Hysterical Headlines (Funny or Absurd) for March 7th
Bottom Line: These are the daily doses of nonsense in the media and my hot takes on them...
Hot Take: Ok, so Ross has done another 180 (or at least moved 90 degrees) and we're back to where we were two years ago? Sometimes we get so used to the evolution of stories that we don't stop to think about how foolish the premise of topic is in the first place. Since when is the National Anthem controversial? Since a malcontent backup quarterback decided to attention grab by using it and the playing field as a venue to dishonor the anthem in the name of "Black Lives Matter" protesting police (while ironically being protected by them on the sidelines). This whole thing is absurd and the only reason we're still having this conversation is because of a bunch of feckless leadership. The US Flag Code in addition to the player code of conduct in the NFL calls for proper conduct for the presentation of colors and signing of the anthem. If they were enforced from day one the NFL never would have created this mess. Many, if not most, of the 20% fewer NFL fans watching football games would still be watching and most importantly for those of us who watched football for entertainment rather than absurd political statements - we'd still have that opportunity. Instead we see what happens when rules aren't followed and political correctness is attempted by leaders rather than principled leadership.
There are ironically many insightful life lessons within this two-year long debacle. Lead by example. Follow the rules. Do the right thing even if it's not popular or politically correct. etc. What's ironic for owners like Ross is that they became highly successful in business, thus having the resources to own NFL franchises, by following those principals and have recently contributed to the deterioration of the league by abandoning those principals. Here's what I know. If we're still having this conversation in August, the NFL's ratings will enter a third consecutive year of declines. If not and political statements on the field and the play-by-play discussion are a thing of the past - they'll have a chance to win back some of the fans they'd hemorrhaged over the past couple of years.
The Coming Trump Landslide Wayne Allyn Root, Las Vegas Review-Journal
Excerpt: Donny was asked about Donald Trump’s re-election chances. For once, I agree with Donny. Deutsch said Trump will be re-elected in 2020 by a landslide because the economy is booming, and Americans have more money in their pockets. Most Americans vote on pocketbook issues, he explained.Then Donny spoke more raw truth. He said, “That’s why Trump must be removed from office now.”
Hot Take: Despite conventional wisdom, as of now this is correct. Let's start with this nugget. The incumbent President starts with a 15% advantage. In other words, historically all other factors being equal, an incumbent President will win 65% of the time. If the incumbent President's approval rating is 47% or higher on Election Day - they win. Among likely voters his rating averaged 49% as of last Friday's weekly update. That's #1. Number is what Deutsch is talking about. If the economy is good Trump likely wins. The economy is already considerably better than it was and that's part of the notion about the need to take him out. Btw, it's still way too early to be talking about 2020 but since it's already happening I felt the need to add some factual context to the conversation.
Until tomorrow...