A pence for your thoughts

A little over a year ago I gave the rundown on the potential GOP field based on Roger Simon's observations in Politico (which were elephant dung) and, in retrospect, my take holds up - especially in light of last night's Iowa Caucus which for those who give a damn (I don't) was pretty important. Back in Jan. '15 my money was on Mike Pence to thread the Establishment/Tea Party needle and pull the Republicans together but, alas, come springtime Mike Pence got sandbagged in an orchestrated effort (not sure who was behind it) to take him out and it worked. JEB! formally announced his candidacy on June 15 and like a domino Trump announced his run on June 16 with what seems to me to have been a singular focus of denying the Bush dynasty another 4 to 8 year stay in the White House. Now we have an amazing GOP field of players leading the pack:

The top 5 winners out of Iowa are all Tea Party candidates - All of them have been mercilessly attacked by the Republican leadership, money men and lobbyists and they are ALL more or less hated by the DC establishment. It really is amazing that 90% of the Republican caucus voters chose outsider candidates and it's equally amazing that 6 other candidates are fighting over 10% of the vote.

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The Real Story with Gretchen Carlson

She was "sexy", but "too much hard work." I'm a regular Fox & Friends viewer (mostly in protest of the other insipid morning programs like Today and Good Morning America) so over the years I've gotten to know Gretchen Carlson pretty well. Stuck between Steve and Brian she always seemed a prudish scold with an irritating, self-righteous demeanor that I simply put up with because I figured some people in the Fox audience actually liked her persona. It was obvious that Steve and Brian did not, but they were stuck with her like so many talking heads and had to make the best of it - which they did. Besides, she was no worse than any of the other women on morning show TV - I mean, you're only going to find a certain kind of person to do this kind of work and that kind of person is the Gretchen Carlson kind. Then, one day, she was gone and replaced by Elisabeth Hasselbeck and the F&F ratings began to climb, and climb and climb - in two months view

The 4th Estate "does not know"

Last night Jim Acosta sat down for an interview with Larry Sabato at a national symposium series presented by the University of Virginia’s Center for Politics titled “Democracy in Perilous Times.” The evening’s topic was “ The Fourth Estate: Enemy of the People? ” and the crowd was warmly receptive of Acosta’s message which, boiled down to its essence, is that Donald Trump is a liar and he’s making life dangerous for reporters. Sabato introduced Acosta to the audience as Enemy #1 which drew mirthful laughter from the auditorium and then presented a short video montage of President Trump and his deplorable rubes insulting the reporter on many occasions over the past two years. This was all a set up for his first question which was, “how do you do your Job?” Acosta said the he accomplishes his duties by maintaining focus, reporting the story and telling the truth but acknowledged that it is difficult when the White House erodes the peoples faith in the press by bullying reporters. Whe

A Apolitical Blues

Well my telephone was ringing, and they told me it was chairman Mao. You got to tell him anything 'cause I just don't want to talk to him now. According to the brilliant troubadour Lowell George the Apolitical Blues are " the meanest blues of all" and who am I to disagree with this soul man now after all these years of living by his maxim. I first heard the song bursting from the 1972 vinyl of Little Feat's Alt-Rock-Country masterpiece "Sailin' Shoes" in the second story bedroom of my friend John's older brother Edie who, being about 3 years our senior, was instructing us on the importance of good music. This was circa 1975 and a formative time for my musical taste and overall aesthetic which, for better or worse, infuses every aspect of my existence including the KOTCB blog so a debt is owed this unforgettable "older brother" now that he has shuffled off this mortal coil and left us with smoky memories. A born rebel with the heart o

Keeper of the Clown Bell

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