NBC Sports: NFL 1980- Super Bowl-Oakland Raiders vs. Philadelphia Eagles: Full Game

Source:The New Democrat

Super Bowl 15, was a very interesting matchup between two very good football teams. The 1980 Raiders, perhaps one of the most talented teams on both sides of the ball to ever play in the Super Bowl. The 1980 Eagles, were very good, perhaps not deep in great talent, but with a lot of good players. The 1980 Raiders, might be the best 11-5 team that has ever played. They were 2-3 at one point that season and at around 500 at the half point of the season. Jim Plunkett, wasn’t their starting quarterback going into the season. Dan Pastorini, was their quarterback going into the season and got off to a bad start, as did the Raiders. And was replaced by Plunkett and the Raiders started to put it together and almost won the AFC West.

The Eagles, were already good in 78 and 79, making the NFC Playoffs both seasons. And saw 1980 as their season to step up and make a run at the Super Bowl. Especially with the Dallas Cowboys and Los Angeles Rams both slipping and the Minnesota Vikings no longer a Super Bowl contender. The Redskins, struggling in the NFC East and hadn’t made the playoffs since 1976. 1980, was seen as the year for the Eagles, if they got past the Cowboys and won the NFC East. Which was a big goal of there’s. Win the East so they don’t have to play in the NFC Wildcard and win the NFC Divisional to get to the NFC Final. And Head Coach Dick Vermeil, put together a very tough physical blue-collar team. That played great defense and ran the ball real well and could throw the ball to keep defenses balanced.

I think this was a matchup of two of the toughest teams to ever play in the Super Bowl. That had great coaching and character and didn’t expect anyone to give them anything and worked very hard for everything that they accomplished. And they met in the Super Bowl, but I think there were several differences in this game that all favored the Raiders. Not just Super Bowl experience, but experience winning the Super Bowl. Twelve Raiders, were on the 1976 Raiders Super Bowl team. The Raiders also had more weapons on offense and could kill you with the pass and run. And the Raiders defense could take away the Eagles strength which was their power running and make them throw more than they wanted to. And throw when they didn’t want to and you see these differences in this game.

CBS Sports: NFL 1979- Week 16- Washington Redskins @ Dallas Cowboys: Full Game

Source:The New Democrat

If you look at the 1979 Redskins, not a deeply talented team with great players at every position. Their leading receiver Danny Buggs, caught 46 passes the whole season. They were primarily a power run ball control football team on offense, led by the great fullback/tailback John Riggins. With a short passing game where they threw a lot to their running backs. And a team on defense, that was solid against the pass and somewhat weak against the run, that caused many turnovers. They along with the Tampa Buccaneers were the surprised teams in the NFC in 79. Two teams expected to not do much of anything going into the season and they both won 10 games.

The Dallas Cowboys in 79, were defending NFC champions as well as NFC East champions. And were looking to get back to the Super Bowl and perhaps were the favorites going in. They were once again very good on both sides of the ball. QB Roger Staubach, at 37 and in his last season, was perhaps still the best quarterback in the NFL at this point. And he still had the great Tony Dorsett and Robert Newhouse at running back. And Tony Hill and Drew Pearson and Bill Joe Dupree as his receivers. And they still had the Doomsday Defense. With Randy White, Ed Jones, Harvey Martin and Larry Cole upfront. They were still a very good football team.

But one of the things that made the Redskins-Cowboys rivalry great in the 1970s and 80s and I believe the best rivalry in the NFL at this point, was that both teams didn’t need to be great on paper and deep in talent for the games to be great. Both teams didn’t even have to be good for these games to be great. The 3-13 Cowboys, beat the defending Super Bowl champion Redskins in 1988. And that is just one example. And this is an example of that, where the Redskins had a good record in 1979, but didn’t have great personal. But had enough good players and a few great ones and great coaching to make this team play better than their talent perhaps says they would. Which is why the Redskins played so well against the Cowboys in 79

Sorry Haterss Canal: Video: Shamus 1973: A Private Eye Gets What's Coming To Him

This post was originally posted at The New Democrat on WordPress

To be completely honest with you, I watched Shamus because Dyan Cannon and Burt Reynolds were in it. Two of my favorite actors and one of the best comedic duos you could ever put together. Dyan, is so adorable, as well as sexy, gorgeous and then she’s also a hell of an actress and one of the funniest actress’s who has ever lived. They especially make a great male/female comedy duo. And they were both great in this movie, but they were great together. Not saying the movie wasn’t a good movie. Because it is a very entertaining and good action/comedy. Especially when you consider that Dyan, Burt, and Joe Santos, are the only names in the movie. The only well-known actors who’ve had long successful careers.

Shamus, is about a very good, but perhaps not a very well-known Brooklyn private detective. But someone who is very good at his job who have very good and useful friends and references. Who is hired by a New York crime boss played by Ron Weygand to find out who robbed one his jewelry stores. Shamus McCoy, played by the great Burt Reynolds, perhaps the best action/comedic actor who has ever lived, takes the job, but is suspicious of his new client right away. And digs up dirt on his client to find out what he’s about and who would rob them and why. Another crime group separate from Shamus’s client, somehow finds out quickly that Shamus is working for the man they just robbed. And try to get him off the case, if not put him out of business all together.

Dyan Cannon, plays the sister of one of the people who this group robbed. And Shamus uses her to get to her brother and his connections. That have all of these things that the group has stole and wants to steal more of. Including military surplus equipment. Shamus decides that his new and only wealthy client is no longer worth working for. And ends up taking Alexis, played by Dyan as his new client. Because she wants to know who is trying to hurt her brother. This is a fairly complicated movie and fairly violent movie as well. Where Shamus is not the Devil or the Saint in the movie. And uses a lot of ruthless and abusive tactics to solve the case. Even though he doesn’t have a full-time client in the movie. And is an interesting and funny action/drama. With a lot of humor in it, mostly coming from Burt. Who of course is a master smartass.

NBC Sports: NFL 1978-Super Bowl-Dallas Cowboys vs. Pittsburgh Steelers: Full Game

Source:The New Democrat

If you look at the two teams in this game and their personal and the two coaching staffs, led by Tom Landry and Chuck Knoll respectfully and how great both teams were in 1978 and the fact that this game decided who would be the NFL franchise of the 1970s, the Cowboys or Steelers, this is the best Super Bowl at least of the first thirteen, of all-time. I still believe it is the best Super Bowl of all-time, especially if you look at the two teams involved and how they played in this game. The second Cowboys-Steelers Super Bowl and the second Super Bowl that they played against each other that went down to the last possession of the game. That is how close both teams were and how well they played against each other.

This Super Bowl was so good as far as how they game was played, it was almost like an all-star game. If you look at the talent of both clubs. Each team with a Hall of Fame head coach. Hall of Fame quarterbacks for both teams. The Steelers starting two Hall of Fame receivers in John Stallworth and Lynn Swann. The Cowboys with two Pro Bowl receivers in Drew Pearson and Tony Hill. Pearson, at least should be in the Hall of Fame. Two of the top three tailbacks in the league at the time and who are both in the Hall of Fame. Franco Harris, with the Steelers and Tony Dorsett with the Cowboys. And that is before I get to the Steel Curtain Defense of the Steelers and the Doomsday Defense of the Cowboys.

The Super Bowl, is supposed to be the game between the two best teams in the NFL. It is called the Super Bowl for a very good reason. It’s supposed to be a great game between two great teams. The first twelve Super Bowls were blowouts for the most part. The Cowboys won two of those blowouts. This wasn’t the first real Super Bowl. Super Bowl 10, again between the Cowboys and Steelers was also a real Super Bowl. Super Bowl 7 between the Dolphins and Redskins was also a good game. But Super Bowl’s 10 and 13, were exactly that. They were true Super Bowl’s and the only two of the first thirteen. And again, if you look at both teams and how they played in this game and it went down to the last possession of the game, this game is the best Super Bowl ever.

