Monday, February 29, 2016

Sunday, February 28, 2016

2016 VP Thoughts

Hillary Clinton - it would probably behoove Hillary Clinton to reach out to Bernie Sanders for her VP slot if she wins the Democratic nomination, he has energized millions with his vision for America and she needs to keep those voters solid.  I'm guessing Bernie would feel that he could continue to make more of an impact by staying in the Senate though, so don't look for it to happen.  Another name that makes a lot of sense for Clinton is Julian Castro, he's one of the rising stars of the Democratic party and would appeal to a lot of Latino voters.  Tim Kaine would probably be the other top candidate, he is very well respected, he's got legislative experience and is a former civil rights attorney.  Longshot candidates would include Corey Booker, Sherrod Brown, Elizabeth Warren and Joe Biden.

Bernie Sanders - I think it's safe to say that Hillary Clinton would not be on Bernie Sanders list, nor would she want that position.  The ideal VP candidate for Bernie would be Elizabeth Warren, they would form quite the progressive tandem and I'm guessing they would really energize the base.  She may feel she can have more of an impact by staying in the Senate though.  Outside of Warren, I'm guessing you'd be looking at people like Martin O'Malley & Sherrod Brown, both are from the progressive wing and well respected by the base.  Longshot candidates would include Corey Booker, Kate Brown, Donna Edwards and Tulsi Gabbard.  Bigger longshots, but worth considering would include Governors like Jerry Brown and Mark Dayton and current Secretary of State John Kerry.

Donald Trump - from what I've heard, he'd want to pick someone with some political experience.  I wasn't real sure who he'd consider until Chris Christie gave him an endorsement, I wondering if a VP offer was the price of that endorsement.  Christie still has some fans on the right wing and his personality would probably form a formidable duo to many.  I could see Trump reaching out to John Kasich too, he has had a decent showing this primary season and is very popular in swing state Ohio.  Ben Carson has indicating that he'd be open to the slot, but I'm guessing that Trump goes a different direction.  A hard right conservative politician like Jeff Sessions would make a lot of sense too.  Longshot candidates would include Sarah Palin and Scott Brown.

Ted Cruz - this is a tough one, he doesn't have many friends on the campaign trail and doesn't have many allies in the Senate.  I could see him reach out to swing state candidates like Rubio and Kasich, but I'm not sure either would want to work with him.  If I had to make a guess I could see him reaching out to the Freedom Caucus and tabbing Jim Jordan or perhaps Mike Lee from the Senate.  Either would certainly solidify his support among the far right base.  Longshot candidates would include the likes of Mia Love and Bobby Jindal.

Marco Rubio - the 2 names that immediately jump to mind for Rubio are John Kasich and Nikki Haley.  Kasich because he'd help in swing state Ohio, Haley because she would help with women and the far right base.  Lonshot picks, would include his mentor Jeb Bush, Susana Martinez, Rob Portman and Tim Scott.

I'm not even going to bother with John Kasich or Ben Carson, they are both on borrowed time at this point, I could see both dropping out after Super Tuesday.


Saturday, February 27, 2016

Seth Meyers on Ted Cruz

Seth Meyers is on fire lately, he really seems to have found his groove.

Friday, February 26, 2016

AZ Tidbits

Thursday, February 25, 2016

Kate Bock

. . . . is smoking hot!

Wednesday, February 24, 2016

2016 Presidential Field Update

And another one bites the dust.  Jeb Bush has called it quits on his 2016 Presidential ambitions.   That leaves us with 7 candidates still in the running, 5 Republicans and 2 Democrats.

Here's how the remaining candidates rank in my opinion (as far as their chances):

Democrats: 
  1. Hillary Clinton
  2. Bernie Sanders

Republicans: 
  1. Donald Trump
  2. Marco Rubio
  3. Ted Cruz
  4. John Kasich
  5. Ben Carson

After GWB, I didn't think anyone wanted another Bush in the White House.  GWB was a complete disaster and Jeb was pushing many of the same policies and had many of the same advisors, nobody wanted that, especially this year.  I'm guessing Kasich and Carson hold on until Super Tuesday, but not long after that.  Kasich has a much better shot at a VP spot than the Presidency. 

