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Now, let’s get to your questions (and my answers):
I’m sure you’re correct [in Monday’s column], Sir Bernie (if I were king, I surely would have knighted you by now). However there is this nettlesome issue going on… reality. I just got back from a quick trip to the store and noticed that regular gas had risen .25 since 5 PM to 4.39…. at a RaceTrack … in Texas….and surely much worse in other places. There is a 50% supply shortage on baby formula in the state, affecting young voters the DNC fancies itself attracting. Groceries are reaching a prohibitive level for the most vulnerable while there are shootings in Dallas several times a week. People tend to focus on the visible over the theoretical. Therefore the strategy is certainly headed toward a frustrating end. Traps work best when the prey seems unaware that the tasty looking bait might lead to a snappy conclusion. Maybe we should let them? Just a thought… — Jesse B.
Thanks for considering me for Knighthood, Jesse. I’m not suggesting that running on abortion will be a winner for Democrats. All I’m saying is that it likely will energize the Democratic base. And for those who care deeply about abortion rights, the issue isn’t theoretical. I’m still betting on a GOP victory in November — at least in the House. Not sure about the Senate.
Bernie- Like you, I enjoy reading Gerard Baker’s WSJ columns. In his piece today commenting on the PA Republican Senatorial Primary, he states: “It has been obvious for some time that if the GOP can find a genuine standard-bearer for this ascendant conservative populism, short of the vulgar narcissism of the former president, the lunatic extremism of the QAnon crowd, and the transparent implausibility of neophyte MAGA types, it would have a winning formula. If it could find someone who hadn’t conveniently recently discovered the damage from globalization, the tragedies of a hyperactive foreign policy, the injustice of soft-border immigration policy, and the erosion of the traditional values of American life without sounding like an anticonstitutional conspiracy theorist, that candidate would be a sure—and authentic—winner.” — Joseph R.
Short answer, Joseph: I think he’s spot on!
Bernie, Any chance we can get access to the segments you did on Real Sports? You did one of the best pieces ever on “Stud Fees” in horse racing and I cannot find it anywhere. Not to mention the segments on Trump’s golf course in Scotland and so many more…. — Richard M.
Thanks very much Richard. I appreciate the kind words. Your best is to go to HBO’s YouTube channel, and do a search on my name. Here are two links to help you out: one and two. But as a rule, HBO doesn’t like giving away content for free, so good luck.
As a centrist Democrat I’ve felt abandoned by the failure of Democratic government to maintain law and order, and to maintain a decent economy by not burdening businesses with ever more regulation and taxes. I don’t feel alone. I see that Elon Musk is saying he’s going to vote Republican for the first time. It won’t be my first time, but it seems to me Democrats are throwing away a big opportunity to govern as centrists and paint the Rs as crazy and I don’t think a Supreme Court ruling on abortion will change that. Is centrism doomed in America? — John R.
If the Dems lose you, John, it’ll be their fault — for caving into to the progressives. As for centrism: It’s not dead in general elections but it’s on life support in primaries because a disproportionate number of hyper-partisans vote in primaries. FOR THE RECORD: I’m NOT saying that everyone who votes in primaries is a right or left wing screwball. I’m saying that hyper partisans vote in big numbers in primaries — and when they pick an extreme candidate, it’s an uphill battle in the general election.
The good news is that Madison Cawthorn lost his GOP primary race in NC. The bad news is that — despite making up stories about cocaine orgies, calling Ukraine’s president a “thug”, carrying loaded guns onto planes, encouraging people to “lightly threaten” members of Congress, driving with a revoked license, shown on video nakedly humping his cousin, and facing multiple accusations of insider trading and sexual harassment — he nearly pulled it out and won. I would argue that Trump’s endorsement of him is what kept him in the race, because I don’t know what else would have. Your thoughts? — Ben G.
Cawthorn was running against a bunch of opponents (not sure how many, but probably 6 or so) … and I suspect they split the vote … and he may have been the only name they heard of without knowing much else about him. But .. in some parts of his district the Trump endorsement probably helped. Also, North Carolina has an open primary, so we can’t discount the possibility that some Dems voted for him hoping he’d win the primary but lose the general.
I must say as a resident of Oregon, there are many of us here that don’t like this idiotic woke-ness. There are lots of good people in this state believe it or not. Hopefully, we can turn things around though I decline to hold my breath. — Thomas C.
I’m sure there are plenty of sensible, good people in Oregon, Thomas. But the majority wins in elections and Oregon has a knack for electing progressives who worship at the altar of woke. I hope you really can turn things around, but like you, I’m not holding my breath.