The Onion: 'Hillary Clinton To Nation: Do Not Fuck This Up For Me"

Source:The New Democrat

Source:The Onion

I can speak freely about Jack Benny’s famous “I’m always 39″ joke, because I’m actually 39 right now. I have a birth certificate to prove it, that says I was actually born in 1975. Exactly when in 1975, I was born, you have to know me well enough and I have to trust you in order for you to find out. But I would hate to be 39 the rest of my life. Why, because that would mean I would die sometime between now and I next birthday. Imagine having less than a year to live, with still so much you want to do and simply not enough time to accomplish those things before you die.

And as far as aging and this might sound corny. (Gee I hope not) But age is really just a number, seriously, it really is. We now have Americans who are healthy and working and their seventies and eighties. And not all of them are still working because they forgot to save for their retirement, (Gee, it just slipped my mind) or their 401K’s were flushed down the toilet, hopefully accidentally, but because they don’t want to play golf everyday. And even though they love their grandkids, they are glad their kids are already grown up and have moved out. Ao they don’t have to spend so much time with their kids.

We have older Americans in age, who still want to work and are still damn good at their jobs and still very productive. And why are they, because they bothered to take the time to take care of the one person they have the most control over, which is themselves. If you live well, you’ll live well, because you take care of yourself, which allows for you to enjoy life for a very long time. And it gives you a lot more choices as far as what you can do in your senior years. Just relax and enjoy yourself, or do those things as well, but do something else you also enjoy which is working and producing.

NBC Sports: NFL 1976-Super Bowl-Oakland Raiders vs. Minnesota Vikings: Full Game

Source:The New Democrat

I can’t think of two head coaches that are more different from each other than Bill Parcells and Joe Gibbs. But they did have one thing in common when it came to coaching in the NFL that served them both very well. And a big reason why they are both in the Hall of Fame. They both believed and focused with their coaching that the way you win NFL games is at the line of scrimmage. You win games by running the football well and stopping the other team’s run. You protect your quarterback and attack the other quarterback. You come up with a couple of takeaways and protect the football. If you do these things well, you’ll win a lot more than you lose. And if you look at the Giants and Redskins of the 1980s they were both very strong upfront on both sides of the ball with good quarterbacks.

I only mention this because that is how this Super Bowl was one. The Raiders didn’t just dominate the Vikings in this game. But they dominated them better than anyone else previously in the Super Bowl. They ran the ball down the Vikings throat in this game. Viking Pro Bowl and I believe Hall of Fame defensive end Jim Marshall, was completely shut out in this game. By Raiders offensive tackle Art Shell, arguably the best offensive tackle of all-time. If he isn’t, I sure as hell would like to know who is. The Vikings didn’t run the ball worth a damn in this game. Their Pro Bowl running back Chuck Forman got most of his yards receiving in this game. The Raiders, hit Vikings Hall of Fame quarterback Fran Tarkenton the whole game. And the Vikings defense, spent most of their time trying to get close to Raiders quarterback Ken Stabler.

When you control the line of scrimmage, the whole world opens up to you. You can run whenever you want or need to. And because of that the defense is always concern about the run. They have to be, otherwise they’ll never get off the field. And because of this you can throw the ball whenever you want to and generally looking at man coverage. And when your receivers are Cliff Branch, Fred Biletnikoff and Dave Casper, man to man coverage all day for the defense is asking a lot. The Raiders simply went at the Vikings the whole game. The Vikings being a real quick, but undersized defense, can only stop that for so long until they start breaking. Especially when their offense is not producing and that is how this game was won.

CBS Sports: NFL-1985-Week 11-Chicago Bears @ Dallas Cowboys: Full Game

Source:The New Democrat

Going into this game, it is no wonder why CBS Sports had their top broadcast duo of Pat Summerall and John Madden call this game. Great matchup at least on paper with perhaps the two best teams in the NFC in 1985. The history of the two great franchises and the members of both clubs that worked with the other team, or was from Chicago or Texas, or played there. Like Mike Ditka, who was a long time assistant coach under Tom Landry in Dallas. And then of course of how dominant the Bears were in 85, 10-0 at this point going up against a Cowboys team that was still very good, at least as far as talent. That dominated the NFC and NFL in the 1970s and was still one of the better teams in the league at this point.

But when you don’t protect your quarterback, you don’t protect your punter and get punts blocked and turn the ball over the way the Cowboys did in the second quarter that led to 17 points and 24-0 halftime Bears lead, horrible things happen to you. The student’s teams beat the hell out of the teacher’s team in this game. The Bears played on completely taking your offense out of the game. And beating the hell out of your quarterback and runners with their 46 Defense. That dared teams to throw deep against them. And if your receivers didn’t get open quickly and your quarterback didn’t get rid of the ball quickly, horrible things happened to you. Huge sacks and turnovers. That Bears the offense could score from and many times that season the Bears defense did the scoring.

It was already pretty clear that Cowboys at this point in the 1980s had started stagnating, if not in decline. With the San Francisco 49ers, Redskins, Bears and New York Giants already taking steps up to becoming the new powers in the NFC. And they all had great games against each other in that decade. But this 44-0 ass kicking by the Bears in 1985 was sort of that tipping point and perhaps final nail. That the Cowboys not only were not the main power in the NFC, but several teams had passed them. And the Cowboys were no longer a team that was expected to go to the Super Bowl or even NFC Championship. But a team that making the NFC Playoffs, or winning the NFC East was a good year for them. When in the 1970s and early eighties that was expected of them.

NBC Sports: NFL 1980-AFC Divisional: Oakland Raiders @ Cleveland Browns: Full Game

Source:The New Democrat

Especially if you consider the playing conditions of this playoff game between the Raiders and Browns, this is one of the best playoff games of all-time in NFL history. Cleveland, Ohio just from Lake Erie in January with snow on the ground, even though it didn’t snow in this game. Frigid conditions, Cleveland Municipal Stadium that wasn’t just an outdoor stadium, but an open air stadium as well. Where the lake was just off of the stadium and the end zone by the lake only had one deck of seats. So there wasn’t any protection from that part of the field from the cold air and wind. So you literally felt the frigid wind coming off of the lake in that stadium from that end zone.

Which meant this game was a defensive oriented ball control power run short throwing football game. And even though the Raiders were the road team and from Oakland and Northern California and the Browns were the home team from Cleveland, the style of football for this game favored the Raiders. Because they were a big strong physical team on both sides of the ball. That ran the ball and stuffed the run. Attacked the quarterback and protected the quarterback. The Browns were a finesse pass first team that was questionable on defense and prone to getting beat by big physical teams that ran the ball very well.

The Browns of the late 1970s were called the Cardiac Kids for a very good reason. Even though they were a good football team back then and had pretty if not very good players on both sides of the ball, they weren’t great back then. And didn’t overwhelm good teams because of how good they were. They didn’t blow good teams out because they gave up a lot of yards and sometimes points as well. And were also behind a lot late in games and having to come back. The Raiders on the other hand when they were in the playoffs, they tended to win and hammer their opponents and put them away convincingly.

The Onion: Candidate Profile: Hillary Clinton

Source:The New Democrat

Source:The Onion

Here are I guess what would be the worst and perhaps the bluntest and downright most honest campaign themes for Hillary Clinton for president.

1. “Vote for me, because I’m a women! And it’s about time we had a female president.”

2. “Vote for me, because I can win. Because of my name, you like my husband. Oh by the way, remember the 1990s? Well my last name is Clinton too.”

