Olbermann on Trump

I'm loving all these Keith Olbermann videos.

Election Recount?

Have you heard?  They are going to recount the Presidential election results in Wisconsin, and perhaps Michigan and Pennsylvania.   Donald Trump is not happy about it either.  I'm wondering what he is so concerned about.  Generally, I'm not a fan of recounts but something is not smelling right about this past election and I fully support a recount.  I'm not expecting the results to change but I do want some peace of mind knowing that we do have the right person sitting in the White House (unlike in the 2000 election).

Lets take a look at some of the evidence:

• Hillary Clinton's popular vote lead is climbing towards 2.5 million votes.  That's unprecedented for someone who lost the electoral college.  
• All of the polls prior to the election had Hillary Clinton with a clear path to victory.  Not just a few of the polls, all of them.  Statistically, what are the chances of someone winning all of the polls then losing the actual election?  It can't be too high.  
• Exit polls showed a clear edge to Hillary Clinton.  Doesn't it seem odd that when people left the polling places they indicated that they had voted for Hillary Clinton then when the votes were counted Donald Trump actually came out on top?  
• Russian hackers were actively attacking the Democratic party and state election sites.  How is it out of the question that they could have hacked a few state sites and implanted some malware that change the votes then destruct after the vote had been counted?   Edward Snowden thinks it's possible and plausible.  Anomalies have been found too. 
• There have been rumors of a Trump server communicating directly with Russia.  Isn't it a bit odd that the Trump team was communicating directly with a nation that we know has been hacking our elections?   

Add all of the above together and isn't there a compelling case to support a vote recount?   I think so. 

Even Trump Hates the Electoral College

One person, one vote!  Get it done!  National Popular Vote!  Fair Vote!

Falcons 38, Cardinals 19

The Cardinals fell to the Falcons 38-19 today in Atlanta.  The Cardinals drop to 4-6-1 after this loss.  Their slim playoff hopes became even slimmer.  I have to imagine they would need to sweep their remaining 5 games to have even any sort of shot at the playoffs (and even that would be no certainty).  Things have just never really clicked with this team this year, they've been outplayed and out-coached numerous times.  I just think they got a bit full of themselves over the past offseason and didn't put in the work they need to (and that applies to the front office, coaches and players).

Observations:

• The Cardinals continue to struggle in early eastern time zone road games. 
• I can't even imagine how bad the Cardinals would be without David Johnson. 
• Larry Fitzgerald continues to amaze me.  
• Watching the Cardinals defense makes me realize how misleading statistics can be. 
• The Cardinals revamped offensive line did Carson Palmer no favors. 
• Jermaine Gresham has been pretty solid at TE for the Cardinals lately. 
• That fourth down offsides penalty on Calais Campbell was a killer.  
• I'm guessing that Michael Floyd is not back with the Cardinals next year.  
• That dropped interception by D.J. Swearinger cost the Cardinals 7 points. 
• I'm not sure if there's a better WR in the NFL than Julio Jones. 
• Time of Possession:  Falcons 34:22, Cardinals 25:38
• It was nice to see Tyrann Mathieu back on the field. 
• It's still hard to believe that Drew Butler has a job.  
• Ron Jaworski pretty much nailed it when he called Cardinals 'mentally weak'. 
• Is it time to re-evaluate Steve Keim's scouting acumen? 
• The Falcons WR crew ate the Cardinals for lunch today. 
• That Falcon touchdown catch by Taylor Gabriel was pretty impressive. 
• As a Minnesota Gopher fan it was nice to see De'Vondre Campbell with an interception.
• Cardinal draft needs:  OL, QB  & more OL.  
• Up next?  Washington Redskins @ University of Phoenix Stadium next Sunday. 

Daria Shy

She's gorgeous!  Criticize Russia all you want but they sure do have lots of beautiful women.

