Wanting just to stay awake, wondering how much I can take.....

One month down, eleven more to go in what has already been a bizarre 2021. However, we'll recap some big news stories from just this past week on today's edition of my radio show The Closer. The 2-hour broadcast gets started at 1:00 PM Central Time. 

On the national front, I'll look at some of the more hackish behavior displayed by American media in the first full week of President Biden's administration. Also, is Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D-NY) finally being held accountable for his egregious handling of the COVID-19 pandemic in his state?

At 2:00, I will chat with MN State Senate Majority Leader Paul Gazelka regarding Gov. Walz's initial budget proposal, Minnesota's convoluted roll out plan for distribution of the COVID-19 vaccine, etc. 

So please call (651) 289-4488 if you'd like to weigh in on any of the topics we plan on addressing.

 

You can listen live in the Twin Cities at AM 1280 or, if you're near downtown Minneapolis/West Metro area, 107.5 FM on your radio dial. In and out of the Minneapolis-St Paul area you can listen to the program on the Internet by clicking this link, or check us out via iheart radio as well as Amazon Alexa (just say "Alexa, play The Patriot Minneapolis"). If you're unable to tune in live, please check out my podcast page for the latest show post.

And if you're so inclined, follow along on Twitter at #NARNShow or "Like" our Facebook page, where we also conduct a "Live Stream" of the broadcast.

Until then.....

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A good start

When he hasn't been busy touting his book on self-proclaimed exemplary leadership during a global pandemic, accepting an Emmy for his smug, self-righteous press conferences or yukking it up with his little brother on the latter's CNN prime time show, Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D-NY) regularly deflects blame for his state's ineptitude with anything related to COVID-19.

Perhaps the most egregious affront was Cuomo's policy early on in the pandemic which entailed placing COVID infected patients in nursing homes due to a lack of hospital beds. This was a disaster waiting to happen given we had known from the outset that the elderly as well as those with underlying health conditions were most susceptible to the virus. Sure enough the death toll in NY long-term care facilities was out of control, though it was always suspected that the Cuomo administration was even understating the numbers in the first place. 

Sadly, that has now been confirmed. 

A damning attorney general’s report that showed Gov. Andrew Cuomo and other officials downplayed the deadly impact of COVID-19 on New York’s nursing homes finally led the state’s embattled health commissioner on Thursday to reveal the total number of resident fatalities.

In a defensive, nearly 1,700-word statement, Dr. Howard Zucker released figures that put the tally of confirmed and presumed deaths in both nursing homes and hospitals at 12,743 as of Jan. 19.

The staggering number is only slightly less than the 13,000-plus suggested by the report issued earlier in the day by Attorney General Letitia James.

That report said data from 62 nursing homes showed the death toll of residents was 56 percent higher than publicly acknowledged by by the Department of Health.

As usual, Cuomo responded with the obligatory defiance.

Cuomo on nursing home deaths: “Who cares [where they died]? They died!” pic.twitter.com/VECpQNKF2I

— Tom Elliott (@tomselliott) January 29, 2021

Fox News personality Janice Dean, who lost both her husband's parents in New York nursing homes, has been on a months long crusade to hold Cuomo accountable. While Dean acknowledges there is a lot of work remaining in blowing the lid of this scandal, she couldn't help but take a well-deserved victory lap. 

 

Gov. Cuomo said this week in an interview on one of the channels that never asked him questions about the nursing-home tragedy:

“Incompetent government kills people. More people died than needed to die in COVID. That’s the truth.”

Turns out he was talking about himself.

 Now that the ego-maniacal Cuomo will ever acknowledge it.

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Our hackish and corrupt media

Prolific CNN hack Brian Stelter (or as Fox News personality Tucker Carlson calls him -  "Jeff Zucker's eunuch") this past Sunday compared the media coverage of a Joe Biden administration to that of President Trump's tenure.

"Is President Biden making the news boring again?" @brianstelter looks at how the news industry has adjusted to covering Biden's administration during the President's first week in office. "The Biden White House is clearly a break from the chaos and incompetence of Trump world." pic.twitter.com/0QzdQ1rSn3

— Reliable Sources (@ReliableSources) January 24, 2021

Perhaps the most hilarious bit of this monologue came near the end when Stelter indicated how refreshing it was for an administration to demand the media ask them tough questions, to insist on accountability, etc. This isn't exactly the ballsy move that some might believe given the Biden team knows darn well they'll receive constant fawning coverage or absolutely will not be held accountable.

Biden's aide shoos the press out of the oval office not allowing them to ask questions (again) and here's Kyle's takeaway. https://t.co/uvnmaGjhaB

— Stephen L. Miller (@redsteeze) January 26, 2021

 

If @jrpsaki doesn't want to answer a question by reporters, she says she'll "circle back" to them.

And yes, it's already becoming a pattern. pic.twitter.com/yG5Sfdw4yO

— MediaResearchCenter (@theMRC) January 28, 2021

Oh, and remember how chiding members of the media cut at the very heart of our deomcracy? Good times!

 

PETER DOOCY: Mr President, what did you talk to Vladimir Putin about?

PRESIDENT BIDEN: You. He sends his best. pic.twitter.com/Fq0zglc9aK

— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) January 26, 2021

But the coup de grace of the media's hackish corruption is delivered in David Harsanyi's devastating tweet thread compiled two days before Biden took office and every day since he was sworn in (click below to see entire thread).

pic.twitter.com/fTAMKqe1YZ

— David Harsanyi (@davidharsanyi) January 18, 2021

Just imagine how insufferable it'll be when VP Kamala Harris assumes office and we're reminded not of her utter failure as a public servant or inept POTUS candidacy but that she's the first female to assume the Oval Office. And won't that be fun to be derided as a racist again when criticizing policy stances of a President who happens to be a minority. Ah, but this'll be double the finger wagging from our media betters as they will undoubtedly let loose with charges of misogyny as well. Yeah, can't wait.