3. For the Far-Left in the Democratic Party. “Vote for me, because even though I’m an Anglo-Saxon Caucasian and most of our president’s have been either Caucasian or Anglo-Saxon and most cases both actually, Caucasian women are good, unless they’re Republicans. And we aren’t as bad as Caucasian men.”

4. For the radical Feminists in the Democratic Party. “Vote for me, because I’m a women and I want to be President of the United States. Oh be the way, I’m a female Democrat and I can get elected. Because of my last name and who my husband is. And we were President in the 1990s, I mean Bill was President in the 1990s. And things were so good back then under our watch. I mean his watch.”

Now, of course none of these themes will be Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign theme. I mean she would have to suffer a stroke and become brain-dead or something for any of this to come true. Along with just about everyone who works for her, or informally advises her. But what his Hillary’s reason for running for president other than potentially becoming the first female President of the United States. And giving that to the Democratic Party. What does she want to do as President. When you have a paper-thin resume as she does and since George W. Bush, both he and now President Barack Obama have had that, it makes to tough to figure out what type of President the candidate would be. Especially when she hasn’t offered much in policy positions and vision to let people know what she wants to do as President of the United States.

The Onion: New NFL Stadium in Los Angeles Could Create Thousands of Local Law Enforcement Jobs

Source:The New Democrat

This is probably the best and most accurate report I’ve seen so far about the NFL coming back to Los Angeles via the Oakland Raiders or San Diego Chargers, St. Louis Rams. Or some other club that doesn’t play in one of the big NFL glam markets, lets say. Meaning they are not in Washington, New York, Chicago, Boston, San Francisco, to use as examples. Even though this report comes from The Onion. But keep in mind, The Onion’s reporting is just as accurate as Fox News. For all of you right-wingers who think The Onion makes things up.

Putting the NFL back in Los Angeles, even though it is the second biggest city in America and the second largest market in America and the biggest county in America, is about one thing and one thing only. The color green, meaning money of course. Commissioner Money Bags otherwise known as Roger Goodell sees a market of fifteen-million people and a city of four-million people. That currently doesn’t have an NFL franchise and hasn’t had one for twenty-years now. And sees all the potential for network TV money if there’s a franchise in Los Angeles. Thinking if LA has a team all the people there, or a lot of them will watch the team or teams there, plus the other football game there on Sundays.

What Commissioner Money Bags doesn’t understand is, is that Los Angeles is not exactly crying or even asking for another NFL franchise. Especially someone else’s that isn’t doing very well right now. Like the Raiders or Rams, two clubs that use to be in Los Angeles and Anaheim before they moved to Oakland and St. Louis twenty-years ago. Los Angeles, already has the NBA Lakers, MLB Dodgers, NHL Kings, that won the Stanley Cup a couple of years ago. They have both USC and UCLA football that is very popular there. So why would Los Angeles want to build a new seventy-eighty-thousand seat football stadium with hopes of drawing 40-50 thousand people a game and seeing the people shut out from watching their team on TV. Which is what happened to both the Raiders and Rams the whole time they were in the LA area.

If Commissioner Money Bags and the NFL was truly interested in making the NFL succeed in Los Angeles, they would think and act small and build on the progress that they make.

Start with preseason games in LA, neutral site regular season games between other teams like with the regular season kickoff or something.

Play the Super Bowl there again before LA gets another team.

Put a USFL spring team there and see how that club does there in the spring and summer.

And the last two things that are just as important as everything else. Put an expansion franchise in Los Angeles after everything else goes well. Instead of taking someone else’s team. So the people there can grow up with the new team and call it their own.

And only put one NFL franchise in Los Angeles. Because LA has never been a two-team NFL market and probably will never be one.

Los Angeles is Los Angeles and not New York. The cultures and people there are very different. LA is not as sports-crazed as New York or even Philadelphia and Chicago. And has a hell of a lot other things to do and keep them occupied outside of sports. Similar to San Francisco and Las Vegas. So for sports to work there, you have to think outside of how big and wealthy the market is. You have to plan and market sports very well there for them to succeed.

The CW: Charmed- Shannen Doherty in Leather Jeans

Source:The CW- Alyssa Milano and Shannen Doherty are Charmed.

Source:The New Democrat 

“Shannen Doherty Charmed Leather” 

From Peppero 543 

“TV series: Charmed – Zauberhafte Hexen | S 01, Ep. 19 | Blind (new version in 16:9) | 1999” 

Source:TV Real Leather World- Shannen Doherty looking hot in her black leather jeans.

From TV Real Leather World 

“Shanon Doherty black leather pants Charmed” 

Source:Hot Leather Chicks- Shannen Doherty looking hot in her black leather jeans.

From Hot Leather Chicks 

Shannen Doherty and Holly Marie Combs from the first season of Charmed from The CW. This photo is from another video that’s not currently available online, at least not right now. But you can still check out parts of this episode from by clicking on the link above.

Source:Twitter: Rik Schneider- Shannen Doherty and Holly M. Combes are Charmed.

More reasons why Shannen Doherty should’ve been on Charmed longer than she was. To go along with being the very beautiful and adorable, sexy wonderful actress that she is. She was clearly the best actress on that show.

And even though that show never had a great actress on it, they at least the original women on the show were all very good. Alyssa Milano and Holly Marie Combs to go along with Shannen are all very good, but Shannen was the best. And she also looked great on it and took chances with her wardrobe that unfortunately a lot of other sexy American actress’s wouldn’t have. Like in this video with the leather jeans and boots and wearing that outfit to work on the show.

Charmed, might have been the only prime time drama/comedy soap opera, that had their actress’s in leather jeans on a regular basis in the late 1990s and early 2000s in America. The show went on the air in 1998 and this episode is from the first season. Leather jeans on women at least, had a little run during this time. But the low-rise designer denim jeans for women came out in during this period.

And those denim jeans just got tighter by to the point in the mid 2000s sexy American women were now wearing skinny denims and skin-tight denims. And fell in love with them and wore those jeans everywhere, including to the office and out to dinner and everywhere else practically.

But on Charmed, you got to see beautiful sexy women in tight leather jeans. Skinny and skin-tight, at least in Shannen Doherty’s case. Because she has the body to pull the look and look great in them. And not have to worry about looking too thin or overweight in them. With her butt looking flabby, or belly sticking out. Or her crack sticking out when she sits down or stands up, because her body fit so well in those leather jeans.

And Shannen looked great in those jeans as a result. And it would just be nice if other shows like Charmed had the same sense of style for their actress’s as Charmed did. Because leather jeans when they fit right, look great on sexy women.

Harrie: Video: Dutch TV: Elle Van Rign in Leather Jeans: Second Edition

Source:The New Democrat

I don’t have a clue what Elle Van Rign or the other actors on this show were saying. I speak very little German and at best only enough to have an idea what people are saying when they’re speaking German. Let alone speak any Dutch other than Neder and Nederland, which translates into Dutch and Netherlands. Those damn English! Taking beautiful German and Dutch words and turning them into words that sound almost nothing like what they sound in their native languages. And completely anglicizing Germanic words. Whether they are German or Dutch. And I’m half-joking here, but that is a bit of an annoyance that I have with the English as a Germanic person of German descent.

But the Dutch actors on this show especially Elle Van Rign sounded very good whatever they were saying. But to be completely honest, I’m not posting this because I’m interested in learning Neder or Dutch. But because of Elle Van Rign and how she looked. As I said yesterday, leather jeans are fairly common at least with European women in Europe. Especially in Germany and France and Italy and perhaps Holland or Nederland as well. Maybe the women over there have better curves or better bodies, than they do in America. I doubt that, but they do seem to be more confident in their own bodies and how they present themselves in public, like on national TV. And this show is an example of that.

