Wednesday, April 24, 2019

Don't Believe The Hype: It's Still Early

It's time to Break It Down!

OK, get ready for one of the shortest blogs ever. No citations, no links, just in essence what amounts to my thought for the day.

As I read, watch news shows, listen to podcasts, and converse with friends, I have been confronted by a recurring theme. Democrats are panicked because they are concerned Donald Trump may win again, not because he is a better, or even a worthy candidate, but because:

1.    Democrats won’t be able to field a competitive candidate.
2.    The field is humongous; candidates will cannibalize one another.

Relax. It’s April 24th. On this date four years ago, more than 6 weeks passed before Donald Trump announced his candidacy. At least from a calendaring perspective, it looks like Joe Biden is set to announce with time to spare.

Moreover, while at it’s max, the Dems are certain to have 20 or more candidates, don’t forget Donald Trump formally dispatched 16 intrepid Republicans on his way to the GOP nomination, including a guy who claimed presidential DNA, and a staggering one hundred thirty million dollar war chest.

The bottom line is, seemingly all-knowing prognostications notwithstanding, we don’t have a clue how this passion play will unfold, and we certainly don’t know who will be last man or woman standing. Having said that, we do know one this with unswerving assuredness. Elections have consequences! We are living them now. 

It has been said Democrats who stay home elect Republicans. Don’t get me wrong. If you are a Republican, I’m perfectly cool with you voting your conscience. Do you! Alternately however, if you are a Democrat, I urge you not to be deterred by Russians or by Republicans. Vote. Vote in primaries, vote in run-offs, and vote in the General Election. Don’t Believe The Hype: It’s Still Early!

I’m done; holla back!

Read my blog anytime by clicking the linkhttp://thesphinxofcharlotte.comFind a new post each Wednesday.


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https://thesphinxofcharlotte.blogspot.com/2019/04/dont-believe-hype-its-still-early.html

Wednesday, April 17, 2019

Trump's Taxes: Dems Not Up To The Challenge

It's time to Break It Down!

So says White House Press SecretarySarah Sanders, in and interview with "Fox News Sunday" host, Chris Wallace. In a next up sort of way, Sanders trotted out a new rationale for why Democrats in the House of Representatives, as Acting White House Chief of Staff, Mick Mulvaney said, will never see Trump’s taxes. When asked by Fox News if Democrats’ efforts to obtain Trump’s tax returns would succeed, Mulvaney said: 

“No, never. Nor should they.” He added: “Democrats are demanding that the IRS turn over the documents. That is not going to happen, and they know it. This is a political stunt.”

Trump has a proverbial phalanx of support aiding in shielding his taxes from the sunlight of public, or even Congressional scrutiny. Rep. Richard Neal, D-MA sent the IRS a formal request, asking for six years of Mr. Trump’s tax returns. He asserted, in his role as Chair of the Joint Committee on Taxation, that the committee "has a responsibility to conduct oversight of our voluntary Federal tax system and determine how Americans — including those elected to our highest office — are complying with those laws."

Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin, who oversees the IRS, weighed in, writing in a letter, “The Committee's request raises serious issues concerning the constitutional scope of Congressional investigative authority, the legitimacy of the asserted legislative purpose, and the constitutional rights of American citizens.”

Ms. Sanders’ retort was yet another shot across the bow, warning Democrats that the GOP apparatus is fully on board in circling the wagons to prevent the release of Trump’s taxes. Her direct broadside attack on Democrats’ intellectual capacity is yet another indication she is comfortable parroting her boss’ attacking style. She first referred to Democrats’ requests for Trump’s tax returns as “a disgusting overreach,” and warned that they are headed down “a dangerous road.”

It was after that less than subtle dig that she went into full-throated Trump mode. She added:

I don't think Congress, particularly not this group of congressmen and women, are smart enough to look through the thousands of pages that I would assume that President Trump's taxes will be.

My guess is most of them don't do their own taxes and I certainly don't trust them to look through the decades of success that the president has and determine anything." 

It is all but certain Trump smiled as he watched her performance (And you know he watched; if not live, as soon as he returned to his TV screen from the links. It was Sunday, after all). He may even have added that she delivered the lines…just as he would have, or possibly, as he instructed her to do. Moreover, beyond Trump’s obvious delight, Ms. Sanders was apparently proud in her own right. She later reprised the moment in tweet:

Democrats in Congress aren’t smart enough to understand the President’s tax returns and probably don’t even understand how to do their own...”