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They're still not over it

 It's been nearly two weeks since conservative commentator Ben Shapiro was a guest writer for Politico Playbook. In his piece at PP, Shapiro attempted to explain why many Republicans opposed the impeachment of President Donald Trump, who was a mere six days away from leaving the White House at that point. 

Two weeks later, some Politico staffers haven't been able to dislodge their thumbs from their mouths.

More than 100 Politico staffers signed onto a letter sent to publisher Robert Allbritton, expressing disgust with allowing right-wing firebrand Ben Shapiro to guest-author one day’s edition of the Playbook, and with the outlet’s subsequent handling of the fallout.

Earlier this month, the Beltway news outlet handed over the keys to its signature news product to Shapiro, a talk-radio host and pundit who has long been one of the most controversial voices in right-wing media, thanks in part to his incendiary comments about the LGBT community, Muslims, Black Americans, and Jews who support Democratic politicians.

Well if indeed Shapiro is as much a knuckle-dragging oaf as he's being portrayed, then it should have been a simple task to refute his piece in Politico. Instead, butthurt leftists either cast aspersions on Shapiro's character or attempt to denigrate him by ginning up past "controversial" statements of his without a shred of nuance. 

Regardless, it appears Politico doesn't want to get on the bad side of its whiny little staffers again given its latest editorial decision. 

Ben Shapiro claims the controversy surrounding his turn as a guest writer of Politico's Playbook has extended to conservatives slated to follow him in the editorial role.

In a Twitter thread posted Tuesday evening, the editor emeritus of the Daily Wire claimed Townhall's Guy Benson and Mary Katharine Ham, a CNN commentator, were uninvited from serving as guest writers after his own turn in the role attracted controversy. Shapiro said the two right-wing political personalities were told that the magazine was "overbooked," but he speculated that the motivations for the cancellations were more biased in nature.

"Politico's blow-up over me writing Playbook wasn't about me being cancelled -- it was about woke staffers cudgeling editors into never reaching across the aisle again," he wrote, adding in a later tweet, "message received. Conservatives are pre-emptively cancelled. Homogeneity maintained. Polarization increased. Well done, wokescolds!"

We've been hearing an awful lot lately about Americans needing to "heal" and "unify" now that the divisive Trump is no longer President. However, to be able to do so requires an effort to understand why others think differently than you, with the goal of not necessarily changing your worldview but to, on some level, empathize with others. Sadly, that's not what's happening. 

It's become abundantly clear that unification in the minds of leftists is tantamount to capitulation.

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Quick Hits: Volume CCXLI

 - During the 2020 campaign, it appeared to be a decent possibility that the U.S. Senate would end up with 50 Democrats and 50 Republicans, meaning whichever party won the White House would essentially control the Senate. The 50-50 split did indeed come to fruition, meaning the Dems control that body now that Joe Biden is President. 

The concern was the Dems could conceivably end a legislative filibuster if all 50 members (plus VP Kamala Harris) voted to change the rules (i.e. go "nuclear") and thus allow for a simple majority to end debate over legislation. While Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) was quite emphatic over his desire to keep the filibuster, I was always uneasy about one Senator having that much leverage. Thankfully it appears another Dem, Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona, has stepped up. 

 

For all the focus on Manchin being anti-nuke on filibuster, this is what a spokes for @kyrstensinema tells me + @mikedebonis:

"Kyrsten is against eliminating the filibuster, and she is not open to changing her mind about eliminating the filibuster.”https://t.co/0wZD3dibEO

— Seung Min Kim (@seungminkim) January 25, 2021

As we gear up for the 2022 midterm elections, this should continue to be a talking point for any Republican Senate candidate, particularly those opposing incumbent Dems. That is challenging their Democrat opponent to take a stand on whether or not the filibuster should be preserved. 

- In a country where very few things unite us, I'm certain we can all come together and agree that Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. is a soulless ghoul.

#HankAaron's tragic death is part of a wave of suspicious deaths among elderly closely following administration of #COVID #vaccines. He received the #Moderna vaccine on Jan. 5 to inspire other Black Americans to get the vaccine. #TheDefenderhttps://t.co/vbuHt22bJz

— Robert F. Kennedy Jr (@RobertKennedyJr) January 22, 2021

- The challenge for the GOP to retake the U.S. Senate majority in 2022 just became that much more difficult. Sen. Rob Portman (R-OH) is moving on. 

Portman, 65, won't seek re-election next year but will serve out his term that ends on Jan. 3, 2023.

He said he hopes he will be remembered for the legislation he's passed, and he urged politicians to do a better job of working together.

“If we just keep pushing out to the right and to the left, there’s not going to be much left in the middle to solve the real problems we face,” Portman said.

Add to that Sen. Pat Toomey (R-PA) not running again in 2022 along with Sens. Ron Johnson (R-WI) and Marco Rubio (R-FL) appearing somewhat vulnerable, the Republicans only backstop against a prog utopia would be to take back the U.S. House. Thankfully the party is within striking distance as the Dems have a scant 222-213 majority. That would mean the GOP needs a net gain of only 5 seats to seize the House. Typically the opposite party of the President makes significant gains in the midterms, so it's definitely not unattainable. 

I guess you could say the 2022 campaigns have already started. 

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I'm hiding in Honduras, I'm a desperate man....

