Good thing I have a platform like a weekly talk radio show, otherwise my head would explode with all the unregurgitated thoughts I have regarding the plethora of COVID talk over the past week.
With that said, I will discuss it in detail on this Sunday's broadcast as I have a family situation to tend to posthaste.
Hope y'all ring in 2022 safely!
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The legendary John Madden passed away Tuesday morning.
John Madden, a legend, has passed away at 85. pic.twitter.com/1moYjueROe
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) December 29, 2021
National Review's Dan McLaughlin summed it up beautifully.
RIP John Madden, who managed to have a second act so compelling, it made coaching a Super Bowl champion a footnote on his career. Nobody did more to explain football to the average fan, or to bring the joy of the NFL into every broadcast.
— Dan McLaughlin (@baseballcrank) December 29, 2021
Save a turducken leg for the man.
Another amazing feat in Madden's life is how he's perceived so differently among multiple generations. My dad's generation (Baby Boomers) first came to know him as a Hall of Fame coach with the then Oakland Raiders. Generation X (my generation) remember him more as the legendary NFL analyst on CBS (1979-1994), FOX (1994-2002), ABC (2002-2006) and NBC (2006-2009), thus making him the only announcer to occupy a broadcast booth on all four major TV networks. And if you mention "Madden" to Millennials and Gen Z, they're likely to think of the high tech NFL video game bearing his name. But to Madden, there was no doubt how he viewed himself.
"People always ask, are you a coach or a broadcaster or a video game guy?'' he said when was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame. "I'm a coach, always been a coach.''
That may be, but he certainly found himself a successful (and very lucrative) post-coaching career. My sincere condolences to his loved ones.
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It's bad form to speak ill of the dead, so I'll just express my condolences to Harry Reid's family and friends. The former U.S. Senator from Nevada died Tuesday at the age of 82.
That is all.
P.S. If you're interested, here's all the times I've ever mentioned Reid in my writings.
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I hope you all had a blessed Christmas!
I will be taking a rare and well-deserved break from the radio show today, but tune in if you're able as I will be replaying last week's power packed broadcast.
- After balking at supporting President Joe Biden's recent spending orgy, Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) seems to be getting, at best, light recruitment to switch political parties.
this takes it a step further
— Jake Sherman (@JakeSherman) December 22, 2021
McConnell says he’s spoken to Manchin about keeping the top slot on Energy and Public Works.
Remember: If Manchin switches parties — no clue if he will, he has said he wont — McConnell will become majority leader.
A lot of this is saber rattling https://t.co/oFttyK0MWm
I'm in the camp of letting the Dem majority in the Senate self destruct. If Manchin were to switch to the GOP (thus giving Republicans an outright Senate majority), President Biden and Dem members of Congress could go with a message of "Republican obstructionism" in an effort to stem the tide of a 2022 "red wave." But if the Dems continue to get nothing done in the next 10-1/2 months despite having a majority in all of D.C., the GOP is almost certain to take all of Congress in '22 (they're already in a good position now to do so).
The Dems overplaying their hand was as predictable as the sun setting in the west.
- This.......
.@DrLeanaWen: "Don't wear a cloth mask. Cloth masks are little more than facial decorations. There's no place for them in light of Omicron." pic.twitter.com/Kpoj18sxdi
— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) December 21, 2021
.......is more a confirmation than a revelation.
- Speaking of COVID.....
— Jessica Sidman (@jsidman) December 22, 2021
And here is the percentage of D.C. residents who are vaccinated.
It was 20 years ago today that the first film in The Lord of the Rings trilogy, The Fellowship of the Ring, made it's debut in the theaters. I partook in a screening within the first week.
Exactly 20 years prior to that, my Minnesota Vikings played their final game at their home venue of Metropolitan Stadium in Bloomington (I attended said game).
The crazy thing about time? The 20-year span from 12/20/1981 to 12/20/2001 felt a heckuva lot longer than 12/20/2021 to today. Bizarre.
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It's my final live show of 2021, so we hope to go out in style. Today's 2-hour edition of my radio show The Closer gets started at 1:00 PM Central Time.