Tuesday, February 23, 2016

Monday, February 22, 2016

TPSG 2016 NFL Draft 1.0

The 2016 NFL Draft is coming up fast, that tells me that I need to get a pre-combine Mock Draft out.  Here goes:
  1. Tennessee Titans - Laremy Tunsil - OT - Mississippi 
  2. Cleveland Browns - Jared Goff - QB - California 
  3. San Diego Chargers - Joey Bosa - DE - Ohio State 
  4. Dallas Cowboys - Jalen Ramsey - CB - Florida State 
  5. Jacksonville Jaguars - Myles Jack - OLB - UCLA
  6. Baltimore Ravens - Deforest Buckner - DE - Oregon
  7. San Francisco 49ers - Carson Wentz - QB - North Dakota State
  8. Miami Dophins - Ronnie Stanley - OT - Notre Dame
  9. Tampa Bay Buccaneers - Vernon Hargraves - CB - Florida 
  10. New York Giants - Noah Spence - DE - Easter Kentucky 
  11. Chicago Bears - A'Shawn Robinson - DT - Alabama 
  12. New Orleans Saints - Jaylon Smith - LB - Notre Dame 
  13. Philadelphia Eagles - Paxton Lynch - QB - Memphis State 
  14. Oakland Raiders - Eli Apple - CB - Ohio State 
  15. Los Angeles Rams - Laquon Treadwell - WR - Mississippi 
  16. Detroit Lions - Jack Conklin - OT - Michigan State 
  17. Atlanta Falcons - Shaq Lawson - DE - Clemson 
  18. Indianapolis Colts - Leonard Floyd - LB - Georgia 
  19. Buffalo Bills - Robert Nkemdiche - DT - Mississippi 
  20. New York Jets - Reggie Ragland - LB - Alabama 
  21. Washington Redskins - Mackensie Alexander - CB - Clemson
  22. Houston Texans - Ezekiel Elliott - RB - Ohio State 
  23. Minnesota Vikings - Josh Doctson - WR - TCU
  24. Cincinnati Bengals - Corey Coleman - WR - Baylor 
  25. Pittsburgh Steelers - Kendall Fuller - CB - Virginia Tech
  26. Seattle Seahawks - Sheldon Rankins - DT - Louisville 
  27. Green Bay Packers - Taylor Decker - OT - Ohio State 
  28. Kansas City Chiefs - Andrew Billings - DT - Baylor   
  29. Arizona Cardinals - Darron Lee - OLB - Ohio State 
  30. Carolina Panthers - Kevin Dodd - DE - Clemson  
  31. Denver Broncos - Shon Coleman - OT - Auburn 
It sounds like the Titans are open to trading out of the number 1 pick, that makes sense too especially if Jared Goff keeps impressing and teams offer the world for that spot.  

The Vikings could go any number of ways, at this point I'm guessing the best player availabe among the OL, LB, DB or WR's.   

The Cardinals, like the Vikings could go a number of different directions too, they may even consider trading up for the right player (Carson Wentz?).  As it stands now, I would bet on a pass rusher, a CB or perhaps a LB.  

Saturday, February 20, 2016

Gigi Hadid

Looking good!

Friday, February 19, 2016

POTpourri

Thursday, February 18, 2016

Wednesday, February 17, 2016

TPSG Top 10 Movies of Past Decade

Top 10 Movies of Past Decade

Given that the Oscars are fast approaching, I thought that it would be interesting to make a list of the Top 10 Movies of the Past Decade (2007-2016).  It's subjective of course, but here goes:
  1. No Country for Old Men - 2007 - Josh Brolin, Javier Bardem
  2. The Hurt Locker - 2009 - Jeremy Renner, Anthony Mackie 
  3. Zero Dark Thirty - 2013 - Jessica Chastain, Jason Clarke
  4. The Dark Knight - 2008 - Christian Bale, Heath Ledger 
  5. Slum Dog Millionaire - 2008 - Dev Patel, Freida Pinto
  6. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo - 2011 - Daniel Craig, Rooney Mara
  7. Dallas Buyers Club - 2013 - Matthew McConaughey, Jennifer Garner
  8. 12 Years a Slave - 2013 - Chiwetel Ejiofor, Michael Fassbender
  9. Silver Linings Playbook - 2012 - Bradley Cooper, Jennifer Lawrence
  10. The Fighter - 2010 - Mark Wahlberg, Christian Bale