It's the first Sunday in the Joe Biden administration, so it's gonna be a busy and hilarious four years on the Northern Alliance Radio Network. Today's 2-hour edition of my broadcast The Closer gets started at 1:00 PM Central Time. 

A lot to talk about in Biden's first four days as President of the United States, specifically his talk about unity but actions showing otherwise. 

At 1:15 CT, Ricochet Editor-in-Chief Jon Gabriel will join the broadcast to talk about the GOP post-Trump, the dysfunction of his home state's (Arizona) Republican party, what to expect in the Biden administration, etc. 

So please call (651) 289-4488 if you'd like to weigh in on any of the topics we plan on addressing.

 

You can listen live in the Twin Cities at AM 1280 or, if you're near downtown Minneapolis/West Metro area, 107.5 FM on your radio dial. In and out of the Minneapolis-St Paul area you can listen to the program on the Internet by clicking this link, or check us out via iheart radio as well as Amazon Alexa (just say "Alexa, play The Patriot Minneapolis"). If you're unable to tune in live, please check out my podcast page for the latest show post.

And if you're so inclined, follow along on Twitter at #NARNShow or "Like" our Facebook page.

Until then.....

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2020 NFL Playoffs: Conference Championship games

Tampa Bay Buccaneers (+3-1/2) at Green Bay Packers: In last season's NFC title game in San Francisco, the Packers faced the team which dealt them their worst loss in the 2019 regular season. They were once again soundly defeated by the 49ers. History somewhat repeats itself here as the Pack will take on a Buccaneers squad which crushed them 38-10 back in October, easily Green Bay's worst performance of the 2020 regular season. The difference this year is the Packers are hosting the conference championship game. 

Bucs QB Tom Brady is just piling on at this point as he will be appearing in his fourteenth conference title game, with this being his first in the NFC. Having already won six Super Bowl rings (a record for a player) in nine SB appearances (also a record), what more can he accomplish? Well if the Bucs win, they will be the first team in NFL history to play the Super Bowl in their home stadium. 

On the other side of the ledger, Packers QB Aaron Rodgers is looking to appear in that elusive second Super Bowl. This will be the Pack's fourth NFC title game since their Super Bowl XLV victory just under ten years ago. Rodgers is a sure fire Hall of Famer but if he is to be mentioned in the same breath as legends like Brady, Joe Montana and Peyton Manning, he needs to have multiple Super Bowl rings. I believe he'll have that opportunity in two weeks.

Green Bay 31 Tampa Bay 24

Buffalo Bills (+3) at Kansas City Chiefs: The Bills have one of the most prolific offenses in the NFL, ranking second in scoring (the Chiefs are #1) and total yards. However, the only game in the 2020 regular season which the Bills had under 300 yards total offense was week six at home against.....Kansas City. The Bills mustered only 202 yards in a 26-17 loss. 

The key to this game is how effective Chiefs all-world QB Patrick Mahomes will be now that has been cleared to play. Mahomes suffered a concussion last week against Cleveland, thus sitting most of the second half. However, even if Mahomes isn't 100%, the Chiefs may get a reprieve if rookie RB Clyde Edwards-Helaire plays for the first time since week 15. Edwards-Helaire gashed the Bills' porous run defense for 161 yards rushing in their regular season matchup, so his presence would help mitigate (though not completely offset) Mahomes being subpar.

I'm calling this game a toss up.

Kansas City 24 Buffalo 23

My 2020 postseason record:

Against the spread: 3-6-1

Straight up: 6-4

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I guess that's none of our business

I hate to rain on the "YASSSSSS KWEEEEEEN" parade amid Kamala Harris becoming the first ever female Vice President of the United States, but here's something you oughta consider. 

So much for smashing that patriarchy, eh?

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Quick Hits: Volume CCXL

 - With a Democrat now occupying the White House, much of the media which covers the presidency will now return to its slumber. 

On Sunday, Jan. 17, Vice President-elect Kamala Harris sat down with Jane Pauley of CBS News "Sunday Morning." Pauley treated Harris to a full-on journalistic massage. At no point was Harris asked a tough question; at no point was Harris treated as anything other than an idol worthy of worship. Perhaps the most awkward manifestation of this sycophancy came when Harris -- an extraordinarily and transparently manipulative and mechanical politician -- spouted a canned speech about relentlessness. "I was raised to not hear no -- let me be clear about it," said Harris. "I eat no for breakfast!"

This prompted a spasm of ecstasy from Pauley, who immediately reflected Harris' bizarrely inappropriate laughter with an enormous grin of her own.

It will be four long years.

 

Especially with this line of questioning.

REPORTER: "Will [Biden] keep Donald Trump's Air Force One color scheme change?

PSAKI: "This is such a good question!" pic.twitter.com/PafHiBtRUs

— Breaking911 (@Breaking911) January 21, 2021

The sad thing is the media has absolutely zero self-awareness of its role in the woeful lack of trust in its institution.  

-When reading the CBS News headline "Most Americans don't know what's in the Constitution: "A crisis of civic education," my only response is.....

via GIPHY

- On Inauguration Day Wednesday, much was made of Kamala Harris becoming the first ever female Vice President of the United States. Within hours, the Biden administration essentially conveyed that gender is irrelevant.

In his inaugural address, President Joe Biden stressed he wants to be the president of all Americans—left and right—and bring healing and unity to the nation. Actions speak louder than words. And on his very first day in office, Biden signed a radically divisive executive order mandating the transgender agenda.

Here’s what it says:

“Children should be able to learn without worrying about whether they will be denied access to the restroom, the locker room, or school sports.”

“People should be able to access health care and secure a roof over their heads without being subjected to sex discrimination.”