The thing or issue with leather jeans, especially skinny leathers, or skin-tight leathers, is that they’re more revealing than even skin-tight denim jeans or skinny denims. They highlight one’s physical attributes or flaws even more. That is why they’re probably not that popular in America. Because Americans tend to be somewhat sensitive with their private parts and it is harder to find the right leather jeans for one’s body. There’s also a cultural aspect to them where in America leather jeans seemed to only be for rockers or bikers male or female. And perhaps for Western culture. But in Europe, they’re considered mainstream trousers at least for sexy men and women. Like Elle Van Rign who has a great body for either leather or denim jeans.

Harrie: Video: Dutch Soap Opera: Elle Van Rign in Leather Jeans

Source:The New Democrat

It’s rare that you’ll see American women on TV and even in movies unless they are musical artists like rocker chicks, or biker chicks, wearing tight leather jeans, or leather pants in general. European women I guess are just more liberal when it comes to their wardrobes. Especially in public and perhaps more confident in how they look in leather. American women, especially sexy women, love seeing themselves in denim jeans of course and tight denims, skinny denims and skin-tight denims.

American women have made the tight skinny denim look not just popular in America, but around the world in general. But again its rare outside of rock and roll culture and biker culture to see women in tight leather jeans. Rocker women, tend to be more rebellious and more risk-taking than American women in general. But with European women on TV and in their movies, leather jeans probably not as popular as denim jeans in Germany, to use as an example, but they’re fairly common over there. Like with what see in this video with the hot baby-faced, but sexy actress Elle Van Rign. Who looks great in leather jeans.

There have been exceptions to this rule in America. Back in the late 1990s and early 2000s, the prime time soap opera Charmed had their women in tight leather jeans on a regular basis. Both Shannon Doherty and Holly Marie Combs wore them on that show and looked great in them. Because they’re both beautiful, but they also have nice legs and a nice butt. Which you must have to pull leather jeans off. Because they are more revealing than denim. And if you’re really overweight or, rail-thin, you’ll look even worst in leather jeans than even denim jeans or regular trousers. But leather jeans have never been very popular in America, as they are in Europe.

PBS: Video: NewsHour: Brooks and Marcus on Recording The Police, Hillary Clinton's Campaign Launch

This post was originally posted at The New Democrat on WordPress

As far as cameras for police officers, I think it is commonsense. And would be a great way and perhaps the only way to separate the abusive and bad cops who go too far and as a result innocent people die, even if it is by accident, from the good police officers. Who do their jobs very well regardless of where they’re working and the community they work with. Because they know they’re being watched and can’t afford big obvious mistakes. And as far as cameras being too intrusive, that is part of being a law enforcement officer. They’re public servants and deserve to be held accountable like everyone else.

As far as Hillary Clinton for president, still early in 2015 and I’m already tired of talking about it. And I’m a Democrat, but I agree with David Brooks that there’s a market for a Center-Left, perhaps not Far-Left, but certainly a Center-Left Democrat to emerge and become Hillary’s alternative. To at the very least bring Hillary out of her closet and force her to run a real campaign. And let Democrats and other voters in to what a Hillary Clinton presidency and administration would look like and where she is on the issues. And can she bring in enough of the Far-Left of the party to win the general election. While still holding Center-Left Democrats and Independents.

NBC Sports: NFL 1980-Wildcard-Houston Oilers @ Oakland Raiders: Full Game

Source:The New Democrat

On paper this looked like a great matchup and great game. Two physical hard-hitting teams with big offensive lines who play very good defense and run the ball very well. As well as having two very good quarterbacks in Ken Stabler for the Oilers, who of course use to play of the Raiders for so long. And Jim Plunkett for the Raiders, who finally got a chance to play for a good winning team. And one of if not the best all around teams in the NFL in 1980. All Plunkett needed was a good shot with a good team and he could show everyone how great a quarterback he really was.

This game was exactly that for the first three-quarters of it. Raiders up 10-7 after three-quarters and the Raiders went to work and not just dominated the Oilers defensively like they did for the first three-quarters, but their great defense turned into points as well. Scoring seventeen points in the fourth quarter and turning a very good close game into a blowout. 1980 was supposed to be the year for the Houston Oilers with the Pittsburgh Steelers not even making the AFC Playoffs. After dominating the 1970s. But it was the Raiders that instead stepped up and won the AFC and Super Bowl.

My Vintage Video: The McLaughlin, February 24, 1989

This post was originally posted at The New Democrat on WordPress

John Tower, was a Republican Senator from Texas, elected in I believe 1960 and served four terms in the Senate. The first Republican elected statewide in Texas, in I don’t know, a hundred years or whatever. And was a very popular Republican in the Republican Party and very conservative as well. With a deep knowledge of foreign policy and national security issues while he was in Congress. But he wasn’t very popular with his colleagues in Congress in either party, especially in the Senate. And when President Bush nominates him in 1989 to be his Secretary of Defense and nothing bad had broken for him after that, Tower probably gets confirmed as Secretary of Defense even in a 55-45 Democratic Senate that year. Because he was very knowledgable about national security. But then a story breaks about his alcoholism and that he was a recovering alcoholic. And Senate Democrats didn’t need much more than that to vote him down.

NBC Sports: NFL 1977-AFC Final-Oakland Raiders @ Denver Broncos: Full Game

Source:The New Democrat

With all due respect to the 1977 Denver Broncos, even though this game was played in Denver, this is one of the biggest upsets in NFC conference final history. If you look at the two teams and the two squads, the Raiders clearly had a better team man for man and as far as talent. The Broncos might not even had a single Pro Bowler on offense. The Raiders had four Hall of Famers on offense alone. OT Art Shell, OG Gene Upshaw, WR Fred Biletnikoff and TE Dave Casper. Arguably and I believe the best all around TE of all-time. The Raiders should have at least two other Hall of Famers on offense. QB Ken Stabler and WR Cliff Branch.

What the Broncos had in 1977 and really all the way even perhaps through the Dan Reeves era in the 1980s, but defensively not as good, was a great defense. Especially their linebackers, in Randy Gradishar, who should be in the Hall of Fame. Tom Jackson, Bob Swenson and Joe Rizzo. And Pro Bowler DL Paul Smith, Barney Chavous, Pro Bowler Lyle Alzado, who should probably get consideration for the Hall of Fame. NT Rubin Carter, who was a stud in the middle. Which you must have in order to play a 3-4. Louis Wright and Steve Foley in the secondary. They didn’t need a lot of talent on offense, because they didn’t need to score a lot of points. They only gave up ten points a game.

Going into this game, you would have to think the Raiders simply because they had a very good if not great all around team and the defending Super Bowl champions, would be the clear favorite in this game. Great quarterback, the best offensive line in football, great running game with Mark Van Egan and Clarence Davis. Great receivers and one of the best defenses in the NFL. That this would be the year we finally got to see the Oakland Raiders and Dallas Cowboys in the Super Bowl. Which would’ve been a classic in 1977, but the Broncos defense could shut anyone down. And then score enough points to win the game. And you can see it for yourself.

CBS Sports: NFL 1983-NFC Final-San Francisco 49ers @ Washington Redskins: Full Game

Source:The New Democrat

This is one of the best NFC Final’s of all-time for lots of reasons. The 49ers and Redskins are not just the two best franchises in the NFC in the 1980s as far as all the games and championships they won and their two head coaches Bill Walsh and Joe Gibbs. But they were the two best franchises in the NFL in the 1980s, as far as wins, championships and head coaches. And yet they only met in the NFC Playoffs once that decade, which is this game. The Redskins tended to play the Chicago Bears, or the Los Angeles Rams in the 80s. The 49ers played the New York Giants, Dallas Cowboys and Minnesota Vikings multiple times each.

