It has been a close week for who was doing worse: the NFL, Romney's campaign or the world in general. I'd have to give it to the NFL for the sheer incompetence with everyone involved but Romney's constant gaffe machine and a planet eager for war came close for winning the top prize. But let us look at what EVERYONE is talking about and the TERRIBLE state of the NFL and how it is a snapshot for everything that is wrong with this country.
I don't watch as much football since I stopped betting on games, as my attempt to use statistical analysis to predict games turned out to be a dismal failure. There are too many variables to account for and as a result, I lost more than I won. However, I still watch the Patriots play in almost every game they are in and the occasional televised Redskins games who have been stuck in permanent twilight since they last won the Super Bowl in the early 90's.
In all the years I have watched football, I have never seen officiating as bad as these past games and after the blown call in the Seahawks/Packers matchup, it now seems everyone but the owners and the commissioner of the NFL have had it. Bar owners are warning about patrons becoming violent from the terrible calls, coaches are in open revolt and the players are debating taking a knee on every play in protest.
Yet, the strike from the refs continues on. Here's the funny part: the owners have backed themselves into such a proverbial corner that the refs have all the power now. If I were in negotiations with the owners I would be asking for even more money as if a settlement isn't done soon, the owners stand to lose everything and Commissioner Goddell his job. More importantly, bookies are losing their shirts over this, some even giving refunds as the calls have so influenced the game that many are calling it quits like I did some time ago in betting. A billion dollar industry is being affected by this strike and, sooner or later, someone is going to get killed over this. Some unbalanced individual is going to have enough, and these days there's a lot of people who are not playing with a full deck, and some ref or owner or even the Commissioner is going to find himself staring down the barrel of a gun and wonder how it all went so wrong.
All of this shows exactly what corporate America is doing to us all. The owners said " Why pay refs top dollar when anyone can do it?" Then they hired people totally unqualified for the work and wondered how everything went to hell in a handbasket. You can call this the Circuit City Rule. The failed big box store fired all their employees, hired people at half their salary and the company collapsed as sales plummeted in the same time period. Why is it we need to pay top dollar for CEO's who suck at their job while simultaneously lowering salaries for everyone else? The end result has been a race for the bottom in many industries. The music industry is hanging on by the fingernails, Congress's approval is in low single digits, and most businesses being run these days are by people with zero experience and trust me, it shows. Yet, it still continues, even though it is bankrupting this country. When both sides of the political aisle agree that it is time for the refs to come back to work, you know you've done something terrible to make these two sides agree about anything.
Meanwhile, Romney continues to speak and his polling numbers are in freefall. Here's a man so ill at ease in speaking that his contradicts himself within days of his original statement. On September 17th he spoke to the crowds about how he hates redistribution and how Obama is a socialist for doing so then on September 23rd spells out a tax plan that does just that by taking money from rich people and giving to the poor. A few weeks back, Romney said he shouldn't be president if he paid even one dollar more on his taxes then he should of. When he released his taxes it turns out he didn't claim two million in taxes, most likely a scam to say he never paid less than 13% tax. Last week, Romney talked about poor people stealing money by using the emergency room without paying for it and then suggested just the other day that that action is perfectly fine and is why we don't need to fix the medical system. WTF?
His latest gaffe is about how he doesn't understand why planes don't have roll down windows in case of emergency. His staff has said it was joke but considering how bad his statements have been of late, it's hard to tell and there in lies the problem with his whole campaign. First, if this was a joke, stop telling jokes. YOU SUCK AT IT! Plus, as you have been a constant source of material for people like myself, it's hard to tell when you are being funny and when you are being obtuse. My bet is still on obtuse.
This is causing Romney's numbers to plummet as more and more people are paying attention now and thinking "Holy Crap, this guy can never be president or we will all die in a fiery wreck." The GOP propaganda machine and even the MSM are both saying the race is much closer than it is for very different reasons. The GOP doesn't want people staying home and not voting as they stand to lose all branches of power and the MSM wants ratings for a horse race that may already be over.
Every swing state is now leaning Obama, including as of today, North Carolina. Ohio, PA, Michigan and Wisconsin are in double digits and states like Virgina, Florida, Iowa and Nevada are all in the four to five point range. Worse for the GOP, House and Senate polls show a distinct movement toward democrats as people have had it with the extreme right and their ultra-exclusionary policies. When all you cater to is old, rich, white guys, you stand to lose in every election.
The race here in MA has gotten ugly, with Scott Brown proving to be a bigger dick than I thought possible. I used to not hate the man but, with what I am about to tell you, he has officially entered FU territory. Yesterday a group of Brown STAFFERS got caught on tape doing the Tomahawk chop and making Indian whooping noises (how racist is that) at a Warren rally. Are these same individuals going to show up in black face when Obama comes to town? Brown disavowed the Staffers and then went on to slam Warren on her alleged Native American heritage. This was a giant misstep by Brown that echoed Romney slamming Obama after the Libyan consulate attack. There is a time for politics and a time to acknowledge a problem. This was NOT the time to play politics but to distance yourself from the mob. I sincerely hopes he loses and anyone voting for Brown at this point should just shoot themselves already because I am so tired of this nonsense. Nobody cares about Warren's roots. I care about how she has been fighting for the little guy her whole life. We need more people like her and less like Brown. I have a feeling this action may damage his campaign, hopefully beyond repair.
A quick note about the Middle East with word that the Muslim Brotherhood is looking to topple the Jordain monarchy with protests to begin around October 10th. The Saudis are said to be worried about the rise of militant Islam which is ironic because their Wahhabi faith is one of the driving factors in this happening. Demonize a group long enough (the Jews ad the US) and, sooner or later, the mob may turn on you as well. With Iran hell bent on a nuke, Syria in collapse and Islam sweeping the area, a full confrontation is just around the corner.
No comments:
Post a Comment