I'll weigh in some of the big local stories, like the latest in the Kim Potter trial as well as Hennepin County Sheriff David Hutchinson refusing to resign despite a recent DUI.
At 1:30, President of the Thomas A. Fordham Institute Michael Petrilli will join the broadcast. Mr. Petrilli will discuss Fordham's newest study ranking schools in the nation’s 100 largest metro areas, with heavy focus on academic growth.
Finally at 2:00, former Vikings offensive tackle and member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame Ron Yary will join us via phone to discuss his life after football, his thoughts on the modern day NFL, etc.
So please call (651) 289-4488 if you'd like to weigh in on any of the topics we plan on addressing.
- I've seen a lotta proverbial gnashing of teeth over the MNGOP gubernatorial straw poll conducted this past the weekend.
Gov straw vote @mngop #scc2021 pic.twitter.com/0aQtgkV5FB
— Jennifer DeJournett (@JenDeJournett) December 11, 2021
First, the obvious. This was a poll of state central delegates, not the grassroots delegates who will be casting votes next spring. And secondly, a lot of the people up in arms over this result were claiming they were done with MNGOP politics, so why do they give a flip whom the potential candidate is? Seriously, get a grip.
For the record, Matt Dean won this same straw poll back in late 2017. He was out of the gov race within a few months after that. Sen. Paul Gazelka may fare better but there's no way he'll be the GOP nominee for MN Governor in 2022. Book it.
- Tesla founder Elon Musk (who someone indicated is this country's wealthiest African-American) was recently named Time Magazine's "Person of the Year." something which Fauxcahontas Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) referred to in a tweet the other day.
Let’s change the rigged tax code so The Person of the Year will actually pay taxes and stop freeloading off everyone else. https://t.co/jqQxL9Run6
— Elizabeth Warren (@SenWarren) December 13, 2021
Musk's replies had people calling 9-1-1 to report a murder.
You remind me of when I was a kid and my friend’s angry Mom would just randomly yell at everyone for no reason
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) December 14, 2021
Please don’t call the manager on me, Senator Karen 🙏
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) December 14, 2021
Oh, he wasn't done.
Don’t spend it all at once … oh wait you did already
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) December 14, 2021
I guess Elon can launch rhetorical rockets just as effectively as literal ones.
- Woke sports network ESPN decided recently to broadcast an on-air doc about the rise in prominence of a black athlete in a predominately white sport.
Last year, a noose was found in Bubba Wallace's stall at Talladega Superspeedway. The next day, the NASCAR community stood with him in unity.
— ESPN (@espn) December 14, 2021
"I was like, 'Holy s---, it's the whole garage.' ... That's when I lost it." pic.twitter.com/Zh5HWumagX
Look, I'm all for a poignant display of unity and love, regardless the venue. But if you weren't at all familiar with this particular story, you wouldn't guess that the alleged "hate crime" was.....not a crime of any kind. A fact which ESPN themselves reported on.
— Stephen L. Miller (@redsteeze) December 14, 2021
It's almost as if, in some people's eyes, it's more virtuous to be a victim of a racism than to work to eradicate the practice altogether. It's the only explanation I have for why fabrications of this kind get shouted from the hills before even a millisecond of healthy skepticism is conveyed.
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I'm assuming the nearly 1-1/2 feet of snowfall Eagan recently endured has been cleared by now, so I'll be in the Patriot bunker for my 2-hour radio show The Closer. The broadcast gets started at 1:00 PM Central Time.
From a local standpoint, I'll weigh in on the projected MN budget surplus, the beginning of the Kim Potter trial and an MNGOP gubernatorial straw poll.
Regarding national news, I'll opine on the Biden administration coordinating with media to better shape the narrative on economic news, actor Jussie Smollett being found guilty of staging a hate crime hoax, and the Georgia gubernatorial race.
At 1:30, Executive Director of the Minnesota Conservative Energy Forum Kayla Christensen will check in to tout her organization's work.
From CNN.com's "newsletter:"
With my Minnesota Vikings losing to the 0-10-1 Detroit Lions this past Sunday, many of my fellow Vikes fans were understandably not happy. Hey, I've been a Vikings fan for more than 40 years and thus have been so angry over tough losses that it's likely shaved minutes off my life. Thankfully as I've gotten older I've learned to rein in the yelling for the most part.