Wisconsin 31, Minnesota 17

The Gophers fell to the Badgers 31-17 today in Madison.  The Gophers close their regular season with an 8-4 record.  The Gophers led 17-7 at halftime and were leading into the fourth quarter, bad Mitch Leidner showed up though and threw 4 horrible interceptions in the second half and the Gophers had no chance.  I'm glad I will only need to sit through one more game of Mitch Leidner as Gopher QB, I was expecting much more from a 5th year Senior QB.  All 4 of the Gopher loses followed the same script too, it was very disheartening to watch.

Observations:

• I put this loss on Mitch Leidner, not Tracy Claeys. 
• The Gophers left too many points on the field today. 
• Wisconsin sacked Mitch Leidner 6 times today. 
• Mitch Leidner has the tendency to lock into his receivers very early.
• That Drew Wolitarsky drop in the end zone cost the Gophers 4 points.  
• Good Mitch Leidner in first half; bad Mitch Leidner in the second half. 
• So many dropped passes by the Gophers WR's today. 
• That was a huge forced fumble by Jonathan Celestin late in the game. 
• 2nd Half Scoring:  Wisconsin 24, Minnesota 0
• Turnovers:  Minnesota 4, Wisconsin 1 
• Time of Possession:  Wisconsin 32:59, Minnesota 27:01
• The Gophers best offensive drives are often their first offensive drives.
• The biggest failure of Kill/Claeys era has been the inability to find a quality QB.   
• Gophers DT Scoobie Timms got robbed of a sack early on.
• That Mitch Leidner red zone interception cost the Gophers at least 3 points. 
• Why don't other teams get targeting calls against them? 
• Ernie Wheelwright > Robert Wheelwright. 
• The Paul Bunyan Axe stays in Madison for the 13th straight year. 
• Up next?  An as yet to be determined bowl game. 

Arizona 56, Arizona State 35

The Sun Devils fell to the University of Arizona 56-35 last night in Tucson.  The Sun Devils close out their 2016 season with a 5-7 record.  The Sun Devils lost their last 7 games of the season.  Needless to say, there will be no bowl games this year for the Sun Devils.  That will end their streak of five straight bowl games.  Personally, I wouldn't be upset if this was Todd Graham's last season in Tempe, but I'm not betting on it.  They have gotten worse each of the last four years, they were historically bad on defense and their offense was incredibly inconsistent, plus they got their asses handed to them by their most hated rival (who themselves have been pretty miserable this season).  I just really dislike the style of play he employs on both sides of the ball. I thought the coaching staff turnover last offseason was also a very telling sign about Coach Graham. Move on already Ray Anderson, we've seen enough.

Observations:

• The Territorial Cup moves to Tucson. 
• Arizona State has won just 7 of it's last 19 games. 
• The effort level could have been higher for the Sun Devils in this one. 
• Once again the Sun Devils were doomed by big plays. 
• Koron Crump has been one of the few bright spots for the Sun Devils this season.
• Zane Gonzalez actually missed a field goal in this one. 
• Let's hope that Arizona State opens up the battle for the QB spot next season. 
• Armand Perry's ejection seemed a bit harsh.  
• Arizona averaged 10.7 yards per carry in this game.  
• Rushing Yards:  Arizona 512, Arizona State 120
• Arizona did not even attempt a pass in the second half. 
• Arizona was averaging 21.9 points per game in the Pac12 heading into this game. 
• It sure did seem like the Sun Devils were throwing lots of screen passes.  
• Since when does Arizona employ a huddle while on offense? 
• I remember when Arizona State was such a well disciplined team. 
• Arizona State ranks 125th out of 128 teams in total defense in the NCAA. 
• The Sun Devils may want to cool it on all these different uniforms. 
• I wouldn't mind seeing a Charlie Strong or Kevin Sumlin coaching the Sun Devils. 
• Miss Arizona is a trooper!   She could have probably helped the ASU defense. 
• Up next?  New Mexico State @ ASU on September 2, 2017 to kick off the 2017 season. 

Let's End the Electoral College

It's time to end this antiquated practice.  The National Popular Vote works for me.

