I think this is the correct take. There's a lot of Dem self-flagellation over a point and a half popular vote loss. DJT is such a bizarre phenomenon, and I'm not sure how any cogent analysis can be done for an election in which he's a participant.
The great Chicago columnist got this exactly right in 1972. Here's the piece in question:
"Patriotism" At The Stadium
3 January 1972, by Mike Royko, Chicago Daily News
Both teams were on the field. The crowd stood for the singing of the National Anthem.
Everybody except one man. He just sat and studied his program.
The band began playing. The singing was led by a TV star who had been up all night drinking gin. Ten jets swooped over the stadium. Fifty majorettes thrust out their chests.
The one man stayed in his seat and looked at his program.
Somebody gave him a nudge. He ignored it.
``Stand up,`` somebody else hissed.
``I`ll stand for the kickoff,`` the man said.
Another man glared at him. ``Why don`t you stand and sing?``
``I don`t believe in it,`` he said.
The other man gasped. ``You don`t believe in the National Anthem?``
``I don`t believe in singing it at commercial events. I wouldn`t sing it in a nightclub, or in a gambling casino, and I won`t sing it at a football game.``
A man behind him said: ``What are you, a damn radical?``
He shook his head. ``I`m not a stadium patriot.``
``I`ll make you stand up,`` a husky man said, seizing his fleece collar.
They scuffled and struck each other with their programs. Somebody dropped a hip flask.
``What`s wrong?`` people shouted from a few rows away.
``A radical insulted the anthem,`` someone yelled.
``I did not,`` the man yelled. ``I will not be a stadium patriot.``
``He says he`s not a patriot,`` someone else roared, swinging a punch.
A policeman pushed through. ``What`s going on here? Break it up.``
People yelled. ``He insulted the flag. . . . He refused to stand. . . . He`s radical. . . . Sit down, I can`t see the girls.``
The policeman said: ``Why wouldn`t you stand?``
``Not at a football game,`` the man said.
``Hear that?`` someone yelled, shaking a fist.
``Let`s go, fella,`` the policeman said, leading him away.
He was fined $25 for disorderly conduct, and the judge lectured him on his duties as a citizen.
The next week he had a better seat for the Stupendous Bowl game.
Both teams took the field and the crowd rose for the National Anthem. They were led in song by a country music star, who had been up all night playing dice. A dozen jet bombers flew over. Sixty majorettes thrust out their chests.
This time the man rose with everyone else, and he sang. He sang as loud as he could, in an ear-splitting voice that could be heard 20 rows in any direction.
A few people turned and looked at him as if he were odd.
When the song reached ``the land of the free`` his voice cracked, but he shrieked out the high note.
Then it was over, everyone applauded, yelled ``Kill `em`` and ``Murder `em`` and ``Belt `em,`` and sat down to await the opening kickoff.
Everyone but the one man. He remained on his feet and began slowly singing the second stanza in his loud voice.
People stared at him. But then they jumped up and cheered as the ball was kicked off and run back.
When they sat down, the man was still standing and singing.
He paused for a moment, took a deep breath, and started the third stanza. ``Hey, that`s enough,`` someone yelled.
``Yeah, sit down, I can`t see through you,`` said somebody else.
He kept singing. People called out:
``Knock it off.``
``What`s wrong with him?``
``I can`t see.``
The game was underway. Three plays were run while he sang the third verse.
Everyone jumped up for the punt return. When they sat down, the man was still singing.
Everyone around him was becoming upset. People stood and shook their fists. Somebody threw a hot dog wrapper.
An usher asked him to take his seat. He shook his head and began the fourth stanza as a touchdown was scored.
The people behind him were outraged. ``I couldn`t see that because of you. . . . Make him sit down. . . . He must be crazy. . . . He`s a radical.`` He went on singing.
Somebody grabbed his shoulders and tried to push him into his seat. They scuffled and swung their programs. Somebody dropped a hip flask. The man struggled to his feet, still howling the fourth stanza.
