Two In the Ring
On my other space, http://www.sportingnews.com/blog/djwright, I put together a quality post only to have Internet Explorer lock up and shut down, causing me to lose everything I had written, which completely sucks because it was about five pages of brilliance. One thing that I couldn’t get to post over there though was the following story because I didn’t know how to get the pictures to upload correctly. So I’m posting it here instead.
I got an email from HBO alerting me to a fight scheduled between Oscar De La Hoya v. Steve Forbes on May 3, 2008 at 10pm. De La Hoya was last seen losing a split decision to Floyd Mayweather and Forbes was last seen working on the ill-fated presidential campaign of Rudy Giuliani.
I’m not sure why the 35 year old welterweight has decided to fight a 60 year old republican but I think it has something to do with the flat tax. De La Hoya’s camp has put out the flyer below and it seems like it’s done some damage to Forbes’ standing in Vegas.
Most oddsmakers are picking the Golden Boy to cruise to an easy win as he goes on to a possible rematch with Mayweather, who I can only assume is currently training to fight Ross Perot.
McCain v. The Map
Going into this election season, which began November 3, 2004, I couldn’t imagine a scenario where the Democrats wouldn’t win in 2008. And then slowly, one thing after another has happened to throw the result of November’s election into question. Mind you, it’s still hard to believe that Clinton or Obama can lose to McCain no matter how hard they try, and they do seem to be trying. But when you look at an election map like this article did, there is so much against McCain, I struggle to picture a series of events that would allow him to win.
Assuming there are states that the Republicans and Democrats can’t lose based on recent history and that there are some states that are likely to go one way or the other, the election seems to hinge on Pennsylvania, Ohio and Virginia.
AP’s map shows Democrats favorites to win Oregon and Minnesota but I consider those states to be virtual locks for them (The article cites McCain’s position on climate change as putting the state in play, but both Democrats have similar positions on the issue, so I don’t see Oregon going Republican because of global warming). McCain is popular in New Hampshire and certainly brings the state into play but I don’t expect him to win it.
Wisconsin and Michigan are shown as leaning Democratic but are at least in play and maybe Republicans can win one of those, especially Michigan if Democratic voters are pissed off about the way their state was treated by the DNC. (Side note: I understand the argument on why the delegates were taken away but my point is more about how the voters will feel, not whether the DNC was right or wrong because that really doesn’t matter now. It’s about voter perception within the state when it comes to the general election). McCain might have a problem in Michigan after he cavalierly declared that the jobs the state had lost oversees weren’t coming back. While he was correct, the tone in which he said it was inappropriate for a candidate trying to win voter support.
Pennsylvania is listed as in play but leaning Democratic and I really don’t expect McCain to win that state in November but I can at least see where it’s possible. AP leaving Oregon as a potential battleground state seemed strange to me.
Of the battleground states where Republicans are likely to win, I fully expect McCain to win Florida, and he should win both Colorado, Nevada and New Mexico.
Missouri has been sliding over to the Democratic side lately and I wouldn’t be stunned if Iowa went for the Democrats. Ohio was the major battleground state and I said at the time that the winner of that race would win the presidency. It figures to be big this election as well but economics being what they are, I find it hard to believe that McCain can fare very well there.
The most intriguing state is Virginia, which should by all rights be Republican but the party has been plagued by poor campaigns run in the Commonwealth since 2001. Mark Warner, a democrat, defeated a shoddy campaign that year to win the gubernatorial election and was followed by Tim Kaine, who won the race in 2005 over Jerry Kilgore in another crappy campaign effort. George Allen seemed a lock for reelection in 2006 but he seemed intent on making it close and ended up losing to his democratic challenger, Jim Webb.
This year, Mark Warner will be running a Senate campaign to replace the retiring republican John Warner (no relation but interesting to note that the two Warner faced in each other in 1996, the one with the first name John winning by just five points, the same percentage that Mark won the race for governor just five years later). Given that M. Warner was a popular governor, the suggestions that Virginia might be moving to the left and the fact he’s facing a relatively unpopular former governor with high negative ratings (Jim Gilmore), I would expect the Democrats to pick up another Senate seat and that might benefit the eventual Democratic presidential nominee.
I expect the map of 2008 to look very similar to 2008. All it takes is Virginia to flip, which is actually kinda likely and then all Clinton or Obama would have to do is win in Missouri or Iowa and they would be the next president, even without winning in Ohio. And Virginia and Iowa flipping would only require a swing of 136,138 voters, meaning McCain, who will probably win more states, could win the popular vote but lose the election. (I don’t expect the winner of this election to lose popular vote but it’s possible given the way the election map is laid out and the way the last two presidential races have gone.)
Senator Chris Matthews?
‘Hardball’ host Chris Matthews, last seen being challenged to a duel by former Senator Zell Miller (D-GA), is reportedly considering running against Senator Arlen Specter (R-PA) in 2010. Senator Specter is a moderate Republican who recently announced a couple weeks ago that his cancer had returned.
Six Flags: A Little Cheaper
Six Flags over Georgia will be lowering their adult ticket prices by $10. Guests will now pay $40 to get into the park. I haven’t been there in years because I don’t want to go by myself and I don’t know anyone who’d be interested in going. I think it’s because most people oppose Bugs Bunny but that hasn’t been confirmed yet.