This was also a great game because of these two teams. Both teams very good on both sides of the ball. The 49ers had a better all around defense as far as defending the run and pass. The Redskins were great against the run and had a great pass rush and tackled very well. But if the quarterback had time, they were a very vulnerable in the secondary. Because they didn’t have much speed or a great cover corner back there. Darryl Green was a rookie and not a great player yet. Both teams were great on offense with great quarterbacks, passing games and running games.

This was also a great game because of the contrast in it. The Redskins passed and ran very well, but they were a power run team first with John Riggins and then they would run Joe Washington outside. And go deep to either Art Monk or Charlie Brown outside. And hit Clint Didier and Joe Washington for shorter and medium routes. They could throw the ball everywhere and had so many weapons. The 49ers were a pass first team, again with multiple weapons at receiver, TE and running back. And then could run with Wendell Tyler and Roger Craig. Two great all around football teams who played the game differently. Which made for a great NFC Final.

NBC Sports: NFL 1975- AFC Final-Oakland Raiders @ Pittsburgh Steelers: Full Game

Source:The New Democrat 

This was the second of three-straight AFC Finals that the Raiders and Steelers played against each other. 1974-76, Steelers won the first two and the Raiders finally broke through after losing six straight AFC Finals from 68-75. Six in eight years and this game in 75 was one of the better games in this rivalry, which I believe was the best rivalry in the 1970s in the NFL. Especially conference rivalry and between teams from different divisions. Even better than the Redskins-Cowboys rivalry in the NFC. Because these teams were better and they were playing in the playoffs every year and played three conference finals against each other.

Rivalries are only good and even real if the teams are good. And great rivalries are only great if the teams are great. And that is what separates the Raiders-Steelers rivalry from I believe the rest that we’ve seen ever. Because in the 1970s both teams year after year only had one goal, which was to win the Super Bowl. And they knew if they were going to do that they were going to have to beat the other team. Probably in the AFC Final just to get to the Super Bowl. Two very tough well coached teams, that both had power running games. That both had vertical passing games and great quarterbacks.

Both teams were very similar that they won by beating their opponents up. Running the ball right at the defense and doing it over and over and having very tough defense that could stuff the run, attack the quarterback and pound the receivers in the secondary. But they did it differently which gave fans something else to se. The Raiders, with their 3-4 defense that would use their DL to occupy the offensive line and have their linebackers make the plays and blitz the quarterback. The Steelers, were a 4-3 two-gap defense that could attack the QB and stuff the run just with their great defensive line. And play their linebackers and DB’s deep. And these teams were great at what they did, similar in how they did, but different enough to make their games even more interesting.

CBS Sports: NFL 1983-Super Bowl 18-Los Angeles Raiders vs. Washington Redskins: Full Game

Source:The New Democrat

On paper at least and the personal of both teams, Super Bowl 18 is definitely one of the best games you could ever have for a Super Bowl. Maybe only Super Bowl 13 with the Dallas Cowboys and Pittsburgh Steelers was a better matchup on paper and in talent and in coaching. Tom Flores, who was the Los Angeles Raiders head coach, really should be in the Hall of Fame. He had a great record in the 1980s and only Bill Walsh and Joe Gibbs won more and they’re both in the Hall of Fame. This game should’ve been a 31-24, 28-24, 35-31 24-21, 21-17 type of game with the game going down to the last possession of the game.

But the Raiders looked as prepared and executed as well as any team has ever played in the Super Bowl. On offense, defense and special teams. They had the Redskins down cold and made all the big plays in the game. When the Redskins would try something interesting or different to catch the Raiders off guard like the infamous screen pass late in the first half with the Raiders up 14-3, the Raiders pick off the pass for a touchdown. And and take a 21-3 lead into the first half, instead of it being a close game. And the Redskins looked like they had the momentum back in the second half and march down the field for a touchdown, to make it 21-9, the Raiders block the extra point.

The Raiders not only blocked the Redskins extra point attempt in the second half, but they march down the field for their own touchdown to take their biggest lead of the game at 28-9 midway through the third quarter. Tom Flores could go into the Hall of Fame from his Super Bowl 18 coaching job alone. The Redskins just looked sluggish and unprepared. They went into this game with one game plan and either didn’t figure out early enough that wasn’t going to work, or didn’t know how to adjust. Which was strange considering Joe Gibbs is the master of adjustments and retooling.

ABC Sports: NFL 1983-Week 7-MNF-Washington Redskins @ Green Bay Packers: Full Game

Source:The New Democrat

The Green Bay Packers were the definition of mediocrity in the 1980s. And it wasn’t that they were always average or middle of the road. But they would have great streaks and look like they’re returning as a contender and championship team that they were when they dominated the 1960s. And they would follow that up with really bad streaks and lose to bad teams and look like 5-11 or 4-12 team. They had two winning seasons in the 1980s. 1982 and 89 and 3-4 8-8 seasons, which is the definition of a mediocre team. They would play their best games against good teams, like the Redskins especially in prime time and at Lambeau Field. And then they would lose to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers or Detroit Lions. Or some other team that was pretty bad back then.

The Redskins, defending Super Bowl champions in 1983, 5-1 at this point with a five winning streak after losing to the Dallas Cowboys week 1. Looking to get back to the Super Bowl and repeat and had the team to do it. And of course only the San Francisco 49ers won more games and Super Bowls than the Redskins in the 1980s. So this was a matchup of one of the premier teams of the NFL in the Redskins who were great in 1983 and had a great decade in the 1980s. Against a Packers team that couldn’t figure out if they were pretty good and back as a contender and champion in the NFC Central. Or were they 4-12, 5-11 team, sharing last place with the Lions and Buccaneers. And they generally settled for mediocrity instead.

Real Time With Bill Maher: Oliver Stone

Source:The New Democrat

Bill Maher said something to the effect in this video, “that we need a good conspiracy theory”, or, “does anyone have a good conspiracy theory?” And I’m thinking as I heard that, Oliver Stone was sitting right next to him on this show. The man whose made a career out of conspiracy theories. Go back to 1991 with JFK about the JFK assassination and perhaps Platoon, that was about the Vietnam War. And in this video which I’m guessing is at least a few years old, because they were talking about Hugo Chavez as if he was still alive. Chavez has been dead for two years.

Bill Maher likes to talk about what he calls the “Crazy Left.” I tend to call them the Far-Left, but Senator Bernie Sanders is pretty Far-Left as a Democratic Socialist and has economic policies that I don’t agree with and has a much larger role for government, especially the Federal Government than I do. But he’s certainly not crazy and doesn’t throw out conspiracy theories for the most part. And say things like America and Israel are in to wiping out the Palestinians and want to occupy Iraq indefinitely because they want the oil. So maybe Crazy Left will be what I call our Left-Wing, well characters lets say to be nice. Because there are good rational intelligent people even on the Far-Left in America. Like Bernie Sanders and many others.

ABC Sports: NFL 1983-Week1-MNF-Dallas Cowboys @ Washington Redskins: Full Game

Source:The New Democrat

If I’m a network TV sports executive and I got Monday Night Football on my network, I think this would be the dream matchup to have to open the new Monday Night Football season. Because the Cowboys-Redskins at this point in the NFL, you’re talking about the best current rivalry in the NFL. The two best teams in the National Football Conference, if not the NFL. They hate each other and yet respect each other. NFC East, which can be said about each team in that division, but even more so with the Cowboys-Redskins rivalry. So back then you were always talking about great football games, because both teams were good every year, both teams were very physical on both sides of the ball and they literally hated, but respected each other.