And here’s what it means:

Boys who identify as girls must be allowed to compete in the girls’ athletic competitions, men who identify as women must be allowed in women-only spaces, healthcare plans must pay for gender-transition procedures, and doctors and hospitals must perform them.

This pretty much eradicates the competitiveness of female sports since any dude identifying as a female will now dominate the competition. Guess which political party is waging the "war on women" these days?

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Just an FYI....

In the days leading up to Joe Biden's inauguration as 46th President of the United States, I've seen a good number of social media posts expressing jubilation, relief, etc. 

Some folks have expressed how grateful they will be to finally get a good night's sleep now that the eeeeeeevil Donald Trump will no longer occupy the White House. I've also seen a decent number of posts lamenting an unhealthy lifestyle due to lack of motivation to eat right, exercise, etc. Others shared their sorrow over not having any enjoyment out of life the past four years, including abandoning sexual relations (SERIOUSLY!) with their partner due to not wanting to bring a child in to this world. 

But now that doddering old fool Biden will be our Commander in Chief, all is right with the world in the eyes of proggies whose happiness is predicated upon who resides at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. 

So with all that in mind, lemme throw something out there if any of the above applies to you. Your inability to have even a scintilla of enjoyment out of life for the past 4+ years says a heckuva lot more about you and your character than it does about Trump himself. 

Carry on.

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In the immortal words of Tanya Tucker: It's a little too late to do the right thing now

 President Donald J. Trump gave his farewell address on Tuesday evening. 

I can't help but think that if Trump had conveyed even a semblance of this graciousness and humility beginning the Saturday after Election Day (when Joe Biden was officially projected the winner of the presidential election), the Republicans would have moved forward with tremendous optimism after over-performing in U.S. House races and not losing a single governor's office or state legislature. Also, the focus would have been shifted 100% on winning the two Senate runoff elections in Georgia, with GOP Sens. Perdue and Loeffler likely prevailing and keeping the party in a comfortable majority.

Instead, for two solid months since Election Day, Trump inflamed his most ardent supporters with baseless allegations* of rampant fraud as well as denigrated elected officials in the state of Georgia for not overturning his loss to Biden in that state. As a result, the GOP brand (for now) is even more toxic than before Trump was elected and there were seeds of doubt planted in the minds of Georgia Republicans that just enough stayed home two weeks ago, resulting in the loss of the Senate majority. 

As a result, Trump's undeniably positive accomplishments take a back seat to what has transpired over the past 11 weeks. Sadly for him, he doesn't appear to have the ability to be introspective, thus the consequences of the scorched earth strategy he implemented will not be apparent to him. Sad.

*To be clear: I'm not saying there was zero election fraud. What I am saying is there is no evidence to suggest it was on a scale that swung the contest from Trump to Biden. 

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Into my veins

Check out the comment of Tampa Bay Buccaneers safety (and University of Minnesota alum) Antoine Winfield, Jr. after his club ousted the New Orleans Saints from the NFL postseason. 

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Antoine Winfield Jr (@antoinewinfieldjr)

The sting of my Vikings losing the 2009 NFC Championship Game has never really gone away. Heck, I can't even watch highlights of the 1998 title game loss, much less the '09 contest. All that said, I appreciate Winfield, Jr. thinking of his old man's team as his Buccaneers squad got to within one game of the Super Bowl. It happens to coincide with the fact that I've rooted for Tampa QB Tom Brady to win every postseason game since his first Super Bowl championship in February 2002, which began an 18-year New England Patriots dynasty. 

I'm definitely on the Bucs' pirate ship the rest of the way!

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You're talking, it all sounds fair.....

 It's the final Sunday of the Trump administration, so there'll be plenty of talk about President Donald Trump's final days in the White House. Today's edition of The Closer will be on the air from 1:00 until 3:00 PM Central Time. 

For the second time in his presidency, Donald Trump has been impeached. Is it worth it given he's leaving Washington, D.C. on Wednesday? Also, we're learning more about the Capitol riots with each passing day, which shows once again how the media was derelict in its duty. 

At 2:00 PM I will welcome to the broadcast author Peter Wood, who will be on to discuss his new book 1620: A Critical Response to the 1619 Project. 

So please call (651) 289-4488 if you'd like to weigh in on any of the topics we plan on addressing.

 

You can listen live in the Twin Cities at AM 1280 or, if you're near downtown Minneapolis/West Metro area, 107.5 FM on your radio dial. In and out of the Minneapolis-St Paul area you can listen to the program on the Internet by clicking this link, or check us out via iheart radio as well as Amazon Alexa (just say "Alexa, play The Patriot Minneapolis"). If you're unable to tune in live, please check out my podcast page for the latest show post.

And if you're so inclined, follow along on Twitter at #NARNShow or "Like" our Facebook page.

Until then.....

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2020 NFL Playoffs: Divisional round

Los Angeles Rams (+6-1/2) at Green Bay Packers: What a matchup, as the Rams top ranked defense (in terms of points and yards allowed) faces off against the highest scoring offense in the NFL! The Rams have allowed only 17 touchdown passes all season while Packers WR Davante Adams alone has 18 TD catches. All that said, the Rams are sweating out the status of All Pro DT Aaron Donald, who injured his ribs against the Seahawks last week. Donald will likely play but he'll be far from 100%. 

Unfortunately for the Rams, their offense has been pretty inconsistent throughout the year and now they're having to deal with less than optimal health against a solid Packers defense. While QB Jared Goff did just enough last week to help L.A. win, the thumb on his throwing hand is still banged up. Add to that top WR Cooper Kupp enduring a knee contusion and the situation looks bleak for the passing game. If rookie RB Cam Akers can give a semblance of the production he put forth last week (176 total yards and 1 TD), the Rams have a shot. Weather shouldn't be a huge factor in Green Bay, as temperatures will be in the 30s with only a slight chance of precipitation. 