A policeman pushed through. ``What`s going on? Break it up.``
``He won`t sit down,`` someone yelled. ``He won`t stop singing,`` someone else yelled. ``He`s trying to start a riot. He`s a radical.``
``Let`s go, fella,`` the policeman said, leading him away as he finished the final stanza, holding the note as long as he could.
The judge fined him $25 for disorderly conduct, and warned him about not shouting in a crowded theater.
The next week he went to the Amazing Bowl. The crowd was led in singing the National Anthem by a rock star, who had been up all night with three groupies. A squadron of dive bombers flew between the goal posts.
He stood with everyone else. As the music played, he moved his lips because he was chewing peanuts, and he stared at the chest of a majorette. Then he sat down with everyone else.
The man in the next seat offered him a sip from his flask.
My 401k balance has been going gangbusters since the election. I gotta think the market thinks all of the hoohah about tariffs is a bunch of BS since they'd surely tank the economy.
It's always seemed kind of comical to me that Americans can simultaneously be in love with a free market economy and a centrally planned monetary policy.
I've seen reports that the guidance came from the state, not the feds. Why are these sources never cited and why doesn't the press ask for a citation? I swear, social media and the death of the press have turned Americans, more than ever, into credulous morons.
I love these posts for making me aware of movies I never even knew about, especially as I sit here watching Real Housewives of Salt Lake City with my partner.
It was published in 2018, but I just finished it this year: Richard Powers’ The Overstory is one of the best novels I’ve read in years.
Tom Coyne has written 3 books in his A Course Called… series.They’re about golf and a lot more than golf.
The Last Dinner Party’s “Prelude to Ecstasy” is my album of the year. Give to yourself!
My gift to you all is Ben Caplan’s rendition of O, Holy Night. I first heard it the Christmas after my wife died and it brought me to tears. The passion he brings to the song is just incredible.
Here's a typical Reddit comment in answer to this question: Are you surprised at the lack of sympathy and outright glee the UHC CEO has gotten after his murder? Why or why not?
"I’ll speak to it personally. My sister had multiple surgeries to fix a botched gall bladder removal. Spent most of her life in pain and died of a prescription drug overdose a few years back. She worked as a nurse and still declared bankruptcy twice due to medical bills and she had insurance from her employer. She spent many hours of her life either fighting to get approval for a procedure or fighting off bills that were sent to her in error due to double billing. Take my story and several million others like this and you can see why no one has any empathy towards a cruel system like this or those who lead it."
Another one quoted Clarence Darrow: "I have never wished a man dead, but I have read some obituaries with great pleasure."
American is not shedding many tears for this guy, and I'll be very surprised if he's the last one to go down like this.
On “From Semafor: Kamala Harris’ digital chief on Democrats ‘losing hold of culture’”
I think this is the correct take. There's a lot of Dem self-flagellation over a point and a half popular vote loss. DJT is such a bizarre phenomenon, and I'm not sure how any cogent analysis can be done for an election in which he's a participant.
"
The guy complaining about Olbermann is the guy listening to Clay Travis.
"
The great Chicago columnist got this exactly right in 1972. Here's the piece in question:
"Patriotism" At The Stadium
3 January 1972, by Mike Royko, Chicago Daily News
Both teams were on the field. The crowd stood for the singing of the National Anthem.
Everybody except one man. He just sat and studied his program.
The band began playing. The singing was led by a TV star who had been up all night drinking gin. Ten jets swooped over the stadium. Fifty majorettes thrust out their chests.
The one man stayed in his seat and looked at his program.
Somebody gave him a nudge. He ignored it.
``Stand up,`` somebody else hissed.
``I`ll stand for the kickoff,`` the man said.
Another man glared at him. ``Why don`t you stand and sing?``
``I don`t believe in it,`` he said.
