If It Ain't Broke

When something happens, people offer their take on it. It is the rare individual who can predict what will happen in the future and jump the gun on what everyone else will say when the event actually occurs. Richard Mourdock, GOP Republican Candidate in Indiana, is just such a psychic. Or so it seemed until you realize what the rest of the story was. He posted a YouTube video with his reaction to the Supreme Court's decision on Health Care. But to cover all bases, he posted four different reactions for four different scenarios.

Quick hint on how to be a psychic. "Pick a number between one and five."
"Okay, I pick the number four."
"Now look under the stapler."
"Wow! There's a note that says 'I knew you were going to pick four.' Amazing."

Here's how it works. In the top drawer was a note that said "I knew you were going to pick one." Behind the calendar was a note that said, "I knew you were going to pick two." Of course, this trick can only be used once with a each person. (I remember this trick from an episode of Columbo.) You can use this trick on those friends who don't watch old Columbo shows or read this blog. You will amaze them.

But back to the Republican psychic. Apparently all those YouTube videos were posted too soon - before the decision from the Supreme Court was handed down. The important thing about all of this is of course how Stephen reacts to it. He did his own set of reactions to Supreme Court decisions. That was actually very helpful because while I do pay attention to politics, no one can know everything and so it was great to hear what some recent decisions have been. Thanks for the information Stephen!

The Economy is Bad. That's bad, right? Or is that good? It's the old glass half full predicament. For Mitt Romney, it is wonderful. He can say it's all the fault of Barack Obama, so vote for me instead. On the other hand, people like Rick Scott in Florida say the Economy is good. And he says it's all because of him. This is simplifying things, sure, but it presents a problem for people like Rick Scott. He's a Republican so he should support Mitt Romney so that Romney can get elected. But Rick Scott also has to look out for himself and try to look good. Rick Scott says there's been a lot of job growth in Florida. That reminded me of a chart I saw about job growth. (I love charts and graphs.)

I digress. Stephen had some Rick Scott ads that he showed us and told us there was one problem with them. It seems that elderly Florida residents were confused and thought the Rick Scott ads were Barack Obama ads! (But they also think those Allstate ads are Obama ads, so not surprising. Apparently they are confusing Dennis Haysbert with Barack Obama.) Personally, I think Stephen is poking fun at Floridians and not giving them enough credit.

Last night's guest was Frank Deford, sportswriter. Most of the time I find that sportswriters are sports first and writers second. It seems to be the other way with him. He has a real passion for sports that goes beyond the simple win/lose of what I typically think of. His most recent in a long line of books is "Over Time: My Life as a Sportswriter." He and Stephen had a meaningful discussion on the two different meanings of Over Time. As it is spelled in the title, it would mean a long time span. But, being a sports enthusiast, it also brings to mind the extra time played after a game when the score is tied. So, nice play on words. The two of them briefly talked about anatomy and politics. Frank Deford brought the two of them together nicely by praising our opposable thumbs, saying how strange then not use them in sports (soccer) and (jokingly?) saying that's why America is such a super power. Well, I guess you had to be there to appreciate the humor of it all. Trivia about Deford. He played basketball for the Washington Generals, and thus played against the Harlem Globetrotters. He also is a big fan of Title IX.