Hey, remember last April when the Packers drafted QB Aaron Rodgers' successor and it was going to result in a dysfunctional 2020 season due to the likely alienation of the future Hall of Famer? Good times!

Green Bay 27 Los Angeles 17

Baltimore Ravens (+2-1/2) at Buffalo Bills: You have to believe that Ravens QB Lamar Jackson is licking his proverbial chops over this matchup. Jackson and Co. are the top run offense in the NFL (fresh off 236 yards on the ground last week) going against a Bills defense allowing 4.6 yards per carry, which ranks 26th out of 32 teams. While the Bills' strength is in their passing game, they've got a difficult task against a stingy Baltimore pass defense, which allowed the sixth fewest yards in the NFL. 

There's a decent chance of snow in Orchard Park, NY Saturday evening, so in my mind that only enhances Baltimore's chances for the upset. 

Baltimore 24 Buffalo 20

Cleveland Browns (+10) at Kansas City Chiefs: The Browns are a nice story this season. First time in the postseason since 2002. Their thorough ass-kicking of the Pittsburgh Steelers last week was their first playoff win since 1994. Their reward? The defending Super Bowl champions. 

I'm always a little nervous when teams with a first round bye rest all their starters in the regular season finale. That means two full weeks without game action, so it typically takes a series or two to shake the rust. I believe the Browns can and will be competitive this game but will ultimately fall short. 

Kansas City 38 Cleveland 31

Tampa Bay Buccaneers (+3) at New Orleans Saints: The Saints dismantled the Bucs in two regular season matchups, so you know what that means. It's the vapid chanting point of "It's hard to beat a team three times in one year." Well, that's literally false. Since 1970, the team who swept its divisional opponent during the regular season has won the playoff matchup more than two-thirds of the time. 

The focus of course will be on the two Hall of Fame QBs. With 43-year old Tom Brady taking on 42-year old Drew Brees, this game sets a record for oldest combined age of the two starting quarterbacks. Amazingly, both are still playing at a high level. It's a shame one of 'em has to lose. 

New Orleans 30 Tampa Bay 24

My 2020 postseason record:

Against the spread: 1-4-1

Straight up: 4-2

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Ya know what really grinds my gears?!?!

 A lotta things lately, particularly vapid and self righteous talking points. 

Here's a condensed list. 

"You awake yet?!" or "Wake up!" 

When someone on social media posts an article discussing the alleged nefarious actions of their political opposites, they offer little to no insightful commentary other then the pithy phrases above. What's ironic is oftentimes someone posts content while having read nothing other then the click bait headline, so said headline sometimes doesn't align with what's conveyed in the article. So I guess it isn't necessarily your social media followers who have to "WAKE UP!"

"Here's something which will restore your faith in humanity!"

Nope. It won't. Humans are born into a sinful world, so I don't put any faith in fallible beings. If there is legit good occurring due to human action, I believe it is due to God's guidance in their lives. 

"If  you didn't vote, you can't complain."

Uhhhh....the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution says otherwise.

"Even though Bob & I disagree politically, I think he did a nice job here."

If Bob did something which is worthy of your compliment, then it is 100% unnecessary to point out the drawbacks of  your relationship. This is sadly indicative of our society today in that even tacit approval of someone outside of our "tribe" has the potential to be met with scorn or condemnation from those who are of like mind.

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It didn't have to be this way

Prior to Election Day 2020, the most credible pollsters (yes, there are a few) had Joe Biden emerging victorious in the presidential race. The prevailing opinion had Biden attaining 290 electoral votes to 248 for President Trump. As we now know, Biden did win with the only error among said pollsters being Trump winning the 16 electoral votes in Georgia. 

As it turns out, the Trump team's internal polling basically said the same thing. And even though results bore that out, Team Trump chose to push fantastical conspiracy theories about the vote being stolen in key swing states. 

Former White House communications director Alyssa Farah, in an interview with Politico, finally decided to give her perspective. 

So I made the decision back in December to step down because, well, first and foremost, going back to the day after Election Day, I was scheduled to go on TV and was prepared to deliver a message that I was proud of, which is: It looks like we lost, but Republicans were able to turn out record Hispanic support, record African American support. And we helped get a record number of women elected to the House of Representatives.

But I was advised by the campaign to stand down. That wouldn’t be the message. We weren’t going to be acknowledging the loss, and they were going to pursue avenues to reconcile that. And I’m of the mind that it’s foundational to our democracy that if you think there was fraud or irregularities, the president absolutely should pursue legal recourse to determine if there was. But we’re now at a point where we’ve seen something like 60 cases, and conservative judges ruling against them. And there just has not been compelling evidence of anything to show that the election went any way different than it did.

And I’m someone who worked on the Hill for half a decade prior to going into the administration. And, you know, I've always advocated for voter ID. I think we have to have a smart policy discussion about where to go from here to avoid the potential issues of fraud. But we need to come to grips with the fact Republicans lost the election.

So, long answer short: I made the decision to step down in December because I saw where this was heading, and I wasn’t comfortable being a part of sharing this message to the public that the election results might go a different way. I didn’t see that to be where the facts lay.

So to me, it was time. And then Wednesday was really a boiling point showing that misleading the public has consequences. And what happened was unacceptable. It was unpatriotic. It was un-American. And I certainly fault the protesters—frankly, we should call them terrorists, but I fundamentally fault our elected leadership who allowed these people to believe that their election was stolen from them. The president and certain advisers around him are directly responsible.