Now how about this game. The two teams from the 1982 NFC Final. The Redskins not only won the NFC, but dominated the Miami Dolphins on both sides of the ball in Super Bowl 17 to win their first Super Bowl. Tom Landry, the first or second best head coach in the NFL at this point. Only Don Shula might have been better at this point. Joe Gibbs, the best young head coach in the NFL at this point and already considered a genius at least on offense. Going into 83, the Redskins looked like the favorites to not only get back to the Super Bowl, but win their second straight. The Cowboys lost the last three NFC Finals with Danny White as their quarterback and looking to not only get back, but get back to the Super Bowl. And they still had a very good team.

So this was like a week one Super Bowl, in prime time, on ABC and ABC Sports had the best football show back then. The NFL and perhaps college football as well. Frank Gifford calling the game with Don Meredith as the lead analyst, which he was great at and had a great sense of humor as well. Howard Cosell, providing the comedic fans point of view for this game. And he was also pretty knowledgable about football and certainly knew what he was talking about. The game played at the nation’s capital in Washington at RFK Stadium. The stadium rocking and crazy like it always was, especially in prime time and for rival games like against the Cowboys, New York Giants, Philadelphia Eagles. This was the perfect way to kick off an NFL season.

My Vintage Video: The McLaughlin Group 10/03/03: No WMD in Iraq

This post was originally posted at The New Democrat on WordPress

Eleanor Clift, nailed it early on in this show when she said the War in Iraq was over soled and the evidence going in never justified for the War in Iraq. She makes this seven months after the War in Iraq was launched in March, 2003. Remember, the original justification for the War in Iraq was to eliminate weapons of mass destruction from Iraq and get them out of the Saddam Hussein Regime. And then they don’t find them. The reason and evidence for the War in Iraq was never there.

Neoconservatives in and out of the Bush Administration blew this story and war from day one and they haven’t gotten any better. And why the Republican Party is struggling so much at the presidential level and even within their own party. With Conservatives, “saying America shouldn’t try to police the world and that we should even be fiscally conservative with the defense budget and not run up our debt and deficits with the military budget.’ To Neoconservatives still saying, “that we should spend whatever takes to police the world. Because no one else will and debts and deficits don’t matter to begin with.”

As far as the Joe Wilson story. I just wish this was as big as a story in 2003-04, as it was in 2005-06 and John Kerry beats President Bush by winning both Ohio and Florida. Had this story broke in 2001 or 02 and then continued to grow instead of late 2003, I think President Bush would’ve been in huge trouble going into the fall of 2004. In a lot of way George W. Bush is one of the luckiest politicians who has ever lived. Because even with all the obvious mistakes he and his administration made in their eight years, the Democratic Party for the most part was never in strong enough position to take advantage of them. In his first term, but in his second term they came together and went to work politically on the Bush Administration and scored a lot of points.

ABC Sports: NFL 1985-Week 13-MNF-Chicago Bears @ Miami Dolphins: Full Game

Source:The New Democrat

Forget about the records with the Bears being 12-0 and obviously the best all around team in the NFL in 1985. And the Dolphins being 7-5 at this point, I believe fighting for the AFC East Championship, or make it as an AFC wildcard. This was a great matchup and one of the best NFL Monday Night Football games of all-time. Even with Joe Namath and O.J. Simpson in the booth with the great Frank Gifford. Instead of Don Meredith and Keith Jackson, or Al Michaels and Dan Dierdorf. Because of the style both teams played and what they were great at. And that the Dolphins might have been the only team in the NFL in 85 that had the personal and head coach to beat the Bears.

The only way you beat the Bears that season was to have a great big quarterback, with a strong accurate throwing arm, with a quick release. They had that with Dan Marino, obviously and perhaps the best NFL QB in the game at this point. But then you also needed multiple receivers who were quick and had great hands. The Dolphins had that with Mark Duper, Mark Clayton and Nat Moore. And then throw in Tony Nathan out of the backfield. And then you needed a great pass protecting offensive line. That was quick and not only being able to take care of their man, but get to blitzers as well. The Dolphins had that as well.

If this was the Super Bowl matchup in 85. The Bears would’ve won and perhaps had won going away. Not 46-10, which is how the beat the New England Patriots. But 35-17, 35-21, something like that. The Bears would’ve adjusted on defense and not of blitzed as much. And they would’ve had Jim McMahon at QB instead of Steve Fuller. But the Dolphins would’ve still moved the ball well enough to make a decent game out of it. Because they would’ve been able to spread the Bears out on defense and get rid of the ball quickly and utilize all of their receivers. And hit Tony Nathan for short gains after their big plays. Because the Bears secondary didn’t have a lot of speed. And the linebackers weren’t great cover defenders either.

CBS Sports: NFL 1985-Week 15-Chicago Bears @ New York Jets: Full Game

Source:The New Democrat

A great week 15 matchup even though it was an inter-conference matchup between the Bears and Jets. The Bears were 15-1 in the 1985 regular season and the Jets were 11-5. The Jets, Los Angeles Raiders and perhaps the Cleveland Browns were the top three underachievers of the NFL in the 1980s, at least in the AFC. You could argue that even though the Bears won Super Bowl 20 and won an NFC Championship and played in three NFC Finals in the 1980s, they or the Raiders were the biggest underachievers of that decade.

Because as dominate as the Raiders were in 1985 they almost looked mediocre at least in comparison for the rest of that decade. The Raiders won two Supers Bowls in the 1980s. But continued to have great talent throughout that decade and yet were barely a playoff team after they won Super Bowl 18 in 84. But the Jets were just as good talent wise as the Raiders and Bears on both offense and defense from 81-82, until 86. And only played in one conference championship. When they lost to an inferior Miami Dolphins team in 1982. This was a great matchup on paper, but a battle of underachievers, in the Bears-Jets.

Museum Syndicate: Video: Longines Chronoscope: Interview With Senator Joseph McCarthy, 1952

Source:The New Democrat

This is 1952, so the Democrat Party still controls Congress both the House and Senate, as well as the White House with President Harry Truman. Republicans won a clean sweep in 1952 and won back the White House and both chambers of Congress. Which meant Senator Joe McCarthy would become Chairman of the Government Oversight Committee in the next Congress in 1953. And that is how the Army-McCarthy hearings go started in 1953 and went up to 1954 or so. When the American people and Senate Republicans along with Democrats got tired of Chairman McCarthy and his McCarthyism hearings. And they shut him down and censured him.

As far as Corliss LaMont with the American Labor Party. He was a Democratic Socialist, but further Left than Norman Thomas. Who ran for President several times for the Socialist Party. Norman Thomas was a Democratic Socialist in the European sense. Combining private enterprise with democratic socialism and the welfare state. Private sector with a large public sector that provides people with most of the basic necessities of life that we all need to live well. While the private sector provides things that people want and what makes us happy. And where people are allowed to keep their homes, cars, small business’s even. Corliss LaMont want government owning and operating the business sector, as well as the social welfare sector.

ABC News 45-85: Communism On The March

Source:The New Democrat

Without the creation of NATO the North Atlantic Treaty Organization that is responsible for the security of North America and Europe and Europe primarily, Germany would’ve been occupied by either the United States or Soviet Union. And perhaps still occupied by America or Russia today unless some other agreement or arrangement was put in place to protect Germany from some new authoritarian regime coming him to replace the Nazis.

But NATO was created, but instead of having a United Federal Germany, Germany was split up with a Federal Republic in the West and a Communist Republic in the East. Until they reunified in 1989 and now there’s one Federal Republic of Germany. That is the economic and perhaps now even the diplomatic power of Europe. With the fourth largest economy in the world and the only large European state with a strong vibrant economy today. All of the other big Euro states are dealing with high debts, deficits, recessions, high unemployment and growing poverty.

