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Well, it’s crunch time now: we’re into the final lap of the election and things are going to be intense for the next 8 weeks or so. But first, some personal business: one of our intrepid cast is sending his youngest child off to college. Is his purpose in life now over? We discuss. Then Mr. Flight 93 himself, Michael Anton joins to discuss his new book, The Stakes: America at the Point of No Return and to warn everyone that if Joe Biden wins, the country will turn into California (but without the weather, the beaches, and the surfing). For those of us who live in the Golden State, it’s a weird way to sell a book (it’s not that bad here), but hey, Michael’s gotta eat too. Then, something of a departure for America’s Most Beloved Podcast® — a sports segment! And if we’re going to do a sports segment, then we’re going to get one of the best in the business to help us. That would be the great Sally Jenkins — columnist for The Washington Post. We talk about college football, political activism in sports, and what’s it’s like to enter the family business when your dad was one of the all time legends. Finally, Nancy Pelosi gets a blowout and it blows up. Perfect.
Music from this week’s show: I’m Gonna Wash That Man Right Out of My Hair by Ella Fitzgerald
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So is Apple, Google, several car manufacturers, Hollywood, Walmart, Target, and many more. Which is the point Sally made in the column that I referenced in previous comments.
There’s no way to really know that, since millions of R voters don’t have syndicated columns and/or podcasts from which to announce them. The evidence of actual votes versus syndicated columns and podcasts, suggests that those sentiments – especially to the extent that someone believes Trump is so personally loathsome that it’s okay to ignore policies that they previously agreed with and better to have Biden or Harris or whoever “in charge” for at least four years and possibly into the foreseeable future – are largely reserved to a rather small “bicoastal elite.” Including “decorum conservatives” (a category which may not even exist outside the DC Beltway or BosNYWash or whatever) and whatever other sub-groups might be involved.
Folks, I feel like I’m getting repetitive, so here are my final thoughts on all of this: I try to book guests for this show that I think are interesting or will provide the basis for an interesting segment. What I don’t try to do is create the audio equivalent of comfort food: segments that confirm your beliefs or hagiographic portraits of politicians you may support (and contrary to popular belief, I don’t go out of my way to demonize them either).
The vast majority of our guest pool comes from the right, but occasionally I call on people I think are worthwhile from the center or even the left. For example, about a year ago, we had (then WaPo now, NYT) columnist Elizabeth Bruening –an actual Socialist– on the show and it was a lot of fun. We’ve had Mickey Kaus on regularly for years, although to be honest, I have no idea where he resides on the political spectrum anymore. But for sure, he’s not a Conservative.
Here’s what I do know: you are not going to catch a virus and your kids or loved ones aren’t going to be converted to Antifa by listening to the views of these guests. Yes, you may be annoyed by what you hear and it may make your heart race a bit. But hopefully, you’ll be challenged or maybe even learn something (or at least confirm something). And at the very least, you won’t be bored. That’s the goal, at least.
Thanks for listening. And for reading.
Yes, there actually is a tried and true method to know it. They’re called polls (also focus groups and good old fashioned reporting) and dozens of them are done every week all over the country. But you know that, you’re just being pedantic.
(Cue the “but the ’16 polls were wrong!” chest nut. No they weren’t — the showed a very close race at the end and that’s what we got).
To some people (clearly not you) ethics and personal behavior matter so much so that they trump tax cuts and judges. What a concept.
And if Trump loses suburban women and college educated voters nationally and that tips the EC to Biden, do you promise to never utter the phrase “bicoastal elite” ever again?
Didn’t think so.
So, Trump is so personally awful that it’s better to have Biden, Harris, and all of those? Because they’re NOT personally awful. Or, it’s irrelevant if THEY are personally awful, maybe even moreso than Trump, because THEY are not calling themselves “republicans.” (Perhaps at least one definition of the “decorum conservatives.”)
Brilliant.
Also, just because the stupidity originates with the “bicoastal elite” doesn’t mean it can’t spread to others who don’t have the mental acuity to overcome it on their own. I don’t claim that most people are above average, just the opposite. It’s the same way Democrats can dupe their voters too.
20% of professional athletes are registered to vote and I don’t see that number going up. Obama didn’t inspire you to vote but Biden/Kamala will?
LeBron should create a charter school or provide vouchers for poor families or both
The actual votes of actual professional athletes would be irrelevant even if they all voted. Not too long ago I was commenting on something about how “influential” the NBA was regarding race relations or something, and I found out that only something like 7,000 people have played in the NBA since it began, in 1946.
I remember Elizabeth Bruening — she was cordial and polite
I had the same reaction to her reference to 1968, which I also lived through as a child, though I confess the first Olympic Games I watched intently was the 1972 Munich Games. There’s also a big difference between 1968 and today, as Tommie Smith and John Carlos were immediately banned from all further Olympic participation. Very unlike the mollycoddling and capitulation to politics expressed in sports that goes on today.