Tuesday, February 16, 2016

Monday, February 15, 2016

Political Soapbox

  • Why do we allow lifetime appointments to U.S. Supreme Court justices?   That's beyond ridiculous, a Presidents term is only 4 years, they can only serve 2 terms total, why should their SCOTUS appointments be able to sit in office for as long as they like when they have every bit as much power as the President?   One 10 year term, or even an 18 year term, seems sufficient to me, then they can move along and fresh blood can step in.  
  • Speaking of the Supreme Court, conservative justices have controlled it for the past 40 years, isn't it about time to shift that balance in favor of left leaning judges for awhile?   
  • How can someone preach for limited government on one hand then try to impose their beliefs upon someone else on the other hand when it comes to topics like abortion and LGBT rights? 
  • Shouldn't the goal of representative government be to get as many people as possible to vote?  If so, why the rush by so many to suppress the vote?  
  • How can you be opposed to plutocracy yet fail to push for campaign finance reform?  
  • Why didn't Republicans care about government spending until Barack Obama was elected President?   
  • How can some people still believe that Barack Obama is a Muslim?  
  • I wince whenever I hear states boasting about the relocation of corporations to their states due to their low corporate tax rates and 'business friendly' policies.  All they are really doing is taking good jobs from one state and turning them into mediocre jobs in the other state.  At the same time, they are shrinking their tax base and starving their own states of much needed revenue.  Is that really good for the state or America?  
  • Is it really fair to blame President Obama for a slow recovery when the Republican party plotted before he even took office to thwart any and every piece of legislation that he proposed?
  • Did we learn absolutely nothing from a pre-emptive war that completely destabilized the whole Middle East?  
  • Do people really actually believe that ISIS formed under President Obama's watch?  
  • How can you call Barack Obama a dictator and then turn your back to the sins of Rick Snyder in Michigan?   
  • Why can't I support the Black Lives Matter movement and the police?  What happened to nuance
  • It irks me everytime I hear some right wing pundit blame the problems the inner city face on liberals and liberal policies.  It seems as though they are completely overlooking conservative housing policies that resulted in the segregation of lower income individuals into the inner city in the first place.  
  • How can any fair minded individual conclude that "gerrymandering" is not a problem
  • Why do we let small states like Iowa & New Hampshire have such a big impact on who we elect as President?   Shouldn't that privilege go to bigger, more ethnically diverse states?  
  • I can't help but laugh at all the pundits claiming what a disaster Obamacare has been?  Sure, it makes for a great sound bit, but it has no basis in reality.  I know it's not perfect, but it's far better than what it replaced.   Perhaps, we could put more effort into working out the kinks of it rather than blathering on about what a "failure" it has been while putting forth no better alternative plan.  Better yet, why not just move to a single payer system
  • If you were a birther in regards to Barack Obama, how can you not also be a birther in regards to Ted Cruz?   
  • Why is the use of Executive Powers only okay for Republican Presidents?  

Sunday, February 14, 2016

Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue Cover

In this day and age, I'm not sure why it's still a thing, but . . .



For the sports fan here's Ronda Rousey, for the politically correct crowd here's Ashley Graham.

Saturday, February 13, 2016

2016 Presidential Field Update

Jim Gilmore finally came to his senses and ended his 2016 Presidential run.  That leaves us with 8 candidates still in the running, 6 Republicans and 2 Democrats.