What NATO did along with the European Union and the Marshall Plan was give Europe a chance to breathe and catch its breath and rebuild themselves. Without having to worry about some new civil war breaking out or some new authoritarian regime emerging in Western Europe and give the Europe the ability to develop. And not just rebuild themselves from World War II, but develop themselves and develop their economies and diplomatic relations, people and rebuild their militaries. And what happened as a result was a free social democratic Europe in the West that was thriving. And a totalitarian authoritarian suffocating Russia in the East. Where people would literally escape from their own countries.

The McLaughlin Group: Video: Martin O'Malley vs. Hillary Clinton

This post was originally posted at The New Democrat on WordPress

As far as Martin O’Malley beating Hillary Clinton next year, no one is expecting him to do that. But plenty of upsets have happened inside of the Democratic Party during presidential years in the past. And all the Democratic nominees coming out of nowhere were all serious intelligent candidates, who were successful in their current and previous jobs. Who were great politicians and communicators, who very likable and spoke very well to the Democratic base. Jimmy Carter, Bill Clinton and Barack Obama. All current or former President’s of the United States. Martin O’Malley is just as good as a politician as Jimmy Carter at least and perhaps Barack Obama.

As far as the NCAA. Why should just student athletes not be able to earn money while at college either though their field or outside of their field? Why should athletes suffer, while law students, medical students and everyone else are not only allowed to work their way through college, but earn money while at college. And a lot of these athletes come from lower-middle class to low-income families. Where their parents can’t afford to pay for their cost of living and send them money while they’re at college. They don’t have to worry about their schooling, but they have to be able to pay their other bills while their at school.

As far as Carly Fiorina, she is less accomplished than Mitt Romney as a politician. Which is sort of the death knell for a potential serious presidential candidate. Had she defeated Senator Barbara Boxer in 2010, then maybe she would be a serious candidate right now. Because she could say that she’s one statewide in one of the bluest states in the country. And now has foreign policy experience on the Foreign Relations Committee or Armed Services Committee. She has business experience and was a successful business executive and everything else. But that didn’t happen and now she looks like someone who is just trying to get any big job and get her name in the public eye.

Real Time: Video: Bill Maher: Liberals vs. Fake Liberals

Source:The New Democrat

Just to correct Bill Maher for a moment and lately I’ve agreed with him on almost everything. But this is not “Liberals vs. Liberals”. This is not John Kerry vs. John Kennedy. This is Liberals, like a Jack Kennedy or a John Kerry, two of my favorite Liberals, vs. the Far-Left. The Left’s version of the Christian Right or Neo-Right in America.

Liberals believe in free speech. What is free speech, well the right to speak freely. Not the right to say what most of the country already believes or already agrees with you on. And with free speech comes people being offended and perhaps being oversensitive and being too offended. The Far-Left New Leftists, perhaps Statists and maybe even Socialists, don’t believe in free speech.

Sure, they believe they have the right to free speech, but for everyone else we have the right to say what the Far-Left already agrees with. But if we say anything that may offend someone or people or groups that the New-Left in America believes deserves special treatment and name your minority group, except for Jews, we should shut up, boycotted and that our speech should even be outlawed. All of the political correctness groups and organizations that Bill Maher mentioned, none of them are Liberals.

They’re fake Liberals who don’t have the balls to admit to calling themselves what they are. Which is fascists who believe they know what is best for everyone else and what people should say. And we should interact with each other. That freedom is not necessary and dangerous because these fascists will use their big government to manage everyone’s lives for them. I’m not sure the Far-Left in America believes in heterosexuality anymore and perhaps sees it as homophobic or something. Because their women sound like man-hating dykes. And their men sound like queens who see masculinity as evil or something.

The Right obviously has their crazies. They are called the Far-Right or Neo-Right that want to put America into a national time machine and take us all back to 1927 or something. How about 1915 before American women had the right to vote. But the Left has their gigantic national nuthouse that if you added them all up might not be able to fill the en entire city of Wichita. Which is a mid-size city in Kansas, for anyone in the Northeast or West Coast whose never heard of it. But the Far-Left is so loud and vocal and fairly organized, even for a nuthouse, that they can make Liberals and Democrats look as bad as the Far-Right makes Conservatives and Republicans look.

USFL Forever: USFL 1985-Week 3-Baltimore Stars @ Memphis Showboats: Full Game

Source:The New Democrat

I just looked it up and the Baltimore Stars were 10-7-1 in 1985 and yet they won the USFL Championship that season. Not exactly a great record for a championship team. That would be like a 9-7 record in the NFL. Teams with records like that generally barely make the playoffs and don’t do much in the playoffs, or just miss the playoffs. But generally don’t go all the way. But if you listen to the commentary of this game, they are talking about after the first two games of the season, the Stars were still winless. And turning the ball over a lot and not scoring touchdowns in the red zone.

The Memphis Showboats were 11-7 in 1985 and also made the playoffs, but didn’t go very far. Solid record with a solid team, but not exactly championship material as their record would indicate. A defensive oriented running team, that played fairly conservatively on offense. The Stars were fairly similar in style, but with a better quarterback in Chuck Fusina, a better passing game and a great running back in Kelvin Bryant. Who would go on to the NFL with the Redskins. And be a major factor in the 1987 Redskins Super Bowl Championship team. So this was a very good matchup with two very tough teams with very good defenses.

The Eagle Forum: Phyllis Schlafly: The Truth About Reds in Hollywood

The Eagle Forum: Blog: Phyllis Schlafly: The Truth About Reds in Hollywood

Source:The New Democrat

Who are these people making the case that there weren’t Communists and Socialists in Hollywood? Of there were and still are today! Some of them are self-described as Socialists and supporters of Hugo Chavez in Venezuela and Fidel Castro in Cuba. Sean Penn and Michael Moore, would be excellent examples of that. But we aren’t talking about the Rosenberg’s here who were put to death for espionage in favor of the Soviet Union against the United States. We are talking people who support an economic and political system that is much further left than our liberal democratic private enterprise system.

Socialists and Communists in and out of Hollywood like Cornel West and Angela Davis, support completely transforming the American liberal democratic federal form of government. Where so much is expected out of the individual to take care of themselves and live in their own freedom. And creating an economic and governmental system where the national government would have a lot more responsibility for looking after the welfare of the people and taking care of them. They don’t want to turn America into a Soviet style authoritarian state. But create a social democratic state where the central government has a lot more responsibility for the people’s welfare. Similar to Scandinavia.

The so-called Hollywood Reds of the 1940s and 50s were very similar . They had their own Far-Left political beliefs and spoke out in favor of socialist causes in America. But weren’t traitors to their country and looking to overthrow it and certainly didn’t try to do that. But simply use their First Amendment and Fourth Amendment rights to advocate for socialist causes in America. And move America into a more socialist direction. But with the U.S. House Un-American Activities Committee, you things these Hollywood workers were secret spies for Russia or something. Trying to overthrow the American liberal democratic form of government.

ABC News 45-85: Start of The Cold War

Source:The New Democrat

What British Prime Minister Winston Churchill was talking about when he called for the need for a North Atlantic Alliance that would fight against the spread of communism in Europe, became NATO in 1949. The North Atlantic Alliance between North America and Europe. Where they would combine some of their forces to prevent a Russian invasion of Western Europe from the east. But that was just part of protecting Europe from a Russian invasion. The first part was the so-called Marshall Plan, named after U.S. Secretary of State George Marshall. Which was a large economic aid package for Western Europe to rebuild those states.

Post World War II America and Europe we get the Cold War, United Nations, NATO and Europe does something very clever with creating the European Union. That would try to promote the economic well-being of Democratic Europe, as well as foreign policy interests. The EU gets looked down upon now, but for the most part has served Democratic Europe very well in promoting economic development and trade inside of Europe and exporting European products outside of Europe. And keeping Europe strong during most of the Cold War so Russia would be crazy to try to invade them.