Lions 16, Vikings 13

The Vikings fell to the Lions 16-13 today in Detroit.  The Vikings fall to 6-5 on the season with this loss.  What a fall from that 5-0 start to the season.  The fact that the Lions won this one on a game ending field goal after an interception deep in Vikings territory makes it an even tougher loss.  The Vikings are keeping games close but their injury depleted offensive line has really decimated their offense.  They can't run the ball, they can't throw deep because Bradford doesn't have the time to throw so they are stuck with a short passing game that has very little margin for error.  It's tough watching them lately.

Observations:

• These are 2 pretty evenly matched teams.  
• The Vikings should try throwing beyond the first down marker on third down. 
• Matthew Stafford killed the Vikings on 3rd down with his rushing skills. 
• Sam Bradford was 31-37 for 224 yards but only had a QBR of 40.2. 
• The Vikings offense desperately needs some explosive plays on offense. 
• Shouldn't the call have been holding of Kyle Rudolph not defensive pass interference? 
• The Vikings offense could have used Stefon Diggs today. 
• If the arm is coming forward it is an incomplete pass! 
• The Sam Bradford to Kyle Rudolph combination continues to shine. 
• Cordarrelle Patterson needs more touches on offense.  
• Andrew Sendajo is quietly putting together a very solid season. 
• T.J. Clemmings just may be the worst starting OT in the NFL. 
• The Vikings lost 2 more offensive linemen to injury today. 
• This is clearly Jeff Locke's best year punting the ball. 
• Laquon Treadwell is developing a talent for drawing penalties. 
• Are we sure that wasn't a fumble by Darius Slay late in the game? 
• The Vikings should go balls to the wall to acquire Joe Thomas this offseason. 
• Anquan Boldin has had himself a nice career. 
• Is it just me or did that Aretha Franklin National Anthem last forever? 
• Up next?  Dallas Cowboys in Minneapolis next Thursday night.  

2016 Victoria's Secret Fashion Show

Must see TV on Monday, December 5, 2016 on CBS.

POTpourri

• Is the Electoral College really the best way to pick a President? 
• Donald Trump is going to be a disaster for the environment. 
• Mike Trout & Kris Bryant win 2016 MLB AL & NL MVP Awards. 
• Black people apparently will lose lots under a Trump Administration. 
• I find it very plausible that the Presidential election was hacked. 
• BMI is a terrible measure of someone's health.  
• Early reviews on the Trump national defense team are not encouraging. 
• Voter suppression laws are in fact suppressing the Democratic vote. 
• Please do not obtain political views from people who do not vote. 
• Count me in favor of shorter Presidential campaigns. 
• Minnesota Twins sign free agent catcher Jason Castro. 
• No, Medicare is not going broke and does not need to be reformed.
• You really should subscribe to the MAVRIN studios YouTube channel.
• I hope that Jill Stein voters are okay with a conservative Supreme Court. 
• Donald Trump's attempt at controlling the media are very concerning.
• What's happening in North Dakota over the Dakota Access pipeline is unconscionable.  
• Could Donald Trump take overtime pay away from million of Americans?
• USA Soccer has fired head coach Jurgen Klinsmann. Bruce Arena hired. 
• The Las Vegas NHL team will be called the Vegas Golden Knights. 
• That Donald Trump infrastructure plan is nothing but a corporate giveaway. 

SNL on Overwhelmed Trump

Good stuff from SNL on Donald Trump and his preparation to be President.

AZ Tidbit

• Unfortunately, Arizona is still officially a red state.  
• Out of state big money interests knocked off the Arizona marijuana proposition.
• The Arizona Coyotes announce plans for a new arena in Tempe.  
• My fear now is that Joe Arpaio will work for the Trump administration. 
• Why did we elect an 80 year old Senator for a 6 year term? 
• At least Paul Babeu was kept out of Washington. 
• I suspect that Doug Ducy will take credit for increasing incomes in Arizona.  
• Why did we elect Corporation Commission candidates who are in the pocket of APS? 
• Scottsdale ranked as third among America's Most Attractive Cities. 
• The Arizona Diamondbacks are updating their uniforms once again. 
• Joey Logano wins the Can-Am 500 at Phoenix International Raceway. 
• Getting a college degree in Arizona still pays off. 
• Flagstaff named Drunkist City in Arizona. 
• Arizona House Speaker supports the National Popular Vote movement. 
• It was long past time that Helen Purcell lost her job. 
• Is it possible that Russian hackers effected Arizona's election outcome? 
• Kyl, Brewer and Arpaio are on short lists to join the Trump administration. 
• Don't look for a border wall running through the Tohono O'odham Nation. 
• Arizona Diamondbacks hire Ron Gardenhire as bench coach. 
• Sometimes I'm embarrassed to admit that I live in Maricopa County. 