The other man gasped. ``You don`t believe in the National Anthem?``
``I don`t believe in singing it at commercial events. I wouldn`t sing it in a nightclub, or in a gambling casino, and I won`t sing it at a football game.``
A man behind him said: ``What are you, a damn radical?``
He shook his head. ``I`m not a stadium patriot.``
``I`ll make you stand up,`` a husky man said, seizing his fleece collar.
They scuffled and struck each other with their programs. Somebody dropped a hip flask.
``What`s wrong?`` people shouted from a few rows away.
``A radical insulted the anthem,`` someone yelled.
``I did not,`` the man yelled. ``I will not be a stadium patriot.``
``He says he`s not a patriot,`` someone else roared, swinging a punch.
A policeman pushed through. ``What`s going on here? Break it up.``
People yelled. ``He insulted the flag. . . . He refused to stand. . . . He`s radical. . . . Sit down, I can`t see the girls.``
The policeman said: ``Why wouldn`t you stand?``
``Not at a football game,`` the man said.
``Hear that?`` someone yelled, shaking a fist.
``Let`s go, fella,`` the policeman said, leading him away.
He was fined $25 for disorderly conduct, and the judge lectured him on his duties as a citizen.
The next week he had a better seat for the Stupendous Bowl game.
Both teams took the field and the crowd rose for the National Anthem. They were led in song by a country music star, who had been up all night playing dice. A dozen jet bombers flew over. Sixty majorettes thrust out their chests.
This time the man rose with everyone else, and he sang. He sang as loud as he could, in an ear-splitting voice that could be heard 20 rows in any direction.
A few people turned and looked at him as if he were odd.
When the song reached ``the land of the free`` his voice cracked, but he shrieked out the high note.
Then it was over, everyone applauded, yelled ``Kill `em`` and ``Murder `em`` and ``Belt `em,`` and sat down to await the opening kickoff.
Everyone but the one man. He remained on his feet and began slowly singing the second stanza in his loud voice.
People stared at him. But then they jumped up and cheered as the ball was kicked off and run back.
When they sat down, the man was still standing and singing.
He paused for a moment, took a deep breath, and started the third stanza. ``Hey, that`s enough,`` someone yelled.
``Yeah, sit down, I can`t see through you,`` said somebody else.
He kept singing. People called out:
``Knock it off.``
``What`s wrong with him?``
``I can`t see.``
The game was underway. Three plays were run while he sang the third verse.
Everyone jumped up for the punt return. When they sat down, the man was still singing.
Everyone around him was becoming upset. People stood and shook their fists. Somebody threw a hot dog wrapper.
An usher asked him to take his seat. He shook his head and began the fourth stanza as a touchdown was scored.
The people behind him were outraged. ``I couldn`t see that because of you. . . . Make him sit down. . . . He must be crazy. . . . He`s a radical.`` He went on singing.
Somebody grabbed his shoulders and tried to push him into his seat. They scuffled and swung their programs. Somebody dropped a hip flask. The man struggled to his feet, still howling the fourth stanza.
A policeman pushed through. ``What`s going on? Break it up.``
``He won`t sit down,`` someone yelled. ``He won`t stop singing,`` someone else yelled. ``He`s trying to start a riot. He`s a radical.``
``Let`s go, fella,`` the policeman said, leading him away as he finished the final stanza, holding the note as long as he could.
The judge fined him $25 for disorderly conduct, and warned him about not shouting in a crowded theater.
The next week he went to the Amazing Bowl. The crowd was led in singing the National Anthem by a rock star, who had been up all night with three groupies. A squadron of dive bombers flew between the goal posts.
He stood with everyone else. As the music played, he moved his lips because he was chewing peanuts, and he stared at the chest of a majorette. Then he sat down with everyone else.
The man in the next seat offered him a sip from his flask.
On “Open Mic for the week of 12/16/2024”
My 401k balance has been going gangbusters since the election. I gotta think the market thinks all of the hoohah about tariffs is a bunch of BS since they'd surely tank the economy.
It's always seemed kind of comical to me that Americans can simultaneously be in love with a free market economy and a centrally planned monetary policy.