Some People Don’t Know Zip
If you find the topic of zip codes interesting, this article will cure you of that strange and rare condition. Some people are really caught up in what zip code they’re in, petitioning the Post Office to have it changed so they can appear to be in Marietta instead of Smyrna. I say Smyrna is a fine zip code to have and there’s nothing to be ashamed of about it. As for 30363…it’s overrated like…like…uh, things that are rated but are rated higher than they should be rated.
Truly the Homeless Are Rich
This is a story about a girl who pretended to be homeless so that she could beg for money. She made $50 an hour, proving that all homeless people are actually making $104,000 of tax free income every year. The news story cites a source estimating 70% of those who panhandle aren’t in the situation they pretend to be in. Megan, the little lying bitch, the primary focus of the report is estimated to make $26,000 a year, working two hours a day. Her mother had a feeling she was panhandling but doesn’t know what to do about it.
But the best part of the story is the reporter who was required to follow panhandlers around for several weeks. Can you imagine what it’s like talking to him after work?
Hey, honey, how was work?
Oh, just followed Stan and Linda around today.
That Stan and Linda. What crazy misadventures did they get up to today.
Well, today they…
I liked it when he held up a stack of cardboard signs with words written in marker on them and started dropping them like he was Bob Dylan.
The Intilignt Zebra
Students kidnapped a zebra and put it in a campus building. My favorite line is when the zebra’s owner says that this was hard on the zebra and “it’s not like taking a goat over there.” Would he have objected less if one of his goats was stolen (or borrowed)? Here’s the thing, the zebra spent one day on campus and whether this was right or wrong, that zebra is now the most educated animal on that farm. Not only does he know what sound each animal makes, now he knows why.
Praying for Gas
A Washington, DC church went to a gas station to pray that God would lower fuel prices. God replied back, “You should see the price of gas in East Heaven. It’s crazy but what you can you do.” The church then went to the movie theater to pray for lower ticket prices and then to a television set to pray for better stuff to start coming on TV. I mean, where did all the comedies go?
Also, how did Sonny Perdue NOT already think of doing this?
Important Headlines
The Supreme Court has upheld Indiana’s voter ID law, which has the audacity to ask voters to prove who they are using a photograph instead of a piece of mail someone mailed to them. Indiana’s law is very similar to Georgia and Florida’s voter laws. The vote on the court was 6-3 with the majority opinion written by Justice John Paul (Don’t Call me George Ringo) Stevens. Supreme Court Justices were not required to show their license before casting their vote.
According to this analysis, gas will soon hit $10 a gallon. It’s hard to believe but with the way the price of gas has nearly doubled in the last year, it’s at least possible.
I thought I saw a headline that read: “Kevorkian Buys 4.7% of Ford” and I was stunned. I mean, the old guy just got out of prison, who would’ve thought he had the capital for such a large investment? Turns out it was Kirk Kerkorian, who I don’t know, though his name sounds made up. No, Kevorkian buying Ford shares is much funnier than Kerkorian doing it.
Coldplay is coming out with a new album, this one with a Spanish sound (?) and they’re going to give away their first single for free. For one week, fans (or I suppose non-fans as well) can download their newest song off the band’s website without having to pay anything. Some would argue that it’s still overpriced.
BREAKING NEWS
I just got an email from Pizza Hut! Can you believe it?! Can you?! They called me a valued customer. I totally rock! They want me to fill out a survey with my opinion. Not some other person’s opinion. They want mine! Did you get a Pizza Hut email? I didn’t think so (unless you did get one, which I’d argue I got mine first, so I still win).
What I Watched on Television
I watched a couple movies today. ‘Lucky Number Slevin’ and ‘Wal-Mart: The High Cost of Low Prices.’ I liked the first two acts of ‘Slevin’ but I was able to guess the ending, as most people would, and the 20 minutes of flashbacks to reveal what was fairly obvious, bordered on tedious. It wasn’t a horrible movie and I really did have fun for the first hour of it but it thought it was smarter than it was, which is a problem…because it wasn’t.
The ‘Wal-Mart’ movie was a ‘documentary’ but I refer to these as ‘advocacy pieces.’ Some good points were raised and certainly this is a company that warrants intense investigations regarding some of their business practices but I always felt like the director was leaving out points to bolster his own argument at the expense of accuracy. Either way, Wal-Mart doesn’t come out looking very good.
What I’m Listening to On My Mp3 Player
I’m listening to Elvis Perkins’ ‘Ash Wednesday.’ The song that’s playing is ‘It’s Only Me.’ Pretty much the whole album is incredible though. Elvis Perkins is the son of Anthony Perkins (from Alfred Hitchcock’s ‘Psycho’) and noted photographer Berry Berenson. His father died of complications resulting from AIDS in 1992 and his mother died in the attacks of September 11th (she was on board Flight 11, the plane that was flown into the World Trade Center).
I went to Best Buy several months ago to get the album and when I was asked what I was looking for, the employee told me that I must be referring to Elvis Presley. No, it’s Elvis Perkins, though before I found out who is parents were, I thought his name was fake: a combination of Elvis Presley and Carl Perkins. He sounds like neither one of them. He’s a quiet, acoustic singer-songwriter who performs very well put together sad songs. Definitely worth a listen.
Random Thoughts
Was (Not Was), of Walk the Dinosaur fame, is scheduled to appear Friday night (or Saturday morning) on Conan O’Brien. My right eye suddenly went blind and I began shouting through my ears. But I think that was the standard reaction most people had when learning of their appearance on Conan.
The other day, I had cherry sherbert and it tasted like Play-Doh. Yeah, I ate Play-Doh when I was little. What of it?
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