With that being said, when I was at my absolute worst as a fan (i.e. screaming, cussing, throwing things, etc.), it never occurred to me to threaten players or coaches, to say nothing of their families. That's why I found this utterly appalling.
- As expected, The Minnesota Department of Management and Budget announced Tuesday that the state is projected to have a significant budget surplus (approximately $7.7 billion in this case). And as expected, DFLers believe it's a good thing that the state takes more taxpayer dollars than is necessary to run things.
Oh, and what a surprise that Gov. Tim Walz already has plans to soak up those excess funds.
Walz says of $1 billion deficit in the unemployment insurance fund, which businesses will pay for through higher taxes without action: "We’ll get that one fixed."
— Theo Keith (@TheoKeith) December 7, 2021
Asked if he wants to use federal money to wipe it out, Walz doesn't say.
If Minnesota Republicans want a certain winning issue for 2022, some sort of "give it back" program wouldn't be the worst place to start.
- There was a CNN.com piece published Tuesday with the following headline:
As millions fell into poverty during the pandemic, billionaires' wealth soared
Spike Cohen, who was the Libertarian VP candidate in 2020, gives a spot-on explanation as to why.
Yeah, that's what happens when you shut down almost every small business, mandate that we only be allowed to visit big box stores or stay home and order from Amazon and watch Netflix, and bail out all the other big businesses with taxpayer dollars.
2020 was the largest transfer of wealth from those with the least, to those with the most, in human history.
And you corporate media outlets cheered the whole thing on, while trying to shame those of us who were exposing your swindle from day one.
Of the many scams the government perpetuates, the one where they create a massive problem and propose to solve it via (you guessed it) heavy-handed legislation has to be the most pervasive.
- It appears that Gov. Brian Kemp (R-GA) is receiving a primary challenge for his reelection bid in 2022. Former Sen. David Perdue, who was defeated last election cycle by the vapid Jon Ossoff, will look to oust Kemp and thus be the candidate to take on Democrat Stacey Abrams in the general election.
Naturally, this was music to former President Donald Trump's ears.
Wow, it looks like highly respected Senator David Perdue will be running against RINO Brian Kemp for Governor of Georgia. David was a great Senator, and he truly loves his State and his Country. This will be very interesting, and I can’t imagine that Brian Kemp, who has hurt election integrity in Georgia so badly, can do well at the ballot box (unless the election is rigged, of course). He cost us two Senate seats and a Presidential victory in the Great State of Georgia.
Gee, what a shock that the butthurt former POTUS doesn't acknowledge his predominate role in torpedoing the GOP's prospects in those two Senate races 11 months ago.
Here's how this is gonna go: Gov. Kemp will be the Republican nominee. Trump will continue his personal animosity towards Kemp not overturning his legit 2020 loss to Biden in the state and thus will perpetuate the false notion of a rigged election system in Georgia. This will sow distrust among the Trump-supporting Republicans in the state who will stay home in droves on Election Day 2022, just as they did in the January 2021 runoffs.
Will that then be enough to swing the election to Abrams? Possibly. But if the GOP can somehow overcome Trump's likely negative impact on the race, it could go a long way to crippling his viability going forward. Anything that can contribute to Trump not running for POTUS in 2024 would be a good thing.
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I was in for Mitch this past Saturday, so this is a special "NARN Headliner" playlist:
With my friend and Northern Alliance Radio Network colleague Mitch Berg on assignment, I will be at the helm of The Headliner edition of the NARN this afternoon. The 2-hour festivities get started at 1:00 Central Time.
In the first hour I will look at the latest in the trial of former Brooklyn Center police officer Kim Potter, specifically the process of selecting the jury this past week. In another local angle, Minnesota apparently has the second documented case of the Omicron variant in the U.S.
At 2:00, journalist Aaron Maté will join the broadcast. Aaron will be on to discuss his piece at Real Clear Investigations, which talks about the media's general lack of accountability over trafficking in the dubious Steele dossier when discussing the alleged Trump-Russia collusion.