Not surprisingly, there were a number of responses to Ms. Sanders snarky commentary, including noting that there are a minimum of 10 accountants currently in Congress, at least three of whom are Democrats…not that Sanders specifically cited Democrats as being the tax-inept lightweights. But you just know that's what she meant. After all, who's asking for the tax returns?

As noted above, in framing his request, Chairman Neal asked for six years of Trump’s Tax returns. He cited a law that says the Treasury Department “shall furnish” the committee with “any return or return information” upon request. At this point it’s safe toDemocrats from obtaining them. The matter appears headed to court where Trump is betting his stable of appointees will tilt the ultimate decision in his favor, and save him from the revelation all Democrats, and a majority od Americans think is warranted. If indeed, it turns out that way, then as much as it sucks, Sanders, and her Knight, will have won the day…”Trump’s Taxes: Dems Not Up To The Challenge!”

I’m done; holla back!

Read my blog anytime by clicking the linkhttp://thesphinxofcharlotte.comFind a new post each Wednesday.

To subscribeclick on Follow in the bottom right hand corner of my Home Page at http://thesphinxofcharlotte.com; enter your e-mail address in the designated space, and click on “Sign me up.” Subsequent editions of “Break It Down” will be mailed to your in-box.

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Wednesday, April 10, 2019

From Outhouse To Penthouse: Hoos Win!

It's time to Break It Down!

OK, it’s Wednesday, April 10th and the CIAA, ACC, and NCAA Basketball Tournaments are history. But before I turn the page, I’ve got a few final observations to make about the NCAA Final Four.

First, to the University of Virginia Cavaliers, their students, alumni and fans, Final Four Most Outstanding Player, Kyle Guy, and Coach Tony Bennett, congratulations on winning the 2019 NCAA College Basketball Division-I Championship! All praise coming your way for this signal achievement is richly deserved. Moreover, your 85-77 victory in the Title Game stands as an Instant Classic.

From the agony of being the first #1 Seed to be ousted by the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, a lowly #16 Seed last year, Virginia completed the ultimate NCAA college hoops comeback by being the last team standing, triumphantly so, when the confetti settled and the speakers in the makeshift US Bank Arena blared the 2019 edition of “One Shining Moment.”

A year ago at about this time, I decided since I’d never attended a Men’s Final Four, I would enter the ticket lottery and roll the dice. When I received confirmation last June that I’d scored two tickets, my wife and I were set. The only question remaining was whether my beloved Tar Heels would be accompanying us. 

Alas, despite the regular season hype, and the early Tournament anticipation of an ACC/Tobacco Road cataclysmic Battle of the Titans between Duke, and North Carolina, the Heels made it to the Sweet 16, but saw their hopes dashed on a Friday Night in Kansas City by a sizzling hot Auburn squad that dismantled and dismissed them handily in what would become their own run to the Final Four.

As it turned out, erstwhile devastating Duke would have its own issues. First, they escaped a last second tip in as Krzyzewski protégé’s University of Central Florida fought valiantly, but lost by a point, as the Blue Devils advanced to the Sweet 16. Then, in an ACC family affair, Duke faced Virginia Tech for the third time, after having split during the regular season. Duke won the rubber match, and advanced, but only after Va Tech missed its own tip in at the buzzer for a chance to send the game into overtime. However, as we know, a win, is a win, is a win.

After having demonstrated Houdini-like resilience in two successive games, I made myself comfortable with the notion that Zion and Company were fated, and poised to claim the Title. However, the Spartans of Michigan State University had other ideas, and ultimately, would have their say in the matter. In their third nail-biter in a row, College Basketball’s 2018-19 version of The Greatest Show on Earth faltered, as MSU prevailed, winning by a single point in their Elite 8 contest. So much for Duke-Carolina!

Moving ahead, this year’s setting for the Final Four was US Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The successful quartet was included Auburn University (Charles Barkley), Michigan State University (Magic Johnson), Texas Tech University (Patrick Mahomes), and the University of Virginia (Ralph Sampson). Yeah, I know Mahomes is a football player, but here is where I confess I don’t know any prominent Texas Tech alums who made their mark in the NBA. Besides, those four guys were actually at the Final Four. 

Two of the four teams, Auburn and Texas Tech, had never advanced to a Final Four. A third, Virginia, had never made it to the Title Game. Of the four, only the Spartans of Michigan State had previously appeared in and/or won a Title Game. The Spartans claimed the Trophy in 1979, in the famous Magic-Bird match-up, and again in 2000, with a squad lead by Mateen Cleaves.