Here's how the remaining candidates rank in my opinion (as far as their chances):

Democrats: 
  1. Hillary Clinton
  2. Bernie Sanders

Republicans: 
  1. Donald Trump
  2. Ted Cruz
  3. John Kasich
  4. Marco Rubio
  5. Jeb Bush
  6. Ben Carson

I have no idea why Jim Gilmore decided to run in the first place, he sure didn't put much effort into running.  I can only suspect that he was trying to build his brand in hopes of capitalizing on the run down the road.  If that was the case though, he even did a terrible job of doing that.  He won't be missed this election cycle.

If I had to pick the next to drop out, it would be Ben Carson.  He has not been connecting with people on the campaign trail, his debate performances have been abysmal and his support has been dropping precipitously.   Donald Trump and Ted Cruz seem to have taken over all of the anti-establishment momentum from him.

Thursday, February 11, 2016

2016 Presidential Field Update

Chris Christie & Carly Fiorina have ended their Presidential runs.  That leaves us with 9 candidates still in the running, 7 Republicans and 2 Democrats, although I'm not quite sure why I'm still counting Jim Gilmore.

Here's how the remaining candidates rank in my opinion (as far as their chances):

Democrats: 
  1. Hillary Clinton
  2. Bernie Sanders

Republicans: 
  1. Donald Trump
  2. Ted Cruz
  3. John Kasich
  4. Marco Rubio
  5. Jeb Bush
  6. Ben Carson
  7. Jim Gilmore

Chris Christie's chances of winning the Republican nomination for all intent and purposes ended with the Bridgegate Scandal, I'm really not quite sure why he ran after that to be honest with you.  Carly Fiorina may have been the most unqualified candidate of anyone running for President this year, that saying a lot too because it hasn't been the cream of the crop running this year.  Neither will be missed.

Wednesday, February 10, 2016

Tuesday, February 9, 2016

POTpourri

Monday, February 8, 2016

Bernie Sanders on SNL

Bernie has now officially arrived.

Sunday, February 7, 2016

Super Bowl 50

Broncos 24, Panthers 10

The Broncos once again proved that defense wins championship as their defense completely dominated this game and the Broncos were clearly the better team today.  It was a surprising turn of events too given the way the Panthers had played year and heading up to this game.  Nice job Broncos, job well done!

Observations:

Marco Rubio Debate Performance

As if the water break wasn't bad enough.

Saturday, February 6, 2016

AZ Tidbits

Friday, February 5, 2016

Carpool Karaoke

James Corden has a winner with his carpool karaoke bit.

Thursday, February 4, 2016

About Those Emails

Once again, they are causing an uproar.  My questions on this topic?
  • Where was the outrage when George W Bush destroyed millions of emails? 
  • Where was the outrage when Colin Powell destroyed his emails?  
  • Where was the outrage when Condoleezza Rice destroyed her emails
  • Where was the outrage when Jeb Bush destroyed his emails? 
  • Where was the outrage when Scott Walker used a private email server? 
  • Where was the outrage when Chris Christie used a private email account? 
  • Where was the outrage when Bobby Jindal used a private email account? 
  • Where was the outrage when Rick Perry used a private email server? 
  • Where was the outrage when Marco Rubio used a private email server? 
  • Where was the outrage when Trey Gowdy used a private email server? 
  • Where was the outrage when congress passed a rule excluding congress from saving emails? 
  • Where was the outrage when General Petraeus released classified emails?  

Wednesday, February 3, 2016

2016 Presidential Field Update

Martin O'MalleyMike Huckabee, Rick Santorum & Rand Paul have ended their Presidential runs.  That leaves us with 11 candidates still in the running, 9 Republicans and 2 Democrats.

Here's how the remaining rank in my opinion (as far as their chances):

Democrats: 
  1. Hillary Clinton
  2. Bernie Sanders

Republicans: 
  1. Donald Trump
  2. Ted Cruz
  3. Marco Rubio
  4. Ben Carson
  5. John Kasich
  6. Chris Christie
  7. Jeb Bush
  8. Carly Fiorina 
  9. Jim Gilmore

I like Martin O'Malley, he was a very good Governor and is a strong progressive voice.  It was a bad year for him to run though.  If a Republican somehow manages to win in 2016, I could see O'Malley running again in 2020.  Huckabee on the other hand I'm guessing is done with politics, his only base seems to be far right Evangelicals and that's not enough these days.  I'm guessing he's back on Fox News pronto.  There's really no room for Rand Paul's type of conservatism in today's Republican Party, I fully expect that he will be running again in the future though.  Santorum had his shot 4 years ago.  