Vikings 30, Cardinals 24

The Vikings knocked off the Cardinals 30-24 today in Minneapolis.  The Vikings improve to 6-4 on the season and Cardinals fall to 4-5-1 on the season.  Thursdays Vikings/Lions game will now be for first place in the NFC North.  Big plays ruled the day for the Vikings today.  You really can't ask for anything more than a game that goes right down to the wire.  Something just seems off about both these teams though, namely poor offensive line play.  If either makes the playoffs, I don't expect a long run.

Observations:

• Is there a better all around RB in the NFL right now than David Johnson? 
• Adam Thielen has developed into a nice WR for the Vikings. 
• The Vikings extra point troubles continue. 
• Evan Boehm makes for a nice fullback for the Cardinals. 
• The Vikings offense woes are carrying over to their defense. 
• Patrick Peterson did a real nice job covering Stefon Diggs today. 
• You don't see a 100 yard interception return for a touchdown often. 
• The Vikings pass rush put a beating on Carson Palmer. 
• This was a horribly officiated football game on both sides of the ball.  
• The Vikings offense is going to need to resort to more trickery as the season progresses.
• Great effort by Jermaine Gresham on that touchdown catch. 
• Is there a better kickoff returner in the NFL than Cordarrelle Patterson? 
• I'm not sold on this new Vikings kicker.  
• Punting indoors seems to agree with Jeff Locke. 
• Justin Bethel is a much better special teams player than a CB. 
• It was nice to see the Dennis Green tribute prior to this game. 
• I still love the story about Larry Fitzgerald being a Vikings ball boy. 
• I hope that TV sound guy is okay after being leveled by Linval Joseph. 
• Up next for the Vikings?  @ Detroit Lions on Thanksgiving Day. 
• Up next for the Cardinals?  @ Atlanta Falcons next Sunday. 

***Disclaimer:  These are my 2 favorite teams.  I grew up just outside of Minneapolis and have now lived in Phoenix for 20+ years.   I have developed an affinity for both of these teams.  

Seth Meyers on Trump Transition

Seth Meyers will calls out the Trump transition.

Washington 44, Arizona State 18

The Sun Devils fell 44-18 today in Washington.  The Sun Devils fall to 5-6 on the season with this loss.  They will need to beat Arizona next week to become bowl eligible.  To be honest, they really don't deserve to go to a bowl this year, they have looked downright pathetic these past few weeks.  It's getting kind of embarrassing.  

Observations:

• Washington put a complete beat down on the Sun Devils.  
• That's five straight losses for the Sun Devils. 
• The Sun Devil defense continues to give up big plays.  
• How did Arizona State not get any points off that "pick-6"?  
• The Sun Devils have given up 17 sacks in their last 2 games. 
• Manny Wilkins needs to get rid of the football much faster.  
• The Sun Devils did a horrible job of capitalizing on Washington turnovers. 
• N'Keal Harry has had a very nice freshman season at Arizona State. 
• Total Yards:  Washington 539, Arizona State 245
• Passing Yards:  Washington 338, Arizona State 230
• Rushing Yards:  Washington 201, Arizona State 15 
• Injuries have not been kind to Arizona State this season. 
• Arizona State got lucky on that touchdown pass from Wilkins to Wilson. 
• The Sun Devils offensive line is a mess. 
• It looks like Arizona State is stuck with Todd Graham for at least one more season. 
• The Sun Devils need to go out and find themselves a legitimate Defensive Coordinator. 
• Zane Gonzalez should be an easy Lou Groza Award winner and ASU team MVP. 
• Chris Petersen has done a heckuva job at Washington. 
• The Sun Devils seem to be move backwards under Todd Graham. 
• Up next?  @ Arizona for the Territorial Cup next Friday night. 