So another dreadful mass shooting has occurred, this time at a TOPS Supermarket in Buffalo New York, by a vile and wicked white supremacist. Let me say up front that I look forward to hearing him get sent to a pre-dominantly black prison, but as a Christian, I sincerely do hope that he has that eventual “Come To Jesus” moment that he needs. Let me also say that I feel for the families of all those innocent victims who were attacked by the scum bag. However, I can’t help thinking that the mainstream media members and the Biden Administration, while truly shocked and horrified by this tragedy, are also absolutely delighted that it was an admitted white supremacist this time. Why? Well because recently when a Muslim took hostages at a synagogue in Texas, when a black racist threw a smoke bomb on a New York City subway and then shot a bunch of people, when a black supremacist ran over a bunch of white people at a Christmas parade in Waukesha, Wisconsin, and This past weekend when a Taiwanese Presbyterian Church was shot up by an Asian scum bag (with NO cries to stop the Asian hate from the usual suspects), for some odd reason not only were guns blamed (and not black racism and those who propagate it NOT called out by the mainstream media members), but Joe Biden oddly enough didn’t have time to visit those areas to comfort the grieving (at least that’s what Jen Psaki claims). Well Jeepers Mister, now WHY do ya suppose THAT might be!? Your thoughts? –“Never Let A Crisis GO To Waste When It Benefits Left Wing Democrats” regards from The Emperor
We’re on the same page, Emperor. My column that will be posted on Monday is not only on this very subject, but some of the lines in my column are lines in your comment above. Check it out, Your Holiness.
Bernie, I saw the other day that Dolly Parton awarded your old path Dan Rather the Peabody Career Achievement Award for battling “disinformation” and “division” that permeate the country. I think it would have been more appropriate if she’d awarded him the biggest boob award. What are your thoughts on this? –Bruce C.
My thoughts about Dan are complex. He has many good qualities. But he won’t … or can’t …take serious criticism about journalism seriously. As for the award: There’s a bit of irony at work here because of that infamous CBS News story that came to be known as either memogate or … Rathergate.
Two items.
One, the Oregon situation is stupid. They are over thinking this a lot.
Second item is about the racially based killings in Buffalo, New York, from a Republican standpoint in this time of no CRT in school hysteria, in this age of denial that there is white supremacy or racial problems in this country: How do you imagine teachers explain to their students what has just happened? If you can’t talk about issues that are racially based because someone may feel bad, and you cannot point out what this one particular white man implemented (a plan to specifically kill black people because of the color of their skin), do you think that schools should just ignore the issue? And act like nothing happened and we live in this wonderful utopian society? — Douglas S.
I think schools should tell kids what happened (in a class that deals with current events) … but if they’re in kindergarten or first grade I think teachers need to be very careful on how they explain it — if they need to explain it at all. A kid in high school can grasp things in a way a much younger child can’t. But if you’re asking should they ignore it, no. Nor do I think they should make generalizations about race that progressives might like. Does racism exist, of course. In a country of more than 330 million it’s bound to exist. Is America a “systemically racist” country? Not in my opinion. And just as we don’t want teachers to pander to the right, they shouldn’t pander to the left either and say racism is everywhere (as a colleague of mine once said on national television.).
[Regarding this week’s Off the Cuff]…, Or how about this: make the tampons/napkins available IN THE OFFICE, like they were when I was in school? — Gwen B.
Stop being so logical, Gwen.
Bernie, Oregon has always led the way in weirdness. Do you remember the community where everyone dressed in Red? They took over almost an entire county as I recall. I even remember the lady who was on Donohue. I can’t remember the name of the group, but I do recall the community. Now I know we have a lot of sects in this country and that is what a free country will assuredly always have. This is one example of how a state with otherwise intelligent people can be duped into ridiculous ideals. — Charles M.
I’m not letting the folks in Oregon off the hook, Charles. They voted for these whackos. They had a choice. If they don’t like what’s going on in the state, I’m sure they could find a candidate who agrees with them.
Bernie, a few years ago, Tucker Carlson used his show to slam Saturday Night Live cast member Pete Davidson for mocking Republican congressman Dan Crenshaw’s use of an eye-patch (that covers Crenshaw’s war-sustained injury).
Then, earlier this week, Carlson himself mocked Crenshaw’s eye-patch, referring to him as “eye-patch McCain” when criticizing the congressman’s pro-Ukraine stance.
Do you think testicle tanning is behind Carlson’s reversal on Crenshaw and his eye-patch? — John D.
Maybe. I’m not a medical expert but as I understand it tanning your testicles can make you nuts (pause while that sinks in) … which may explain not only the eye patch example but a lot of other nutty stuff he says.
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