Had Trump conceded the week of Election Day, all of the focus would have then been shifted to January's two U.S. Senate runoff elections in Georgia. The incumbent GOP Senators would have likely prevailed as a result, thus maintaining a Republican majority in that body and effectively neutering any of Joe Biden's agenda. And since the GOP significantly narrowed the Dem majority in the U.S. House, the 2022 midterms were looking good for the party with a legit shot to control all of Congress.

Now?

Party that's divided is the one that's losing.

21 House Rs in the 40 most competitive districts = voted with Trump

19 House Rs in the 40 most competitive CDs = voted for democracy

Suggests vacuum of leadership.https://t.co/olV0Hyf2ap

— Josh Kraushaar (@HotlineJosh) January 9, 2021

Trump's mantra during his 4-year term was to "Drain the Swap" in Washington, D.C. However, because of the actions of Trump himself as well as his most ardent supporters, D.C. is shaping up to become even more "swampy." And Team Trump has no one but themselves to blame for it.

--------------------------------------------

He said somehow, someway it's gotta get better than this.....

Well 2021 is barely over a week old yet one could argue it's almost as bizarre and surreal as all of 2020. Definitely a lot to break down on this edition of my radio show The Closer. The 2-hour blitz gets started at 1:00 PM Central Time. 

For the entire 1:00 hour I will discuss the storming of the U.S. Capitol and the fallout from it. Let's just say that this had been brewing for some time and I actually expressed concern on the airwaves that something like this could happen. 

In the 2:00 hour I will talk about the GOP debacle in Georgia, Gov. Walz throwing Minnesotans a bone and the Republican prospects for 2022 in Minnesota. 

So please call (651) 289-4488 if you'd like to weigh in on any of the topics we plan on addressing.

 

You can listen live in the Twin Cities at AM 1280 or, if you're near downtown Minneapolis/West Metro area, 107.5 FM on your radio dial. In and out of the Minneapolis-St Paul area you can listen to the program on the Internet by clicking this link, or check us out via iheart radio as well as Amazon Alexa (just say "Alexa, play The Patriot Minneapolis"). If you're unable to tune in live, please check out my podcast page for the latest show post.

And if you're so inclined, follow along on Twitter at #NARNShow or "Like" our Facebook page.

Until then.....

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2020 NFL Playoffs: Wildcard (Sunday games)

Baltimore Ravens (-3) at Tennessee Titans: Last season the Ravens coasted into the playoffs as the AFC's top seed. After the Titans effectively ended the New England Patriots' nearly two decade dynasty in last year's wildcard round, they went into Baltimore the next week and thoroughly dismantled the mighty Ravens. In that game, Titans RB Derrick Henry ran roughshod over Baltimore with 195 yards on the ground and a touchdown pass for good measure. 

In a 2020 regular season matchup, the Titans won again in Baltimore, 30-24 in overtime. Once again, Henry plowed through the Ravens D with 133 yards rushing, including the game winning TD in OT. While Ravens QB Lamar Jackson is a legit star in the NFL, the Titans' defense seems to have his number. Despite the Baltimore passing attack being feeble in 2020, they were the top run offense in the NFL. Anything that can accomplish keeping Derrick Henry off the field would be a big plus. 

Baltimore 21 Tennessee 20

Chicago Bears (+10) at New Orleans Saints: Ya think the Saints have a chip on their collective shoulders? I'm thinking it's more like the Rock of Gibraltar given the past three postseasons have ended in defeats, all of which were due to the opponent scoring on the final play of the game. QB Drew Brees is 41-years old, so the sense of urgency to capture a second Super Bowl title is as high as ever. 

After being left for dead earlier this season, Bears QB Mitch Trubisky actually looked functional a few games near the end of the regular year. Granted his finest performances were against awful defenses in the Texans, Vikings and Jaguars, but it was a dramatic improvement over what we've seen the past couple seasons. But let's be honest. If the Bears are to score the upset here, it has to be on the strength of their defense. While Chicago's D is still formidable, it isn't on the level of 2018. 

New Orleans 35 Chicago 17

Cleveland Browns (+6) at Pittsburgh Steelers: For the first time since 2002, the Browns are in the postseason! As a reward, they draw their division rival Steelers, with whom they split two games in the regular season. 

The Browns coaching staff has been wracked with COVID-19, including head coach Kevin Stefanski. Barring a last second NFL decision to delay this game, Special Teams coach Mike Priefer will assume the head coaching duties for the Browns. Add to that the fact the Browns will also be without Pro Bowl guard Joel Bitonio (also due to COVID), they're task against the #3 overall defense in the NFL will be that much more difficult. 

Pittsburgh 31 Cleveland 17

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2020 NFL Playoffs: Wildcard (Saturday games)

Indianapolis Colts (+6-1/2) at Buffalo Bills: After a 16-year playoff drought, the Bills have now appeared in the postseason 3 of the past 4 seasons. They finished this season with a 13-3 record and the 2nd ranked total offense (in terms of yardage) in the NFL. 

While the Colts have been known for prolific offenses in the Peyton Manning & Andrew Luck eras, their defense was arguably the magic this year with a +10 turnover differential, which was good for second in the league. 

To me, this comes down simply to momentum. The Bills are one of the NFL's hottest teams right having won 9 of its final 10 regular season games (their only loss was to the Arizona Cardinals on a Hail Mary TD pass with 1 second left) while averaging 48 points per contest over its final three games. 