Minnesota 29, Northwestern 12

The Gophers knocked off Northwestern 29-12 today in Minneapolis.  The Gophers improve to 8-3 with this win.  They have now won at least 8 games in 3 of the last 4 years.  In their 3 losses, they also had very real chances to win.  This is a good football team.  A ranking would be nice at this point.  Now go get that Paul Bunyan Axe!!

Observations:

• That may have been the Gophers best defensive performance of the season. 
• Blake Cashman deserves a scholarship the season he's had.  
• Minnesota had 8 sacks today.  When's the last time you heard that? 
• Is there a team that has been called for targeting more than Minnesota?  
• I'll bet that Northwestern wishes they had Steven Richardson on their defensive line. 
• Rashad Still had himself a very nice game today. 
• I didn't realize that the Gophers were first in the country in forced fumbles. 
• Jack Lynn had himself a nice Senior Day. 
• That fourth down stand by the Gophers defense to end the first half was huge. 
• I didn't think I'd see Emmit Carpenter miss an extra point this season. 
• The Gophers looked like they were feeling it today! 
• Shannon Brooks had a nice game at RB today for Minnesota. 
• I loved seeing Shoobie Timms getting a sack on Senior Day. 
• Minnesota knows how to defend the onside kick!
• Did Mitch Leidner really just throw his first B1G touchdown pass of the season? 
• It was nice to see Matt Leidner snapping to Mitch Leidner today. 
• This game should finally put to rest the fire Tracey Claeys contingent. 
• It's hard to believe that this was the Gophers last home game of the season. 
• It would have been nice to see more fans in the stands today. 
• Up next?  @ Wisconsin Badgers next Saturday. 

Olbermann Calls for Open Resistance

He's right, Trump and the GOP don't deserve a chance.

POTpourri

• Marijuana was a big winner on election night. 
• A white supremacist will be advising Donald Trump. 
• Did you notice that the Chicago Cubs won the World Series?   
• I welcome the new burger wars.  Bring them on!
• Norv Turner resigns as Minnesota Vikings Offensive Coordinator. 
• Mark down Elizabeth Warren as early Presidential favorite in 2020. 
• Terry Francona & Dave Roberts named 2016 MLB AL & NL Coaches of the Year.
• RIP Gwen Ifill, Janet Reno, Leon Russell, Robert Vaughn & Leonard Cohen. 
• You really should follow Valentina Grishko's Instagram page. 
• If you are not watching "Superstore" on NBC you are missing out. 
• I suspect that lots of unions workers will regret their Trump votes. 
• Max Scherzer & Rick Porcello named 2016 MLB Cy Young winners. 
• Season 9 of "Curb Your Enthusiasm" has begun filming! 
• Harvard study says smoking weed improves brain function. 
• Why the fuck would Donald Trump's kids need national security clearance? 
• IMO, the fact that Colin Kapernick did not vote, weakens his national anthem stance.
• How come more people don't know Rachel Cook?  
• I suspect that seniors relying on Medicare will regret their Trump votes. 
• Michael Fulmer & Corey Seager named 2016 MLB AL & NL Rookies of the Year. 
• Electing a celebrity as President has set a horrible precedence. 
• No, Bernie Sanders would not have won the Presidency. 

Samantha Bee on Trump Cabinet

Good stuff from Samantha Bee!



Part 2 here.

How Did We Get A President Trump?

How the fuck did Donald Trump get elected President of the United States?  I cannot think of any one main reason, there are lots of reasons, with the following being the main ones:

-James Comey / FBI, Comey's announcement of additional inquiry into Hillary Clinton's email 11 days before the election was unprecedented and changed the trajectory of the whole election.  The fact that they found no further evidence of wrongdoing 2 days prior to the election further inflamed Trump supporters to go out and vote against her.  Additional leaks attributed to the FBI also didn't help.

