The Beast

One of my favorite sites, https://thebulwark.com, had articles declaring Trump as being toast and then other perspectives came on saying otherwise. Where do you think the polls could be wrong and where do you worry that people won’t vote? I’m not saying you’re wrong, just curious.

I guess I would also add that I don’t want to see a majority progressive Democratic Party like I don’t want to see a mostly Trumpian Republican Party. The current Democratic congress is mostly left of center but there are more progressives being elected. It would seem that a party with balance would be better at advancing initiatives we have discussed. I still don’t understand why they didn’t pass that Gang of Eight bill, unless Boehner just didn’t want to give Obama a win.

Let me try and clarify. Since the Democrats lost control of the Senate, McConnell has blocked most legislation that has come to his desk and a Supreme Court nominee. The house also was controlled by republicans during the time when the Gang of Eight’s immigration bill was being considered. Since 2019, bills have sat on McConnell’s desk and didn’t get considered. Since 2018, Democrats in Illinois have had a supermajority and have passed lots of tax reforms, but haven’t considered any structural debt reforms for unfunded liabilities. For example, pension reforms haven’t been mentioned and Madigan wouldn’t entertain these (he is another issue since he has been in power forever and he can’t be term limited). Going back to health care, I watched the all of the Democratic primary debates and the arguments for expanding the ACA and Medicare for All. My understanding is the same as yours in that the Individual Mandate was originally something Romney passed in MA, and I believe framework of the ACA might have been a Heritage Foundation proposal. The issue that I have with the more progressive health care plan is the cost, the lost of many jobs across the health insurance industry and collectively bargained health care plans that would be lost with a government plan. I guess from my standpoint, I don’t like how the progressive wing of the Democratic Party and the Freedom caucus and people like Mitch McConnell don’t really leave much room for negotiations or bipartisan legislation when some bills prove it is possible as do people like Joe Biden. I don’t like how in my local example, one party can control for decades and ignore reforms that are badly needed to make retirement benefits fair for taxpayers and retirees. Perhaps I want to see incremental change in some areas (health care) and more reform in other areas (immigration, climate change) and a balance (balanced budgets) but I just don’t feel it is possible with one side in power (like in Illinois) or with the wings of the spectrum (like the ones I have mentioned) to get things done.

True, but wouldn’t it be nice if we were governed by centrists and leave the polarization behind us with the wings being voted out? ? I’m glad that the progressive wing don’t wield as much power as the usual moderate wing does. We could use more people in then problem solvers caucus.

One day the darkest side of those suppressing votes and peddling crap that brings us to 1950 will fall and hopefully a new party will be born. The GOP should have followed the autopsy report from 2012 but didn’t. The post-Trump Republican Party needs a new identity and I hope it isn’t Josh Hawley at Tom Cotton but more like Larry Hogan.

Do voters have any recourse on Monday and Tuesday if their votes get thrown out? That’s what I’d want to know.

I’m very sorry to hear all of this. My deepest condolences.

Let’s add the other La Russa supporters to the thread to go with KnightsOnMintSt. It’s only fitting. Green Line, Jerksticks, ChiSox1917, brett05, IWokeUpLikeThis, tray and greg775.

Edited. Just keeping a list for later in case they don’t win a World Series with La Russa. And if I’m wrong I’ll gladly eat crow. Oh, and pointing out how much of a throbbing time piece greg775 has for the hire.

Let the record show that Green Line, Jerksticks, ChiSox1917, brett05, IWokeUpLikeThis, tray and KnightsOnMintSt support the Tony La Russa hire. greg775 has a throbbing time piece for this move, while RagahRagah had a great response to his “excited” post. And the La Russa jokes in this thread have been spot on!

https://www.cnn.com/2020/10/28/politics/north-carolina-supreme-court-nine-days/index.html Justice Barrett didn’t rule on this but I wonder if it will be reversed. Hopefully not, count all of the ballots.

I guess I am trying to figure out where the so called silent majority or silent Trump voters would be coming from, unless they are lying to pollsters. Hopefully the polls hold up in the states where it matters. What candidates did you consider competent and why are the current candidates not competent (aside from the obvious)?

How would a viable third party candidate get on the scene though? It seems like the closest to third party was Ross Perot and Ralph Nader or maybe Jill Stein. Bernie Sanders is an independent who campaigns with the Democratic Party. And then there is an assortment of other parties on the ballot, but don’t poll well enough to make debates. I’m just not sure what views a third party candidate could offer that could convince more voters than the two major parties, or how a third party candidate could be funded, short of self funding. Also, do we think the polling is wrong and that droves of people are lying to pollsters?

May I ask if any candidates this time around from the primaries appealed to you? Also, can I ask why Biden isn’t decent if Hillary is?