On “Panic! The Kind That Came From New Jersey”
"But I repeat myself."
"
I've seen reports that the guidance came from the state, not the feds. Why are these sources never cited and why doesn't the press ask for a citation? I swear, social media and the death of the press have turned Americans, more than ever, into credulous morons.
On “97th Oscars Projections: Post HCA Awards & Critics Choice/Golden Globes Outlook”
I love these posts for making me aware of movies I never even knew about, especially as I sit here watching Real Housewives of Salt Lake City with my partner.
On “Open Mic for the week of 12/9/2024”
That's what she said.
"
I was an early nonadopter.
On “Asian Voters Abandoned Democrats in Droves and Might Not be Coming Back”
I would think it'd depend on the kind of politics and quality of life they find in their new homes.
On “Open Mic for the week of 12/9/2024”
This might the most old manish comment I've ever read on this site. ;-)
On “From the New York Post: UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson fatally shot outside Hilton hotel in Midtown in targeted attack: cops”
There's a blast from the past.
"
Lest we forget Richard Jewell.
"
Loved I when I read it earlier this year.
On “The Fourteenth Annual Mindless Diversions Unsolicited Shopping Guide”
It was published in 2018, but I just finished it this year: Richard Powers’ The Overstory is one of the best novels I’ve read in years.
Tom Coyne has written 3 books in his A Course Called… series.They’re about golf and a lot more than golf.
The Last Dinner Party’s “Prelude to Ecstasy” is my album of the year. Give to yourself!
My gift to you all is Ben Caplan’s rendition of O, Holy Night. I first heard it the Christmas after my wife died and it brought me to tears. The passion he brings to the song is just incredible.
https://youtu.be/7PdZGY_JDnQ?si=l2Rvs9xFLu8Ev25v
On “From the New York Post: UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson fatally shot outside Hilton hotel in Midtown in targeted attack: cops”
The only ones I've seen in my lifetime involve the government intruding just a little bit more into my life. Not amusing at all.
"
Here's a typical Reddit comment in answer to this question: Are you surprised at the lack of sympathy and outright glee the UHC CEO has gotten after his murder? Why or why not?
"I’ll speak to it personally. My sister had multiple surgeries to fix a botched gall bladder removal. Spent most of her life in pain and died of a prescription drug overdose a few years back. She worked as a nurse and still declared bankruptcy twice due to medical bills and she had insurance from her employer. She spent many hours of her life either fighting to get approval for a procedure or fighting off bills that were sent to her in error due to double billing. Take my story and several million others like this and you can see why no one has any empathy towards a cruel system like this or those who lead it."
Another one quoted Clarence Darrow: "I have never wished a man dead, but I have read some obituaries with great pleasure."
American is not shedding many tears for this guy, and I'll be very surprised if he's the last one to go down like this.
On “Joe Biden Pardons Local Man”
I was writing more regarding the novelty of the charge. I'm sure there are plenty of similar things that happen that are just swept under the rug.
I'm not saying DJT shouldn't have been charged. Hell's bells, throw the book at everyone!
"
Speaking as decidedly not a fan of Trump, this kind of sounds like the knock against the NY state conviction of DJT.
That said, as Sammy sang, "Don't do the crime if you can't do the time."
On “From CNN: South Korea president declares emergency martial law, sending shockwaves across country”
Jan. 7, 2021 in an alternate universe.
On “Joe Biden Pardons Local Man”
This might be one of the better exchanges in the history of this site.
On “Trump Wants FBI Director Wray Out, To Nominate Kash Patel”
He did say it's a conspiracy theory.
"
More like someone being miffed about being the butt of a joke about his net worth.
On “Huffpo reports that Harris internals *NEVER* had her ahead.”
What search engine are they using in SD I wonder?
"
Trump is for sure an agent of change. Almost certainly for ill, but hope springs eternal.
*Comment archive for non-registered commenters assembled by email address as provided.