The first semi-final game featured SEC Champion Auburn’s fast-pasted offensive juggernaut facing off against ACC Regular Season Champion Virginia, buoyed by its stalwart #1 ranked defense and a much improved, but often underrated offense. The game was a back and forth contest with a high drama ending. With Auburn leading 62-60, an Auburn player fouled Kyle Guy with 0.6 seconds remaining. Complicating matters for the Tigers, the shot, even though he missed it was a three-point attempt. 

Undoubtedly, by now, you know what happened next. Despite Bruce Pearl calling a timeout after Guy’s first two free throws, hoping to ice the shooter, Guy swished the third attempt, just as he did the first two shots. For all practical purposes, game over. In fact, the game, 0.6 seconds remaining, notwithstanding, was over. Final score, Virginia 63, Auburn 62. 

In a 20/20 hindsight world, Samir Doughty would have assumed a stout hands in the air defensive stance, and made Guy hit or miss a tough shot and trust his teammates to corral the rebound. If he made the shot, congratulate him on hitting an acrobatic game winner. If he missed, celebrate Auburn’s win with his sure to have been exultant teammates. But college basketball isn’t played in hindsight. And in real time, Kyle Guy may have lost the battle (missed the shot), but he won the war (and the game), nailing a trifecta of foul shots to transform a two point Wahoo deficit into a one point lead with less than a second remaining, and Auburn needing to traverse the 93 feet length of the court and score in 0.6 seconds or less. Uh, game over.

In Saturday night’s second semi-final contest, Texas Tech, with its #3 ranked defense squared off against perennial Big 10 Power, Michigan State. It was another game in which the momentum and the lead swung back and forth. With less than 3 minutes remaining and Texas Tech clinging to a 52-51 lead, the young men from Lubbock dug in and leveraged the phase of the game that had kept them relevant all year. Defense!

They held the Spartans scoreless for the remainder of the game, while they went on to add 9 points to their own total. With that 61-51 victory, they launched themselves into Monday night’s Title Game. The combatants were set, Virginia, from the ACC, and Texas Tech, from the Big 12; marking both teams’ first Title Game appearance.

Monday night’s matchup between Texas Tech and Virginia pitted two of the top three defensive teams in the country against each one another. Virginia allowed opponents only 55.5 points per game. Texas Tech was not far behind, allowing only 58.8 points per game. Only the Wolverines of the University of Michigan separated the two, barely edging the Red Raiders, allowing opponents 58.3 points per contest.

Here in Minneapolis there was an ever so slight Texas Tech vibe. Largely, I think, it was a root for the underdog kind of thing. Although, as we were taking the Blue Line Train back to our hotel after the Title Game, I did hear one local say he had pulled for Texas Tech “because of the stigma associated with Charlottesville.” The reference, of course, was to the Unite The Right Rally, which featured neo-Nazi and alt-right protests, and which resulted in counter protests on August 11th and 12th, 2017. There were any number of infamously memorable events, including white men in Khakis and sports shirts chanting Jews will not replace us, two law enforcement officers killed in a helicopter crash, and the President of the United States asserting, “There are very fine people on both side.” Even with all that perhaps the incident that gained the most notoriety was James Alex Fields, Jr. running into a crowd of counter protesters with his car, killing activist Heather Heyer on August 12th. 

Of course, I’m not a yahoo fan, but I don’t hold the events of that weekend against UVA students and/or student athletes. That’s a narrative with a host of sources, but the UVA Family is not one of them...in my humble opinion. But I digress.

Back to the Title Game, my own assessment is that while they were both stellar defending teams, Virginia probably had just a little too much offense. As it turned out, for 40 minutes, it was a draw, as the two teams played to a 68-68 ties, and overtime. For those who were rooting for Texas Tech, if you quickly revisit the world of 20/20 hindsight, two plays should standout. The first, with halftime nearing, and the score tied 29-all, Virginia with the ball, Ty Jerome found himself all alone at the 3-point line. Predictably, soon afterward, the ball joined him. In the blink of an eye, shot taken, shot made, halftime, UVA up three. Remember that sequence!

With Texas Tech leading 68-65, with 14 seconds left, the ball found De’Andre Hunter alone in the corner. Déjà vu all over again! With no closeout in sight, Hunter squared up and casually sank a 3, tying the game, and ultimately leading to OT. In hindsight, in both instances, the defense should have forced a contested two, rather than giving up an open 3. In any event, after having witnessed, and survived the halftime dagger, both Texas Tech’s coaches and their players should have insisted on creating a different response (and hopefully a vastly distinct and discernibly dissimilar outcome) at the end of the game. But...that’s the difference between hindsight and real time. Virginia took command during the overtime period, and went on to win with minimal stress, and little apparent resistance in the extra period.

