Monthly Archives: September 2017

This day in baseball history: Yaz, sir

Featured image Saturday, September 30, 1967 saw the first place Minnesota Twins playing the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park. A Minnesota win would eliminate the Red Sox, who trailed by one game. However, the Detroit Tigers would remain alive if they won at least one game of their doubleheader against the California Angels. A Red Sox win would bring them level with Minnesota, and give the Tigers a half game lead »

Looking On the Bright Side

Featured image It’s been a slow day here at Power Line, probably the slowest in some years. Paul and Scott have been out of commission for Yom Kippur, I believe, and my day has been consumed by sports. Starting at 11 this morning, I saw the Minnesota Gophers lose by a touchdown to the Maryland Terrapins, their traditional Big 10 rival. Paul was no doubt happy about that one. But it was »

The Week in Pictures: No Kneeling Edition

Featured image If I want kneeling, I head to a liturgical church on Sunday, not a sports stadium. It mattereth not that football-basketball-baseball is the secular American holy trinity: the separation of church and state—or at least the separation of sports and politics—ought to proscribe the sideline moral preening Olympics. Aren’t end zone celebrations offensive enough? Headlines of the week: Tweet of the week: Photo of the week: You think Trump is »

Democrats Struggle to Survive In Iowa

Featured image Iowa is one of a number of states where most voters have concluded that the Democrats have nothing to offer, and have fled to the GOP. The Associated Press is a Democratic Party news source, but–to paraphrase Dwight Yoakum–the AP may be slow, but it ain’t blind. Thus tomorrow’s headline: Dems in Iowa wilderness struggle for power in Trump era. In less than a decade, Iowa Democrats have withered, from »

Russian “Meddling” Promoted Black Lives Matter

Featured image It is an article of faith among liberals that Russian “meddling” in the 2016 election–the word that is always used–was of world-historical significance. But what exactly the Russians did has been murky. Maybe they spearphished the DNC’s email account and tried unsuccessfully to spearphish the RNC’s account, although Julian Assange–who should know, but is an unreliable witness–apparently denies that claim. Beyond that, the Russians are accused of publishing anti-Hillary stories »

Leo Baeck, Berlin, 1935

Featured image Jews begin the observance of Yom Kippur at sundown tonight with the Kol Nidre prayer service. A couple of years ago a Christian friend asked to join us at the service we attend. During the service she pointed in our prayer book to an adaptation of the prayer composed by the reformist German Rabbi Leo Baeck for delivery in German synagogues during the Kol Nidre service on October 10, 1935. »

Trump keeps winning on judicial nominations

Featured image During his presidential campaign, Donald Trump promised that, under his presidency, America would win so much we might get tired of it. He added, however, that you can never get tired of winning. So far, Trump’s presidency has not put that caveat to the test. But President Trump is winning big on judicial nominations. He’s nominating outstanding men and women, and most of them seem destined to be confirmed. This »

Moore’s Law of Liberalism in Action

Featured image In my previous post on the silliness of Chuck Todd, I offered at the end that perhaps it is time to formalize the equivalent of Moore’s Law (chip speed doubles every 18 months) for liberalism: liberal craziness/dementia doubles every 18 months (or perhaps every 18 hours as one commenter plausibly suggests). Perhaps it is time for this to become a regular Power Line feature. Case in point is the story »

Chuck Todd is a Chucklehead Toad

Featured image I confess to having a soft spot for Chuck Todd, NBC’s chief political reporter. Despite his liberal Democratic bona fides, he’s got a lot of insight into the day-to-day dynamics of politics that he relates fairly for the most part, and I found him to be very cordial and forthcoming the one and only time I ever met him in person at one of those infamous, uber-elitist Georgetown cocktail parties. »

This day in baseball history: Tears on their pillows

Featured image The 1967 American League pennant race was a four team race throughout the month of September. It featured the Boston Red Sox, Minnesota Twins, Detroit Tigers, and Chicago White Sox. More often than not, the White Sox were in fourth place. However, they generally were within two games of the leader. Heading into the season’s final weekend, however, fourth place and two games behind wouldn’t suffice. Fortunately, on Friday, September »

A right to make a fool of himself

Featured image The controversy over the NFL’s indulgence of players protesting the national anthem might be treated as a time to learn. One might learn something from Heather Mac Donald about the mythology underlying Colin Kaepernick’s protest “against the incredible number of unarmed black people being killed by the police.” In Kaepernick’s honor, I say that one deserved a high Colinic flush. Instead it metastasized with the invaluable assistance of Barack Obama »

Thoughts from the ammo line

Featured image Ammo Grrrll pays tribute to NANCY PELOSI: HOMESPUN PHILOSOPHER. She writes: I suppose it is a matter of opinion whether or not it is constitutionally permitted to engage in Nancy Pelosi’s infamous shouting of “Wolf!” in a crowded theatre. Personally, I believe it is, although it may hinge on how the Wolf chooses to be addressed. But I can promise you shouting “Wolf” or “Javelina” or “Gnu” is unappreciated once »

Steve Scalise returns

Featured image Hunting Republicans, deranged leftist James Hodgkinson seriously wounded House Majority Whip Steve Scalise and others at the congressional baseball practice this past June. Rep. Scalise arrived at the hospital having lost so much blood he was in imminent risk of death. He survived major surgeries in critical condition. He defied the odds to make an emotional return to Congress this morning. The Washington Post has a good account here. The »

Supreme Court Grants Cert In Historic Employee Freedom Case

Featured image It didn’t make the biggest headlines, but the most important thing that happened today was the U.S. Supreme Court’s granting of certiorari in Janus v. American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, Council 31. I wrote about the Janus case here: The case raises issues substantially identical to those in Friedrichs v. California Teachers Association. In Friedrichs, decided last year, the Court split 4-4 following the death of Justice »

The campus free speech crisis in a nutshell [UPDATED with comment by John]

Featured image In the video below, a student at the University of California who has stolen the “Make America Great Again” hat of another student defends her theft on the theory that the “f***ing hat” is promoting laws and legislation that are “literally killing people.” The video illustrates not only the campus free speech crisis, but also the staggering stupidity and blatant racism of the students who are generating that crisis. UPDATE: »

Captain Obvious at the NY Times

Featured image I gather that the New York Times has abolished or “reformed” its copy editing desk, or is using some other fancy euphemism to explain away the ongoing “reduction in force” moves it has been taking as it lives up to Trump’s description of it as a “failing newspaper.” But sometimes there appears a sentence that ought to make some adult in the room realize they’ve taken these reductions too far. »

A feel good NFL story

Featured image Deshaun Watson, a rookie, is the starting quarterback for the Houston Texans. Last year, he led Clemson to the national championship. This year, his pro career is off to a good start. Watson’s paycheck for his first NFL game was $27,000. Instead of pocketing the money, he divided it into three and gave $9,000 apiece to three of the team’s cafeteria workers who lost their possessions when their homes were »