I started out the week getting my plus 65 flu shot and my covid-19 booster this morning. Both arms are a little sore. Who knows what I will feel like in the morning?
No one saw this coming. With a little luck MSU and U of M could head into their battle for the Paul Bunyan trophy with identical 7-0 records. Even the most optimistic fans didn’t see this coming. I cannot remember the last time it has happened where both teams were undefeated this late in the season.
Before you start feeling sorry for the Lions for losing another game on a last second field goal over 50 yards, remember that their inability to stop the team from making a long gain as the clock was winding down was the real problem. If they make the play prior to the field goal attempt, there would not have been an opportunity to kick a winning field goal. NFL games usually come down to five plays that make the difference in the game. The Lions are usually on the wrong side of those five plays.
I found the following guest essay that appeared in today’s NY Times to be very interesting. It shows the conflict in the Republican Party between old school conservative Republicans and Trump Republicans. It is written by Miles Taylor, who served in the Department of Homeland Security from 2017-2019 and Christine Todd Whitman who was the Republican Governor of New Jersey from 1994 to 2001.
“After Donald Trump’s defeat, there was a measure of hope among Republicans who opposed him that control of the party would be up for grabs, and that conservative pragmatists could take it back. But it’s become obvious that political extremists maintain a viselike grip on the national and state parties and the process for fielding and championing House and Senate candidates in next year’s elections.
Rational Republicans are losing the party civil war. And the only near-term way to battle pro-Trump extremists is for all of us to team up on key races and overarching political goals with our longtime political opponents: the Democrats.
This year we joined more than 150 conservatives — including former governors, senators, congressmen, cabinet secretaries, and party leaders — in calling for the Republican Party to divorce itself from Trumpism or else lose our support, perhaps with us forming a new political party. Rather than return to founding ideals, Republican leaders in the House and in many states have now turned belief in conspiracy theories and lies about stolen elections into a litmus test for membership and running for office.
Starting a new center-right party may prove to be the last resort if Trump-backed candidates continue to win Republican primaries. We and our allies have debated the option of starting a new party for months and will continue to explore its viability in the long run. Unfortunately, history is littered with examples of failed attempts at breaking the two-party system, and in most states today the laws do not lend themselves easily to the creation and success of third parties.
For now, the best hope for the rational remnants of the Republican Party is for us to form an alliance with Democrats to defend American institutions, defeat far-right candidates, and elect honorable representatives next year — including a strong contingent of moderate Democrats.
It’s a strategy that has worked. Mr. Trump lost re-election in large part because Republicans nationwide defected, with 7 percent who voted for him in 2016 flipping to support Joe Biden, a margin big enough to have made some difference in key swing states.
Even still, we don’t take this position lightly. Many of us have spent years battling the left over government’s role in society, and we will continue to have disagreements on fundamental issues like infrastructure spending, taxes and national security. Similarly, some Democrats will be wary of any pact with the political right.
But we agree on something more foundational — democracy. We cannot tolerate the continued hijacking of a major U.S. political party by those who seek to tear down our Republic’s guardrails or who are willing to put one man’s interests ahead of the country. We cannot tolerate Republican leaders — in 2022 or in the presidential election in 2024 — refusing to accept the results of elections or undermining the certification of those results should they lose.
To that end, concerned conservatives must join forces with Democrats on the most essential near-term imperative: blocking Republican leaders from regaining control of the House of Representatives. Some of us have worked in the past with the House Republican leader, Kevin McCarthy, but as long as he embraces Mr. Trump’s lies, he cannot be trusted to lead the chamber, especially in the run-up to the next presidential election.”
Stay safe. Wash your hands regularly. Schedule your vaccine and booster. Wear your mask. Social distance.
Orchid of the Day: Christian Vazquez for his walk-off homerun in the bottom of the 13th inning in yesterday’s Red Sox victory over the Rays.
Onion of the Day: Major League Baseball for assigning umpire Angel Hernandez to NLDS playoffs. In the game between the two teams (Giants and Dodgers) with the best records in all of baseball, Hernandez was behind the plate in game two. His overall accuracy on pitches he called was 91% (the league average is 94%, and Joe West in his last game was 98%). He was especially bad in the first few innings.
Quote of the Day:. “That was a Clint Eastwood win. We are going to enjoy it.” Michigan Head Coach Jim Harbaugh after beating Nebraska Saturday night.
Tom, I have my booster scheduled for next Thursday. Hope you and Leah are well. Temperature staying around 82 near Charleston.