Tuesday, February 2, 2016

Bernie Sanders in Iowa

Bernie Sanders did quite well in Iowa.  He gives a heckuva speech too.




Monday, February 1, 2016

Republican Presidential Primary

I opined about the Democratic Presidential primary a few days ago, so I think it only fair that I also opine a bit about the Republican Presidential primary.  First off, a disclaimer, and it should be pretty obvious if you have ever read my blog, I'm a lifelong registered Democrat, I have pretty low regard for most Republicans and the policies that they espouse, I just don't feel they benefit most Americans and further that they are the primary cause for many of the problems that the country now faces.  Republican voters are not happy with the Republican establishment either, they have been voting in Republican candidates for years now and they have accomplished very little of what they promised they'd do (granted, the far right wing media may have set some unrealistic expectations for them) and the anti-establishment furvor in the country right now is at a fever pitch.  That has led to the rise of anti-establishment candidates like Donald Trump and Ted Cruz.  Unfortunately, Trump and Cruz and the other anti-establishment candidates prescription to fix the country would just take us further to the right and that's a bad prescription for America.  It's really too bad some of these voters don't give Bernie Sanders a closer look, as IMO he's the only candidate outside of the establishment on either party that is proposing realistic solutions to our most glaring issues (inequality, campaign fiance, healthcare, climate change, sentencing reform, etc).

Back to the candidates, if I as a Democrat had to pick one to vote for, I'd probably go with Rand Paul, only because he would be the lesser of the other evils that are running.   He would at least push for sentencing reform, fight against the Patriot Act and not rush us into WWIII like some of the other candidates would.  That being said, the rest of his policies are pretty much to the far right and would not benefit most Americans.

I can see some of the appeal to Donald Trump to many on the right, they don't want to admit that the right wing policies have been the problem with their party, they just want to believe the issue is with the establishment.  I'm guessing they would be very underwhelmed by a Trump Presidency though if he were to be elected as his policies would no doubt be a disaster.

As a Democrat, best case scenario would be Ted Cruz winning the Republican Primary as he would no doubt be the easiest of all the Republican candidates for Hilary Clinton or Bernie Sanders to beat.  Outside of the far right wing base, his popularity is abysmal, not too many people like him or think that he would be able to break through the gridlock that has crippled Washington.

Marco Rubio is probably the best chance for the remaining establishment candidates, but the far right still hold his fight for immigration reform against him, they also see his path to Presidency as too similar to that of the much hated and despised Barack Obama rise (i.e. young and charismatic but lacking in experience and accomplishments).    

Jeb Bush has got a ton of establishment support and donor money but I don't see him overcoming the fact that nobody seems to want a third Bush Presidency.  Add in his lack of charisma and uninspiring demeanor and you've got a loser of a candidate.  The anti-establishment furvor is also working against him.

For some reason, some people still like Chris Christie, they see him as a tough talking take no prisoners fighter for their ideals.  He's very unpopular in New Jersey though and you just should not be able to overlook the "bridgegate" scandal, it was really that deplorable.

If Republicans were smart, they'd throw their support behind John Kasich, he's really the only candidate with at least some track record of political success, he could technically be considered an outsider and he's pretty popular in what is considered a swing state.  Republicans are not that smart though so don't look for it to happen.

It's long past time that the likes of Ben Carson, Carly Fiorina, Mike Huckabee, Rick Santorum and Jim Gilmore to set aside their Presidential ambitions and clear the path for the eventual nominee.  I suspect all will drop out shortly after the New Hampshire primary.  

For the record, I suspect that Donald Trump will easily win the Iowa Caucus.