Buffalo 28 Indianapolis 20

Los Angeles Rams (+3) at Seattle Seahawks: The Rams are the top defense in the NFL in both points and yards allowed. However, their offense will be a big question mark this game with QB Jared Goff nursing a thumb injury. He'll likely play, but his effectiveness will be limited. While the Seahawks defense ranks only 22nd in yards allowed, they've been dramatically better the second half of the season. That coincided with Pro Bowl Strong Safety Jamal Adams returning from injury. 

These division rivals split the two regular season games, with the home team prevailing in both. Even though there are no fans attending this game, Seattle just doesn't lose at home in the playoffs. That and the injury to Goff give the Seahawks the edge. 

Seattle 20 Los Angeles 14

Tampa Bay Buccaneers (-8) at Washington Redskins Football Team: This is uncharted territory for Bucs QB Tom Brady. In 20 seasons with the New England Patriots, Brady led them to 17 playoff appearances but had never done so as a wildcard. His club is the wildcard this game against a Washington team that somehow won a division title with a 7-9 record. 

Despite being 43-years old, Brady was as solid as ever in guiding the Bucs to the #2 ranked pass offense in the NFL. However, Washington's stud DE Chase Young (who sounds eager to take on Brady) leads the second ranked pass defense into this contest. I believe the Bucs prevail but it won't be easy. 

Tampa Bay 24 Washington 17

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What did I just watch?

I said in a post earlier this week that if MyPillow founder and CEO Mike Lindell ends up being the most formidable Minnesota GOP candidate to oppose Gov. Tim Walz in 2022, then Walz is easily reelected. 

This rambling dissertation Lindell offered up Wednesday in response to our nation's Capitol being under siege only fortifies that inalienable truth. 

I haven't been a delegate to the MNGOP convention since 2014. I haven't done anything for the GOP (outside of individual Republican candidates' campaigns) since early 2016. But if Lindell makes it official and runs for Governor of Minnesota in '22, I am seriously tempted to come out of "state party retirement" so I can throw my effort and support behind literally any credible Republican candidate who considers seeking the nomination over him. 

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Saw this coming

 I said it on the radio show a few weeks ago that President Donald Trump's incendiary rhetoric and bluster regarding a "stolen election" was going to lead to violence. What we witnessed at the U.S. Capitol Wednesday afternoon was a manifest of that. It isn't all that different from 2017 when Sen. Bernie Sanders kept proclaiming that the Republicans' plan to repeal Obamacare would kill millions of Americans. Sure enough, a deranged Bernie Bro shot at Republicans on a baseball field, almost killing Congressman Steve Scalise. 

For a few years now I've conceded that we're at a point in America where absolutely nothing unites us anymore, and the polarization has only worsened. I'm beyond saddened and dispirited right now. 

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Georgia debacle

It appears that the two Democrat candidates for U.S. Senate out of Georgia, Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff, have defeated their Republican opponents in the runoff elections. While Warnock has been projected to have defeated Sen. Kelly Loeffler, Ossoff's race against Sen. David Perdue has yet to be called as of early Wednesday morning. However, it appears Ossoff is in good position to win. 

Sure, the Democrats turned out in numbers close to what they put forth in November's general election. However, the Republicans cumulatively got north of 50% of the votes in Congressional, State House and State Senate races two months ago. The only race they failed to reach that mark was the presidential contest. All that said, the GOP would have coasted to victory in these runoffs had they just turned out in similar numbers to previous runoffs. But they didn't, and Erick Erickson explains why. 

To the extent the election was stolen, the GOP stole it from itself. To the extent there was malfeasance, the President running ads on Atlanta radio this very week that the election was stolen is the malfeasance, not local boards of elections. To the extent there is misfeasance, the state GOP chair in Georgia attacking the Republican Secretary of State and lying about what happened in November is the misfeasance, not local boards of elections.

And, by the way, I would note that for those trying to rewrite history, Brian Kemp actually made a good pick with Kelly Loeffler, who would have won had the GOP not sabotaged itself.

The state’s Republican Party should resign en masse. They spent so much time re-litigating November and picking fights with their own Georgia Republicans that they did not do too much for December. Yes, the party failed. Look for David Shafer, the state party chair, to run for statewide office claiming to be a Trump defender. I just cannot see him credibly staying as party chair being the first Republican Party chair in the state since the early 2000s to see the party devastated.

The President ran ads over the past week telling Republicans that the Georgia election was stolen. He came in the night before the election and spent most of his time attacking the GOP. He too helped suppress the vote. His voters did not vote. Yes, the President deserves some blame here.

The Georgia congressional delegation also told everyone Georgia and its Republican Secretary of State were collaborating with Democrats to steal the vote. So Trump voters did not show up. They took the my way or the highway approach. The area of state that saw the GOP mostly like to stay home is the area of the state with the QAnon Congresswoman who has vocally complained the election was stolen and everything is rigged.

It really was amazing.

If there is any silver lining out of this whole debacle, it appears the GOP can now cut ties with the toxic Trump and start charting their own course forward. That strategy was implemented by the other Republican statewide candidate on Tuesday. Again, Erickson explains. 

The candidate is named Bubba McDonald. He’s the Chairman of the state’s Public Service Commission, which regulates utilities. McDonald, a Democrat turned Republican, got more votes than any other candidate in any other race. He got more votes than Ossoff, Warnock, Perdue, or Loeffler even though he was the last race on the ballot.

How?

He was in no way connected to Trump; his race was not a referendum of Trump; he did not run on nightmare scenarios, creeping socialism, or culture war; and he kept his head down.

In fact, McDonald had limited money and just focused on keeping power costs low in Georgia. If there is a silver lining for this, it’s that a Republican can win statewide in Georgia and shut out the Democrats if they can find a way to run without every having to talk about Donald Trump.

