1984Echoes

Sad... But so fucking true.

I'm extremely loathe to include Bertuzzi in a trade because I believe he is just so dynamic on the offensive end... I don't want to let go... To that end... I know the team is a bit desperate to build this team up and therefore 2C is way high up on the "must have" list... But with so little talent yet, in Detroit, I'm looking for "free" or as close to free options as possible. So: 1) A free agent. Nothing but money. 2) Pushing a round peg into a square hole: Can Berggren play Center? 3) In the draft: can we get by with nothing but draft picks and any prospect(s) not named Cossa or Edvinsson? The dearth of talent in Detroit is what drives me to search for alternate methods to fill that hole. Like #'s 1, 2 or 3.

Slava Ukraini!!!

On the flipside... I don't bash the Dems for anything. Not for being progressive. Not for being diverse. Not for putting out bad messages. Not for failing to get as much policy passed as they SHOULD. Not for being Centrist Obstructionists (lookin' at YOU Manchin & Sinema...). Not for being a Centrist (I'm looking at YOU '84...). I don't think I've ever bashed them, even though, admittedly, they definitely screw some things up (messaging, in-fighting, etc...). The ONLY thing I bash them on is NOT VOTING. Dems actually HAVE the numbers, which frustrates me to no freaking end....

Just for clarification... I've voted 95% Democrat in my lifetime. Maybe 98%? I have never voted 3rd party. I have never stayed home and NOT voted. My votes for Pubs have been extremely limited, and almost all local. So that's just where I'm coming from.

PS: Gotta do some work so peace out for a few hours...

Republicans are going to vote Republican. I know they are trying to overthrow the Supreme Court. I know they are trying to overthrow Constitutional rights. I know they want to install a fascist dictatorship. So yes, absolutely they are to blame for INSTALLING these Supremes, and the current state of lost Constitutional rights. And if they vote for Trump again, they are straight up Neo-Nazi Fascists. BUT: The only way to stop them is to vote Democrat. A Republican may be to blame for ELECTING to put those people on the SC... but the only way to STOP that is to OUTVOTE them and get a Democrat in place instead. For NOT voting enough for a Democrat? In order to defeat the Republicans who are going to put Alito, Gorsuch, Kavanaugh, Coney-Barrett and Roberts in place? Why would I blame Republicans? They're going to vote Republican. The only way to stop them is to vote Democrat. So if the Dems, in 2016, 2022, 2000, or in any other year decide to sit at home and put up 64MM votes instead of the 81MM votes plus that they COULD have put up... Then they DO deserve a portion of that blame. They are NOT blameless.

Not if they're outvoted by 81MM. But to answer your question... yes. Too many ready to buy into a fascist state because someone represents "my politics". If someone is a threat to our Democracy, then WTF are these 74MM Republicans thinking (specifically "moderate"/ "centrist or right-leaning Independents"/ "establishment Republicans"/ "Bush/ Reagan Republicans", or other such types. I mean, when is enough, enough?

To put it more specifically: If Biden gets primaried... My choice to confront fascism in this country is to vote whomever the Dems nominate. If that means AOC, or Elizabeth Warren, just for example... then I'm voting AOC (or Warren, whoever gets that nomination).

This country is not that inflexible. Neither am I.

Who are outnumbered significantly by Democrats. Ergo: 81MM votes versus 74MM.

They didn't do their job well enough. Because they could have done better. I believe that's MB's point. Biden got 81MM votes in 2020 out of 159MM total votes. Clinton got 66MM votes in 2016 out of 136MM total votes. The voting population didn't swell 23MM votes between 2016 and 2020, they were just a lot more motivated (for some reason...!). Why weren't the Dems motivated in 2016 and Clinton got those same approximately 80MM in votes? Did they not realize what would happen if TRUMP got elected? This is my point, and I believe MB's point. This country is in the current state that it's in because too many people are blind to consequences. Or don't care. Or for some other BS reason. Including whining like a little baby that "you're not entitled to my vote!" Fine. Absolutely correct. No one is entitled to anything. So this is the country we GET because of political stupidity in this country. Hope everyone is happy with the current state of affairs. I know there's a lot of theocratic fascist Republicans who absolutely are happy with this.

... If the populace wants new blood...

This says two things to me: 1) I hope that means that Dems will do better in 2022 than the current rumor mill. And that whatever negatives someone wants to apply to Biden, will NOT apply in the local/ state voting. 2) That might also say that even though Biden wants to run in 2024... maybe he gets pushed out the door? By Whitmer or someone else...?

That seems a little extreme...

I think it's definitely Cade-Burks as the starting guards with Killian-Ivey as the backups. I think Diallo will be pushed into backing up Bey... squeezing in a few minutes as a SG here and there, but mostly as the SF in a Killian-Ivey-Diallo mix. He'll need to play defense to get those minutes, and work on his outside shot. The same as almost everyone else on the team...

I am so tired of asking for this...

I'm guessing that... He's hiding out in the current Mar-a-Lago detail which would suit his purposes/ loyalties perfectly. I would consider him a threat to our Democracy; along with the rest of MAGA-land, from top to bottom. Fire the entire Mar-a-Lago detail and replace them with Liberal-Only SS agents. Trump would love that.

But I have large hands and feet. And I know how to use them.

Swap Olynyk for Noel if we're pushing for some offense. Noel is in there if we're protecting a lead.

Yeah, that ain't happenin' unless injuries force that lineup. Crunch time in the 4th quarter = Cade - Burks - Bey - Stewart - Noel. A mix of tough defense, vet leadership, and enough offense to squeeze by.

24 hours? Wow! He's had enough! Also: he now sees what can happen when a liberal Justice overstays and then gets replaced by a modern times Republican Political HACK on the bench. Not good things.

Those agents that WERE on detail during Trump's last year: Clean house. Early retirement. Broom them out the door. Whichever one of those works best.

And fascism supportive.

That's sort of funny but not funny... Hard to sort the feelings out once I get past my laughter...