylvania “will not offer any evidence in this action that in-person voter fraud has in fact occurred in Pennsylvania and elsewhere” and will not argue “that in person voter fraud is likely to occur in November 2012 in the absence of the Photo ID law.”  Great.  The state admits it has passed a law with no positive impact anticipated.

Pennsylvania isn’t the only commonwealth to give up the pretext that rampant voter fraud exists, therefore must be addressed by restrictive new laws that disproportionately impact those voters who traditionally swing Democratic.

Here in Virginia, the Richmond Times-Dispatch reports that officials have prosecuted 39 cases of voter fraud out of the approximately 3.7 million votes cast in the 2008 election. The newspaper said that a majority of the 39 cases resulted in convictions and an additional 26 cases were still being investigated. 

One problem: the type of voter fraud that allegedly took place — namely, felons voting when they shouldn’t have been — wouldn’t have been prevented by the proposed voter ID law.  The felons who voted didn’t pretend to be someone else at the polling stations.  They were just ineligible.  The ID solution would not address this problem. 

Nonetheless, the GOP will continue to bang this drum until it hurts.   RNC chair Reince Priebus claimed earlier this summer that voter fraud by Democrats is so rampant in Wisconsin that Republican candidates "need to do a point or two better than where we think we need to be, to overcome it."  Governor Walker made a nearly identical claim weeks earlier.

Never mind that "one or two points" in an election where 3 million people cast ballots would amount to between 30,000 and 60,000 fraudulent votes, and a year-long, in-depth investigation into the 2008 election in twelve Wisconsin counties by the then state's Republican Attorney General netted just 20 charges.  Of those 20 charges, only two individuals were charged after the 2008 elections with committing the kind of in-person "voter fraud" that stricter identification requirements might prevent.

The courts may be the last chance to stop this madness.   A Wisconsin court has declared that the state's new voter ID restrictions placed an unconstitutional burden on the right to vote.  Pennsylvania may do the same.  Darn activist judges protecting the right to vote at the expense of the rights of job creators!

So in person voter fraud does not occur in any significant fashion; the laws being proposed and passed negatively impact some groups in favor of others; the laws as written will not reduce the perceived problem…so that begs the question: why is it so important to the GOP right now?

It helps stop Democratic leaning voters from making their voices heard on Election Day.  There is no other answer.

As Jamelle Bouie wrote:

Voter-identification laws have a hugely disproportionate effect on minorities, young people, the elderly, and the poor. These are the people most likely to live at the margins of American life, and as such, the least likely to have access to proper identification. They’re also targets for other conservative attacks—on the welfare state, on public education, and on income security for retirees. All of this is evidence that Republicans are preparing for a period of zero-sum politics, where—in a world of slow growth—both sides fight to maintain their share of a shrinking pie. It’s “job creators” versus everyone else.

Lord knows, fraud has existed throughout the history of the republic.  I can’t say for certain that Lyndon Johnson would have ever won an election in Texas without it.  Photo IDs would not have prevented him from fixing those results in his favor.  He had other tricks that moved hundreds of numbers at a time.  In person voter fraud is quite frankly a terribly inefficient way to steal an election.  Voter suppression is much more effective and efficient, as the GOP is clearly aware by their recent legislative actions.

The voting process must be completely free of fraud and the appearance of fraud.  This is critical to provide elected officials with legitimacy in office.  In order to achieve that goal, the rights of voters cannot be infringed.  It might help if we attacked other potential risks to the voting process, like lost ballots, miscounts, computer virus attacks and the like.  A singular focus on IDs and a rush to implement them smells fishy to me.  It should to you, too.

At what point can we call the current rush to require state issued photo IDs at all polling stations for the 2012 election what it actually is – a solution to the problem of the GOP losing Pennsylvania, Ohio and Florida in November?