Besides Seabiscuit, a book that might strike a chord is one that I enjoyed: The Sweet Season, by Austin Murphy. It isn’t perfect, but it’s very good, and it describes the lesser scheme: NCAA Division III athletics, the purest form of amateur competition.
Agree! Sally Jenkins is a welcome frequent guest on Tony Kornheiser’s podcast. While I don’t agree with her take on politics in sports, she’s right more often than wrong. She also excels at the Washington Post at crushing the arrogant, inept owner of the Washington Red-, uh, I’m sorry, FOOTBALL TEAM.
@blueyeti,
For the next sports segment, I nominate Jason Whitlock.
For the next covid segment, I nominate Michael Levitt.
My 0.000002 btc
MB
@peterrobinson – I see 2 great financial options for you
When I was a sophomore or junior at Oberlin College, Tommie Smith was the track coach. I don’t recall anything radical about him – I only remember watching him run – or maybe fly is a better word – around the track.
I’m looking forward to the cocktail podcast. I’ll offer up the first drink to try – heck, I wrote a post about it. @peterrobinson might have a special interest in this drink:
https://ricochet.com/440290/archives/a-new-cocktail-for-the-old-rite/
Cheers.
Sally was a great guest. We should have more segments about sports and culture. It’s healthy for Ricochet to expand beyond political punditry.
That’s for sure! Used to really love reading Jonah’s work and listening to him. Have seen him live a couple of times. But that was then. Now, he’s just a goofy old Scold.
https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2020/09/laurene-powell-jobss-ties-china-may-behind-insidious-trump-hit-piece-atlantic/
If you were China, why wouldn’t you bribe journalists? They are influential and cheap.
I suppose, but bribing one head of WHO probably costs less than several journalists.
Nah, journalists are a lot cheaper
Also, the single head of WHO could get hit by truck or get fired. Spreading out the journalism bribes reduces risk.
My, my, rather sensitive. I did start to listen and I did turn it off. Give me a break. Billie Jean King part of a civil rights movement? Hilarious. Here’s a syllogism for you, @blueyeti. If you work for a major newspaper like the Washington Post or the Star Tribune you are woke, even if you deny it. Sally works for the Washington Post, therefore…Comparing her to people on college campuses is an extraordinarily low bar. By the way, James proclaiming her to be the “greatest sportswriter in America” doesn’t help things either, especially when you come to find out it was the rest of the woke AP sportswriters who named her so. I live in the Twin Cities and actually work in the building right next to him in Minneapolis. His unwillingness to call his paper what it really is and his beloved city the dump it has been for a long time really diminishes his credibility.
When does that start? I just assumed once the opening banter with James, Peter, and Roberta was over the rest was all guests and the annoying and increasingly tedious ad spots. I really wish there was an option where subscribers don’t have to listen to James go on and on and on…
@blueyeti This is incredible. Are you related or what? If it walks like a talk and talks like a duck, it’s a…you know the rest. Appeal to authority is the weakest argument, by the way. Peter, I trust implicitly, but also know he is too much of gentleman to rain on the others’ parade very often. James and Rob are not so reliable. You I don’t know from Adam.
Sorry your feelings a hurt, @blueyeti. Reading an article posted by a fellow subscriber and hearing someone you’ve never heard of described as the greatest sportswriter in America is kind of a buzzkill when gearing up to listen to the weekly Ricochet podcast on my Saturday morning run and hardly counts as a “preconceived notion”. Just curious how long I have to actually listen to a guest before I am free to end the podcast.
Who’s going to tell him which newspaper James Lileks works for?
Can you point me to where I ever called her “the greatest sports writer in America? Because in the show description, I wrote she was “one of the best sports writers in America.” Which she is, based on the numerous awards and Pulitzer nominations she has won. And for the record, my feelings are not hurt. Not one bit.
So let’s recap: in the space of one comment, you misquoted me and your reporting on my feelings was inaccurate (you made an assumption without asking for a quote). Sally would never make a rookie mistake like that. 😁
From 30:00 to about 46:00 this is very interesting on China.
Michael Malice is wrong about Joe Biden supposedly being a nice guy that it’s hard to hate. Only if you don’t know much about him, probably from reading MSM coverage of Biden, rather than the truth.
It’s been a long time ago, but “going to the bathroom” at the elementary school I went to, wasn’t a big problem, because the 1st grade and maybe 2nd and 3rd grade classrooms, had bathrooms “in” the classroom. Nobody had to leave the classroom, to go to the bathroom. That might seem like a bad idea – embarrassing or something – to adults, especially “modern” adults. But for little kids, especially little kids who might even have a limited “holding capacity” for walking down the hall, it was no big deal.