For the first time since 2010, the Democrat party will control the White House, U.S. House and U.S. Senate, though it will hardly be the mandate they believe given it's a 50-50 split in the Senate with V.P. Kamala Harris breaking all ties. And just like that, West Virginia Senator Joe Manchin is arguably the most powerful figure in Washington. Let's hope he's good for his word in his commitment to prevent a "progressive" utopia.  

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Quick Hits: Volume CCXXXIX

 - With the 2020 elections barely in the rear view mirror, apparently it's not too early to talk 2022. 

Since a Republican has not won a statewide race in Minnesota since 2006, speculation abounds as to whom the GOP is considering running against Gov. Tim Walz. 

A personal friend of Trump's, MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell has openly mulled a gubernatorial bid. Several members of Congress and the Legislature are testing the waters after spending the past year bashing Walz's measures to curb the COVID-19 pandemic. And an ex-Minnesota Viking is considering a play for chief executive, too.

Lindell told the Star Tribune last week that he is "90 to 95%" likely to run for governor next year, offering Minnesota Republicans the biggest test of Trump's ongoing traction. The honorary chairman of Trump's campaign in Minnesota, Lindell remains among the highest-profile figures still pursuing legal efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election amid evidence-free claims of voter fraud.

Lindell said he has so far poured more than $1 million of his own money into such endeavors, and that he has been working closely with former Trump national security adviser Michael Flynn on probing allegations of election fraud.

He said he would make a decision on 2022 "once we know Donald Trump is our president" and added that he doesn't feel pressure to announce anytime soon "because people know who I am."

"I think I would bring common sense and unity," Lindell said. "It's a business, where you run things like a business. I look at problems and solutions and what it's going to manifest into."

If the MyPillow guy ends up being the most formidable candidate to declare, then let me be one of the first to say "Congratulations on your reelection, Gov. Walz."

- I'm guessing the Babylon Bee needs to sue for copyright infringement, posthaste. 

A prayer opening the 117th Congress concluded, "Amen and a woman."

"Amen" translates to "so be it." pic.twitter.com/SIGBtgLk5v

— Washington Examiner (@dcexaminer) January 4, 2021

Actually, shouldn't it be "Amen and An individual with a cervix?" 

-  If the Republican U.S. Senators out of Georgia, David Perdue and Kelly Loeffler, both lose in the runoff elections Tuesday, the Dems will have captured a 50-50 majority in the upper chamber. As such, there would be more than a slight possibility that President Trump's legacy could be completely wiped out with Democrats controlling all three levers of power in Washington, D.C. And while Trump would no doubt blame Republican losses on GA GOP officials not fighting back against "massive fraud," he would actually need to look no further than the man in the glass. 

President Trump urged fellow Republican Brad Raffensperger, the Georgia secretary of state, to “find” enough votes to overturn his defeat in an extraordinary one-hour phone call Saturday that legal scholars described as a flagrant abuse of power and a potential criminal act.

The Washington Post obtained a recording of the conversation in which Trump alternately berated Raffensperger, tried to flatter him, begged him to act and threatened him with vague criminal consequences if the secretary of state refused to pursue his false claims, at one point warning that Raffensperger was taking “a big risk.”

Throughout the call, Raffensperger and his office’s general counsel rejected Trump’s assertions, explaining that the president is relying on debunked conspiracy theories and that President-elect Joe Biden’s 11,779-vote victory in Georgia was fair and accurate.

Trump dismissed their arguments.

“The people of Georgia are angry, the people of the country are angry,” he said. “And there’s nothing wrong with saying, you know, that you’ve recalculated.”

People will read this as Trump encouraging Raffensberger to commit outright fraud in an effort to swing the election his way. But if the President really, really believes he won Georgia (and I'm convinced he does believe it, delusional as he is), then he's merely pushing to right a wrong. But the problem here is Trump's woeful lack of understanding in regards to Georgia's constitutional order. Raffensberger has fulfilled literally every obligation he's legally bound to and thus has absolutely zero authority to do what Trump is asking. 

Part of me is convinced Trump is OK with sabotaging the GOP in the runoffs. His massive ego just can't handle the fact that all right-of-center candidates in Georgia this past cycle got 50+% of votes with the lone exception being the presidential race. As such, he has no desire to be the "lonesome loser." Sadly that appears to be more important to him than his legacy. So much for "America First."

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We come from the land of the ice and snow.....

It's the first Sunday in 2021, which means I will make my '21 radio debut today. My 2-hour show The Closer will get started at 1:00 PM Central Time. 

In the first hour, I will weigh in on yet another blatant example of how were are not "all in this together" in the fight against COVID-19. Then at 1:30, MN State Senator Michelle Benson (R-Ham Lake) will drop by the Patriot bunker to give a preview of the upcoming Minnesota Legislative session as well as discuss the Senate GOP plan to re-open the state. 

For the 2:00 hour, technology wonk D. Greg Scott will appear on the broadcast to separate fact from fiction in the allegations of hacking the Dominion Voter machines. 

So please call (651) 289-4488 if you'd like to weigh in on any of the topics we plan on addressing.

 

You can listen live in the Twin Cities at AM 1280 or, if you're near downtown Minneapolis/West Metro area, 107.5 FM on your radio dial. In and out of the Minneapolis-St Paul area you can listen to the program on the Internet by clicking this link, or check us out via iheart radio as well as Amazon Alexa (just say "Alexa, play The Patriot Minneapolis"). If you're unable to tune in live, please check out my podcast page for the latest show post.

And if you're so inclined, follow along on Twitter at #NARNShow or "Like" our Facebook page.

Until then.....

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