So please call (651) 289-4488 if you'd like to weigh in on any of the topics we plan on addressing.
A coronavirus infection involving the omicron variant has been identified in a Minnesotan who recently traveled to New York.
Genomic sequencing of samples from infected people identified the COVID-19 case, which Minnesota leaders said was inevitable given how quickly the omicron variant spreads.
"This news is concerning, but it is not a surprise," Gov. Tim Walz said. "We know that this virus is highly infectious and moves quickly throughout the world."
The infection involved a vaccinated man from Hennepin County who developed mild symptoms Nov. 22 and sought testing two days later. The man, who has recovered, spoke with state investigators and confirmed he traveled to New York City and attended the Anime NYC convention Nov. 19-21. He received a booster dose of COVID-19 vaccine in early November.
Obviously there's still information being gathered about this strain, but the fact it was rumored to be able to bust through the booster (confirmed with this case here in Minneapolis) while many who have contracted it were experiencing mild symptoms presents an interesting dilemma for both health advisors and elected officials. They and their media lapdogs have already breathlessly touted this as a borderline plague and thus continue trying to shame the non-vaxxed into getting vaxxed, yet early indications are it doesn't even result in hospitalizations. Again, information is still fluid at this point, so it would be irresponsible of me to be too dismissive.
One thing I can't help but wonder though. Suppose that the vast majority of omicron cases continue to result in mild symptoms. And what if, as with other strains, significant antibodies are built up, resulting in natural immunity (which isn't touted nearly enough, IMO). I'm not saying I desire to become mildly ill and thus will take all the precautions necessary (I'm getting boosted next week). But if this "perfect storm" I've laid out comes together, bullying people into getting fully vaccinated (which apparently now entails two jabs plus a booster) is going to be a tougher sell than ever before.
Regardless, even if this variant is oversold, it won't quell the constant barrage from the army of Karens.
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- Former University of Minnesota football coach Jerry Kill just accepted a head coaching position with New Mexico State last week. Kill's first game as NMSU head man will be in 2022 when his Aggies travel to.......Minnesota. And Kill is already anticipating the reception he'll receive.
I’ll get booed out of that stadium, probably. I don’t know. It will be interesting. I’ve had several people let me know that we are playing Minnesota. I did not know that when I took the job, but we’ll go up there.”
Kill then engaged in what would appear to be some self-motivation.
“I got a little chip on my shoulder,” Kill said. “… I want to show people that, hey, you counted the old man out. You’re wrong. I’m back.”
Uhhh....hey, Jer? The reason you were "counted out" is because in 2015 you resigned your post with the Gophers due to health issues, essentially saying you had nothing more to give. So if anyone "counted the old man out," you were leading the pack with that sentiment.
But hey, whatever ya need to do to get yourself jacked up for a game.
- The trial of actor Jussie Smollett, who is facing disorderly conduct charges in Chicago, began this past week. It's being alleged that Smollett faked being a victim of a "hate crime" in early 2019.
For a refresher of what transpired in January 2019, here is comedian Dave Chappelle with the pertinent details (WARNING - strong language):
Judge dismisses #5 #PotterTrial #DaunteWright
— Chao Xiong (@ChaoStrib) November 30, 2021
Juror #2 is seated to jury. He works as an editor for a medical association, said he feels "very unfavorable" about Blue Lives Matter b/c it seems to counter Black Lives Matter #PotterTrial #DaunteWright
— Chao Xiong (@ChaoStrib) November 30, 2021
#KimPotterTrial JURY DEMOGRAPHICS:
— Paul Blume (@PaulBlume_FOX9) November 30, 2021
Juror #2: white male, 50s
Juror #6: white woman, 60s
Juror #7: white male, 20s
Juror #11: Asian woman, 40s
One last note. Defense had to use 1st strike (they get 5) to close out day to dismiss Juror #15, the AG Ellison campaign volunteer.
Why the judge didn't dismiss #15 immediately as opposed to the Defense having to use one of their "strikes" is unfathomable to me. I'm not saying Potter won't ultimately receive a fair trial but to say it's looking to be even more of an uphill battle is an understatement.
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