As is often the case, some folks will second-guess the officiating. I’ve been known to look askance at a call or two here and there, myself. Others will suggest the Wahoos were simply lucky. Carolina fans, think Dean Smith’s Heels in 1982 when Georgetown’s Fred Brown mistakenly threw the ball to James Worthy instead of a fellow Hoya, and again in 1993 when Michigan’s Chris Webber called a timeout when he and his Wolverine cohorts did not have any. People who default to those what ifs fail to take into account a couple of key considerations. In both cases, Carolina was ahead at the moment of the ill-timed miscues. Therefore, both teams would have had to execute a play, take...and make...a shot, score, and prevent Carolina from doing the same thing. No sure thing in either case. But again, I digress. This is about Virginia...and Texas Tech.

At the end of the day, it is my opinion that the team that was the best team in the country all year long won the tournament. Duke did beat them twice, of course, but as I mentioned earlier, Duke had its own issues. The Cavs were stout on both sides of the ball, refused to wilt under pressure, survived, advanced, and withstood whatever their opponents threw at them. They executed a perfect fairytale ending, including making clutch free throws, three on one possession to seal Saturday night’s game, and 14 in a row down the stretch Monday night in the second half and overtime to secure the Title. They also played enough defense to weather the storm both nights. “From Outhouse To Penthouse: Hoos Win!”

I’m done; holla back!

Read my blog anytime by clicking the linkhttp://thesphinxofcharlotte.comFind a new post each Wednesday.

To subscribeclick on Follow in the bottom right hand corner of my Home Page at http://thesphinxofcharlotte.com; enter your e-mail address in the designated space, and click on “Sign me up.” Subsequent editions of “Break It Down” will be mailed to your in-box.

Consult the links below for more detailed information on a variety of aspects relating to this post:






https://www.ncaa.com/news/basketball-men/article/2019-04-08/virginia-texas-tech-score-cavaliers-win-ncaa-title-ot

https://thesphinxofcharlotte.blogspot.com/2019/04/from-outhouse-to-penthouse-hoos-win.html

Wednesday, April 3, 2019

Chicago Has Spoken: Lori Lightfoot Wins Historic Runoff

It's time to Break It Down!

Yesterday beckoned a new day in the City of Chicago, the nation’s third most populous city. In a Mayoral Election in which the outcome, no matter which way it went, was certain to usher in a change of historic proportion, voters in the Windy City doubled down on change in the City’s historic runoff Tuesday. Both Toni Preckwinkle and Lori Lightfoot are African American women. Lightfoot, 56, who won, is a former US attorney who describes herself as “an out and proud black lesbian.” When sworn in, she will own the distinction of being both the first black woman, and the first lesbian to be Chicago’s Mayor. She will be the second woman to hold the position. Jane Byrne served one term in the capacity from 1979 to 1983.

In February's general election, which featured 14 candidates, Lightfoot and Preckwinkle were the top two vote-getters, which led to Tuesday's runoff. On the heels of the election, both women issued statements indicating intent to work harmoniously to build a better Chi-town. For her part, Mayor-elect Lightfoot said, “Now that it’s over I know we will work together for the city that we both love.”

Ms. Preckwinkle, 72, and a longtime political insider, heads the Cook County Board and chairs the County’s Democratic Party. She vowed to continue working on issues important to her. After calling Lightfoot to congratulate her on being victorious, she said, "This may not be the outcome we wanted but while I may be disappointed, I'm not disheartened. During the mayoral race she made education and a $15 minimum wage the major planks of her campaign. 

By contrast, Lightfoot rose to prominence in the wake of the Laquan McDonald scandal -- in which a white police officer, Jason Van Dyke, shot the black teenager 16 times as he walked away from police -- Lightfoot was appointed by then Mayor Rahm Emanuelto head the newly created police accountability task force. Emanuel did not seek a third term. Congratulations Mayor Lightfoot. Chicago Has Spoken: Lori Lightfoot Wins Historic Runoff!”

I’m done; holla back!

Read my blog anytime by clicking the linkhttp://thesphinxofcharlotte.comFind a new post each Wednesday.

To subscribeclick on Follow in the bottom right hand corner of my Home Page at http://thesphinxofcharlotte.com; enter your e-mail address in the designated space, and click on “Sign me up.” Subsequent editions of “Break It Down” will be mailed to your in-box.

Consult the links below for more detailed information on a variety of aspects relating to this post:



https://www.npr.org/2019/04/02/708833184/history-to-be-made-as-chicago-votes-for-mayor

https://thesphinxofcharlotte.blogspot.com/2019/04/chicago-has-spoken-lori-lightfoot-wins.html