Surprise, Surprise

I Tried to Warn You...

...but did you listen to me?

So you've got no one to blame but yourself if you lost 50 IQ points listening to this pander-palooza...

Can you spot the socialist? (It's a trick question.)

Predictably (thanks in part to the relatively mild questions that were put to the candidates--something moderator Anderson Cooper promised beforehand), nothing new was said last night, and the dynamic of the "race," such as it is, remained unchanged.

No one was quite sure why Lincoln Chafee was running even before last night's debate, and after seeing his inept performance the only explanation for his presence is the DNC's desire to convince voters that Hillary had to "fight" for the nomination by defeating multiple challengers, that the nomination wasn't simply handed to her. That, and Chafee's insufferable ego.

Jim Webb is wildly out of step with the voters of his preferred party, which is a shame. Once upon a time, Democrats made room for someone like Webb. They don't anymore, and I'm surprised he wasn't actually booed on the stage.

Pandering nitwit Martin O'Malley is most likely angling for the VP spot on what he assumes will be Hillary's successful ticket. He certainly didn't look or sound like someone willing to take her on as a candidate. He appeared to expect thunderous applause with his line about this country needing a "green revolution." Instead...

Bernie Sanders argues forthrightly for an idiotic ideology. No matter how "kindly" he seems, there is no denying that what he wants is a radically less free and less prosperous America.

And Hillary? She did what she always does: She laughed, waved her hands, dissembled like mad, and counted on not getting asked any truly challenging questions. She's got her "I've already answered these questions" dodge polished to a mirror-like shine, and her lawyerly evasions ("I'm being as transparent as I know how to be") seem to fool her fans easily. She even got bailed out on the matter of the criminal investigation into her email shenanigans by one of her so-called "opponents"! The progressive liberal media (but I repeat myself) has already launched the narrative about what a triumph last night was for her.

She did say one interesting thing, though. Referring to FDR's famous line about being "proud" of the enemies he had made in his career, the moderator asked each candidate to name the enemies they were proudest to have made. Hillary Clinton said: "Republicans." Then she laughed, as the audience applauded.

Please keep that in mind every time this black-eyed skank talks about how "divisive" and "hateful" and "un-American" Republicans are as the campaign unfolds...

"Sure, I'm evil personified, but you should vote for me anyway because uterus!"

Things That Make Me Happy: Playoffs Edition

No matter what else happens in this season's baseball playoffs, this was fun to watch...

A rarer sight than Halley's Comet.

The Chicago Cubs defeated the St. Louis Cardinals 6-4 yesterday afternoon at Wrigley Field, winning their NLDS series 3 games to 1. It was the first time the Cubs have ever won a postseason series on their home field. My beloved Kansas City Royals have had several occasions for such celebrations on their home field over the years, including last year's American League Wild Card game, followed by the ALDS series with the California Angels, and culminating with the ALCS against the Baltimore Orioles, all of which ended well in front of delirious hometown fans. Good for the Cubs for delivering that thrill to their long-suffering fans.

The Cubs now await the winner of the Mets-Dodgers NLDS, which is tied at 2-2. The decisive Game 5 will be played in Los Angeles on Thursday.

And for the first time in five seasons, the Cardinals will not be involved in the NLCS...

"Tell the truth. You danced when the Cardinals were eliminated, didn't you?"

I did not...but only because my legs were too sore to do a proper Irish jig...

TMI: Technology Edition

From the wonderfully droll comic strip Zits, by Jerry Scott and Jim Borgman, which you should read every day, as I do.

Housekeeping

Just a reminder that when you come across a hot link (like this one) in the text or even in a header, you should probably click on it. A lot of the fun (and much of the useful information) depends on clicking at least some of those links.

I also wanted to remind you that comments are always welcome. Agree or disagree, I would love to hear from you!

Until Next Time...

On October 14, 1977 I was a few weeks into my first year as a classroom teacher, and about four months removed from the death of my first wife. When I heard on the news that Bing Crosby had passed away at age 74, it hit me pretty hard because Crosby had been a big part of my childhood. He was my parents' favorite male vocalist, and of course he was enormously popular with Irish Catholics thanks to his portrayal of Father Chuck O'Malley in Going My Way and The Bells of St. Mary's. Crosby won the Academy Award for Best Actor in the first film, and was nominated for the second, making him the first actor ever nominated for playing the same character in two different films (a feat subsequently accomplished by Peter O'Toole, Al Pacino, Paul Newman, and Cate Blanchett).

Thanks to my parents' enthusiasm for music as I was growing up, I got to hear a lot of male vocalists, including Dean Martin, Frank Sinatra, Tony Bennett, etc. But Crosby was king. There was just something about his voice, and his style, that really moved my parents (and grandparents), and their enthusiasm transferred to me. There are still any number of Crosby songs that can reduce me to a blubbering wreck, but by far the all-time champion in that category is his rendition of "Danny Boy."

Practically the national anthem for Irish Catholics, "Danny Boy" is a poem that was matched with the popular instrumental folk song "Londonderry Air" early in the 20th century. If I had a dollar for every artist who has recorded a version since then I could stop playing Powerball. I actually have more than a dozen versions in my iTunes collection, and they are all beautiful and moving. Bing Crosby's version, though, will always be special to me because it is the only record I knew of growing up that could make both my mother and her mother cry. And I knew it brought a lump to my dad's throat, too, though he'd never admit it...

Today's send-off pairs Bing's 1941 recording of the song (for his Merry Christmas album, released in 1945) with various images of the Emerald Isle. Requiescat in pace, Bing...