What do you think will happen next week? We won’t know the results next week. The surge in mail ballots and the ensuing court battles will make this election a second coming of Bush v. Gore unless...turnout and votes clearly declare a winner. Who will win the presidency? Will it be close or a landslide? Will there be court battles? My 2016 head and heart still leaves me skeptical that Trump will lose, but I think Biden has a good shot at winning if: - The overall turnout is high. - He peels off enough non-college educated voters from Trump in the right states. - He gets significant Black and suburban turnout in the right states. - He retakes the blue firewall and Arizona or takes part of the blue firewall and Arizona and North Carolina or wins Florida and loses some of, but not the majority of the blue fire wall. - If the polls are somewhat true and come out in Biden’s favor. Do the Republicans maintain control of the Senate, or do the Democrats take over? Democrats win CO, AZ, NC, MI, MN, ME and the GOP win IA, AL, both seats in GA and TX. Democrats get a 51-49 majority in the best case scenario and the worst case they are tied 50-50 or down 51-49 if ME and NC go to the GOP.

“officials called Akiem Hicks for four infractions (two of which were declined). Hicks has been called for nine penalties, which is the most in the NFL, one ahead of Buccaneers left tackle Donovan Smith.“ https://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/bears/ct-cb-chicago-bears-10-thoughts-brad-biggs-20201027-geceoobr65acvk6la5xl53sf5i-story.html He shouldn’t be smiling for the amount of penalties he’s been called on and the chunks of yards the defense gives up in high leverage situations. It is easy to blame Nagy and have people want to fire him as a coach but then if he gets fired Pace has to go to and a new regime has to start over again. Maybe Nagy gives up play calling or they invest in the offensive line with a high pick next year. In the short term, put Patterson at returning punts, run some sweeps with receivers, try some play action, stop running up the gut with Montgomery and go outside the tackles more, use more sets with Graham and Kmet where there is either play action or straight passes, include a Trubisky package and use Pearce or Miller as a second running back while ending the Patterson experiment. On the radio in Chicago, all I hear about is Matt Nagy and his play calling and less about changes to help the team or make things better in the long term. It is lazy analysis of the Chicago media or fans just focus on Nagy and not the rest of the team. I’m glad you see more than just Nagy being the problem though.

I would love to know what Hicks is talking about out there, he looks like he’s smiling when everything is going to hell. He’s the one I always see getting flagged on defense like Harris getting flagged on offense. This offensive line sucks. What happened to all of the plays they ran well in the first year? Why can’t they run sweeps like the Rams can?

Can you please explain further?

I know there are rules in this forum, but your post was thought provoking and I thought I would mention some of what I have been thinking since I think it adds to the discussion quite nicely. One of the things I have been thinking of post election is how there’s a certain segment of my race and gender (white male) that chooses to emulate the kind of behavior that the president shows towards people of a different persuasion, posting memes and shared posts that fits their views and ganging up with their tribe on anyone who disagrees with them. If the president gets re-elected, I think we will see more of that and that gets in the way of the progress I want to see with unity in the country. I was very upset when he won in 2016 and critiqued his every move when he entered office. I had the unique opportunity to talk to some of his supporters in person at a work event and heard how they didn’t like being labeled racist, sexist, etc. and have some sought to understand why the electorate voted and continue to vote for him, whether it is immigration, economic situations, etc. I have also done this by reading news of different persuasions and listening to different podcasts on people who support and vote for him to complement hearing views from people who I know don’t. I still think that labeling others is dangerous since not everyone fits in the same party and has the same beliefs. At the federal level, I voted democratic because I disapprove of the Senate and the administration, but locally, I voted republican because I don’t approve of how the Illinois Democratic Party handles fiscal policy. What I am getting at is there is more nuance to voters and not everyone votes a straight ticket. As Americans, we have to find a way to engage in a healthy debate or in productive conversion over policy without being tribal, playing whataboutism games or personally attacking others. I also think it is better to adapt diversity and inclusion for the sake of coming together, having empathy for others and trying to understand others. I hope this is what we see because that will make our nation stronger. It might be aspirational but so is the experiment we have had the privilege to live in for hundreds of years.

It’s going to go away and we will have a vaccine by the end of the year.

That article is one way to get run out of the industry, just like McNeil did with his comments.

Interesting how there were few comments about this. With how involved the players are with the FO, I wouldn’t think TLR is very popular with the team’s culture. Bernstein had some good points and a nice rant on his show about things TLR said over the last decade about analytics, being pro-flag and against Kaepernick’s protests.

My mistake, thank you for explaining.

Who said a discussion had to be about winning? It’s about an exchange of ideas and an interesting perspective with lots of good minds on this board.

Use the Twitch site on Wednesdays, it always brightens my day.?