12.30.2009

It's President Obama, actually.

In a few weeks it will be both my 20th birthday and the end of year one of the Obama Presidency.

I read something really interesting from the New York Times today.

And it has really stuck with me. Indeed, I've been thinking a lot about Obama the past few weeks.

He's going to come down on the left, if political constraints weren't involved. But, at the first sign of political trouble, he is eager to compromise. I'm not someone necessarily opposed to compromising, but there are two issues I take with how President Obama has handled it.

First. You need to recognize that, let's face it, the Republicans are really, really, really not going to support your policies and initiatives simply because they are your own. They talk about how they want to re-do the Health Care bill and work together from scratch. That is complete bullshit. They have no desire to work on any sort of actual health care reform, and are certainly not going to vote for any bill the President supports. That is a fact.

In that case, it then becomes, 'stop compromising!' Recognize that they aren't going to support you at all. They just want to drag you and your initiatives to the right.

Second. Like I said before, while I am not always opposed to compromising, there are some things where, for gods sake, stand up and take a stand on something! You are the god damn President of the United States, elected with 53% of the vote. You have amazing communication skills. Use them. Stop looking like a complete wimp. Go on National Television and tell the American people this is what you are doing, why it is good for them, and call out the bastards obstructing it. Drag Joe Lieberman into a back room and play hardball. Bring out the LBJ playbook. If Senators ever, ever, want to see something good for their state again, they had better vote for this bill.

I don't care if it isn't pretty. Show some cojones.

Whew. Rant. Sorry. But it needed to be said.


12.24.2009

This Winter in Baseball, Part 1

In this series of posts I'll be tackling some offseason moves I've found interesting. I'll do a few transactions at a time, and in a few days I'll get to the Giants and A's, and how they look going into 2010.
So...here we go.

In a three team deal, the Yankees sent prospects to both Arizona and Detroit in exchange for Curtis Granderson. The Tigers recieved CF prospect Austin Jackson from NY, and RHP Max Scherzer and LHP Daniel Schlereth from Arizona. They then sent P Edwin Jackson to Arizona.

Arizona sent the two young pitchers (Scherzer is the obvious key to the deal) in exchange for Jackson from Detroit and RHP Ian Kennedy, a former first round pick out of USC I believe, from New York.

Essentially, the Yankees filled their center field hole with Granderson in exchange for a pitcher (Kennedy) who will end up at the back of a rotation, and a medium-level prospect (Jackson).

The Tigers sent Jackson, who has been overrated for, like, ever, in exchange for a younger, cheaper, and probably better pitcher in Scherzer. They got a cheaper hopeful replacement for Granderson in Jackson. They also got two lefty relievers, hard throwing Schlereth from Arizona, and LHP Phil Coke from the Yankees. They could have perhaps gotten more for Granderson, but did well to get value from the very fungible Jackson.

However, and this is important, they are also counting on Scherzer to stay healthy and remain in the rotation. Scherzer could become apart of, along with Justin Verlander and Rick Porcello, a trio of young and hard throwing right handed hurlers to front the Tigers rotation for the 2010s. But he needs to stay healthy, as we'll see in a second.

The team that this deal doesn't make sense for is Arizona. They sent Scherzer and a solid prospect to the Tigers in exchange for Jackson and Kennedy. Jackson has been around forever, and will be a free agent after 2011. More importantly, while showing flashes of brilliance, he has also had years of pointlessness. Kennedy, oft injured, is a strike thrower, without overpowering stuff. While I can appreciate someone who lacks the 'stuff' of an ace, but throws strikes nonetheless, Kennedy is no star. Scherzer will be better than both, and more importantly, will be under club control for much longer than Jackson.

Commentators have pointed out that perhaps Arizona thinks Scherzer will become a reliever. If this is true, it certainly makes more sense. However, I definitely think they shipped upside for two pitchers that certainly are not sure things. As I pointed out earlier, Jackson put up a 5.76 ERA and 88 walks just three years earlier for Tampa Bay.

In short, the Yankees got a good-if-not-great player in Granderson (who was certainly an upgrade on what they had) in exchange for two solid-if-not-spectacular prospects.

The Tigers received one of those prospects, a pair of lefty relievers, and also got the best player in the deal, Scherzer, in exchange for Granderson and an inconsistent Jackson.

The D-Backs shipped two young pitchers away in exchange for one pitcher nearing free agency and another who threw just 24 innings in all of 2009.

You make the call.




12.18.2009

What is the point..

Of having blue dogs, etc, in the Democratic Party? If they refuse to vote with the Democrats on the Stimulus, on Cap and Trade, on Health Care, on Financial Regulation, and on the Jobs bill, then tell me, please, what is the point in having them in the Democratic fold? They are not democrats. If they vote with the Republican party on these issues they aren't Democrats. And we shouldn't treat them as such.

People say, 'well, there are conservative Democrats, and don't we need a broad and moderate coalition to attract voters? That is what these Congressman are doing.' I disagree. These congressman won elections in 2006 and 2008 as Democrats because those were RUNAWAY elections for the Democratic Party. We should not reward them with the Democratic nomination and Democratic label if they then hamstring the Democratic party at key times. The Democrats are trying to do something about American problems. The Democrats are trying to fix health care, and the environment. Republicans have nearly unanimously opposed all of these. The Democratic party should not be running candidates that claim to be Democrats to get elected, but then vote against every piece of crucial legislation.

I understand the argument that they are running in conservative districts, but again, I don't see this as an excuse. Many of these conservative districts would be the biggest beneficiaries of health care reform. In essence, these Democrats need to support a health care bill that would TRULY help their constituents, and then see that reflected in public opinion/support.

And I'll get to the Senate. And Benedict Joe.

Exhilaration


So here is the deal...for the rest of break, every day, I will be blogging. So check back!
And here is the 'Exhilaration' posting.

A few days ago I gave a semi-lecture to Eliot Schain's Psychology class, a class I myself took just two years ago.

We discussed college at first, and then moved on to deeper subjects. I talked to them about resisting unjust authority, resisting the easy path of apathy, and resisting the urge to blindly follow something that may not be true or right.

I have to say, it was very exciting. Yes, I was nervous beforehand. Yes, I had talked to fellow/younger students before, whether it be prospective AP Government students or Seniors curious about college. I had not, however, been given an open slate, a clean agenda with which to work and present my own ideas. I had never created my own lesson plan. I was nervous about keeping these kids entertained. I was nervous about how to avoid talking down to them, seeming above them. Because, as I emphasized, I was just like them. I haven't been gone from Alhambra for long. BUT, I have experienced the joys of higher education and life outside Martinez, and I wanted desperately to show them down that path as well.

These kids have a choice. They can confront the world, form their own opinions, and do the little things to improve our planet, improve our society as a whole. But it's up to them. They need to choose. They need to decide whether to give back to their community, and show compassion to others, and confront global problems like climate change and poverty and conflict. Or they can simply sit on their couches, watch Nascar, enjoy the friday night Bulldog football games, drive their hummers, raise more children destined to never leave Martinez, and drink a lot of Bud-light. To me, that is what makes Martinez fail. Too much of that, and only that.

Anyway, I don't know if I'll become a teacher. But I have to say it was a lot of fun, and I got a very positive response, certainly more positive than I expected. Thanks Schain!