-Obstruct & blame finally benefited the GOP.  It took them 8 years, but they finally did it.  Republicans in congress were so determined to de-legitimize President Obama that they decided to obstruct him on everything, big or small it didn't matter, then when progress wasn't made they blamed it on the President.  Put simply Republicans put their party ahead of the country, they knew damn well that most people don't pay attention to details like that and they pulled a fast one on them.  It also made it easy for them to campaign against a third Obama term.

-Weaponization of politics by the GOP.  They didn't care how much time or money was wasted on investigating Hillary Clinton on Benghazi or their email "scandal", it was all about dirtying up Hillary Clinton prior to the election.  They even admitted to it, and it worked.  Disgraceful.

-Repeal of the Voting Rights Act allowed red states to implement voter suppression tactics that keep voters away from the pols, specifically voters who were more likely to vote for Democratic candidates.

-The media's insistence on false equivalency minimized all of the horrible things that Donald Trump had said and done.   It was the major media fail of the campaign season.  The media covering it like a horse race didn't help either, there was very little coverage of the actual issues, but lots of focus on "conspiracies".

-Right wing media in their zeal to de-legitimize President Obama has been spewing vile about President Obama for 8 years now and about Hillary Clinton for 25+ years, it was bound to take a toll with their simpleton viewers/listeners.

-Far left ideologues voting for Donald Trump with their Jill Stein and Gary Johnson votes cost Hillary Clinton dearly.  If you don't believe me just look at Michigan and Wisconsin.  Apparently they learned nothing from Ralph Nader.  As the saying goes, those who don't learn from history are doomed to repeat it.  I hope they can sleep at night knowing they lost the Supreme Court for decades to come.

-Electoral College has now failed Democracy twice in the past 16 years.  It inherently favors smaller more rural states over states with large population centers and for the most part those smaller more rural states tend to vote Republican.  It's an antiquated system and it's time to end this practice, or at the very least amend it so that it's fair to all voters.  What's wrong with one person one vote?

-Russia/Wikileaks constant dribbling of emails damaging to Hillary Clinton further tarnished the trustworthiness of Hillary Clinton with undecided voters.  The fact that Donald Trump cheered them along (and perhaps coordinated with them) would have probably doomed most normal candidates but it worked like a charm for Donald Trump.

-The idiocracy bought into every false hope spewed to them from Donald Trump.  People are unhappy, they are looking for a savior, and in a "change election" Donald Trump spewed enough populism to convince them that he's the one only who can drain the swamp.  I suspect that many will not be real happy with the results of this election come 2020.  Trump voters are not all the sharpest tools in the shed either.

-Racism.  With the ever-changing demographics of the U.S., Donald Trump knew that he needed every last white vote that he could get, including the Alt-Right white supremacist vote.  He got it too, especially in the small rural parts of America.  Don't believe it?  Why did the KKK and David Duke endorse him?  Why did he and his son continually re-tweet known racists?  Why did he hire a leader of the Alt-Right to work on his campaign (and now his Presidency)?

-Social Media worked in Donald Trump's favor.  More and more Americans then ever before admit to getting their news from social media and social media has become a haven for fake news. Facebook, the biggest social media site in America, is the main culprit too.  An uniformed voter is not a good voter.

-Voter Turnout was down again and everybody knows that when more people vote the better chance that Democrats have to win.  Voter suppression kept many home, voter apathy kept many home, the end result of that equation worked in Donald Trumps favor.

So as you can see, there's not one easy answer.  I just don't believe for one second that it was a giant rebuff of Democrats and democratic policies by blue collar America like many are claiming.  If that was the case Hillary Clinton wouldn't have won the popular vote.  Hell, even Mitt Romney and John McCain got more votes than Donald Trump.  In my opinion, it was just a confluence of factors working together and unfortunately we will all end up paying for it in the long run.

John Oliver on Trump Election

Strong words for the media from John Oliver.