America and Russia were basically still allies, or at the very least partners up to the creation of NATO in the late 1940s. American President Harry Truman said that Russian President Joe Stalin was someone he could do business with. Sort of sounds like a foolish statement now, but they worked very well together in seeing that Nazism was defeated in Europe and especially in Germany. But thanks to NATO, the European Union and America emerging as the liberal democratic superpower that it was then and still is today, we haven’t had another World War since.

PBS: Video: NewsHour: Shields and Brooks on Making a Deal With Iran

This post was originally posted at The New Democrat on WordPress

As far as the nuclear deal with Iran, what is the alternative? Invading a large country that is physically the size of Saudi Arabia, but with seventy-five-million people, where the people there tend to be somewhat pro-American, at least the young people. I mean look at Iraq, anyone want to call that a success? Iran is three times the size of Iraq with three times as many people. You want to take their nuclear program out through the air? You have to find it first. Again large country with a lot of people. There’s nothing to lose here for America and everything to gain. If Iran behaves, they won’t get nuclear weapons, they misbehave and will continue to pay the economical price for their bad behavior. Their people want to end the economic sanctions and it looks like so does their government. If you can negotiate with a giant the size of the Soviet Union back in the day that already had nuclear weapons and around four-hundred-million people, you can negotiate with a country that is not nearly as powerful or as large.

Politico Magazine: Tom Keane: Elizabeth Warren Meets The Ted Kennedy Myth

Politico Magazine: Opinion: Tom Keane: Elizabeth Warren Meets The Ted Kennedy Myth

This post was originally posted at The New Democrat on WordPress

We should be really careful to comparing people who are very new to elected office like Senator Elizabeth Warren, just elected to the U.S. Senate in 2012, after never holding a seat in Congress before, or ever in elected office, to one of the political giants in American history. Like Ted Kennedy who was a giant as a U.S. Senator regardless of party, who was one the few members of Congress who really knew how to make it work. What it took to pass a bill in the Senate. The Democrats he would be able to count on and the Republicans he would need to work with to get the bill out of the Senate. And then the people he would need to work with in the House, again in both parties to get the bill out of Congress. Once the Senate and House pass their bills. And then what would it take to get the President to pass the final legislation.

Senator Kennedy could be as partisan as anyone in Congress and in Washington or in the country. But again he knew how the institution, especially the Senate worked and what to say and what not to say in order to get his bills passed. Right now, Senator Warren is a flame thrower. Someone whose great at getting her partisan arguments out and her people behind her and getting and keeping her name in the public eye. But after little over two years in the Senate, not much to show for herself as a legislature. What they have in common, they use similar partisan rhetoric for Republican special interests and perhaps the Republican Party in general. What they also have in common, is that they both don’t tend to attack Republicans personally. But concentrate on their policies. Which is very uncommon in todays hyper-partisan Congress.

All I’m really saying here is that Senator Kennedy and Senator Warren are different in their approaches. They use similar rhetoric, but Ted Kennedy was in the Senate to legislate. He was a legislature for public service before anything. Which is why he was so good at it because he spent so much time on it and knew how to work with people. Especially people who tended to disagree with him, like Senator Orrin Hatch. And use his Irish wit and charm to make people feel good, but also to see how likable he was. Senator Warren right now at least to me sounds like a political activist who also happens to be a U.S. Senator. But who seems more interested in fighting the good fight. Even if that means gridlock gets continued. Instead of working with the other side even to make policies as good as they can be.

Reason Magazine: Nick Gillespie: 'Penn Jillette On Indiana RFRA: You're Not Being Forced to Have Gay Sex'

Source:The New Democrat

From Reason Magazine

This whole so-called religious freedom law debate which is really what this isn’t about, but about creating some new right for people who are lets face it, are homophobic and hate homosexuality, is not about expanding religious freedom, or protecting religious freedom. It’s about creating a right for people who are so against homosexuality to the point they view gays as second-class citizens and not deserving of the same rights as straits, to discriminate against people simply because they are gay.

When business’s go public and are open for the public, they are exactly that. Whose the public? It’s all of us and all of our races, ethnicities and yes even sexualities. If you don’t want to serve the public, then open a private club and have it open for private membership only. And with your club you could only allow Christians, or Anglos, or Caucasians in general, or men, or straits of whoever you want your club to be open to, to serve. But if you run a store or a restaurant or some other business that is open to the public, than that is what you are. And you can’t deny service to people simply because you don’t like their race, color, ethnicity, or sexuality.

Protecting gays equal access to America is not about creating new rights for people. Since they already have the same rights as straits anyway. Fundamentalists Christian men aren’t being told that they have to bang men, or go to jail! And fundamentalist Christian women aren’t being told they have to bang women, or go to jail! If they want to continue to believe that gay sex and homosexuality is immoral and should be illegal, but people banging their cousins, or aunts, or uncles is perfectly legitimate and if anything should be expanded, then they are more than welcome to continue to believe in those things. And be looked down upon as the ignorant idiots that they are. But a public business can’t deny access to people simple because of who they are

The Onion: Indiana Governor Insists Religious Freedom Law Has Nothing to do With Thing it Explicitly Intended to do

Source:The New Democrat

If I’m a governor of a state like Indiana, is passing laws to cut back on tourism and economic revenue really something that I would be interested in doing? Forget about me, because you could use anyone as an example for this. I mean what does Indiana have outside of Indianapolis, the Indianapolis 500 and a good NFL team and a good NBA team. Unless you love college basketball and auto racing why would you go to Indiana? To see how long to takes to get mugged, beaten, raped or murdered in Gary. Maybe go to a Notre Dame football game. But you’re a fan of Notre Dame like part of the alumni, you hate Notre Dame! And Notre Dame only plays six home games every year.

I don’t say these things to put Indiana down. But they do have a lot Christian fundamentalists who are stuck in the 1800s and actually still believe it is the 1800s. Because they don’t believe in calendars or anything. And that women shouldn’t be allowed to vote, let alone work. And that gays are terrorists and not just people who are attracted to their gender instead of the opposite sex. And that pre-marital sex should be not just be a crime, but punishable by death. Except for these small factors, I’m sure Indiana is a great place to live. Unless you’re gay, or practice a non-Christian religion, perhaps come from another country, or even state.

You would think any state house worth its salt would have an office or at least someone in charge of gauging the economic impact of laws that the legislature passes and the Governor signs. That seems like commonsense anyway and Indiana does have very good schools there. Like Notre Dame and Indiana. So you would think there would be somewhere there to tell Governor Mike Pence, “look Governor, if you sign this law, we may see boycotts of our fair state. And as a result lose some serious tax revenue. Because business’s and other states who don’t look down at homosexuality, marriage or otherwise won’t want to be associated with a state that they see as discriminatory.”

And maybe Governor Pence had that person like a state economist and perhaps economics professors at one of their fine schools tell him those things. And Governor Pence said, “you know what, homosexuality is a sin! That must be wiped out! As Michelle Bachmann said it is a threat to our national security and that includes Indiana. We don’t want dem folk here and we are going to wipe them out. Which is more important than whether business’s and other states want to do business in our state.” No, I’m not saying that Governor Pence actually said that. Well used those words exactly, but he does represent a lot of people who feel that way. And comes from that wing of the Republican Party.

Ibhof: Video: Becoming Muhammad Ali: The Greatest of All-Time

This post was originally posted at The New Democrat on WordPress

Was Muhammad Ali a great boxer? Was he a great champion? Was he a great entertainer? What he a great comedian? Was he a great poet? Was he a great civil rights spokesperson? Well the answer to all of these questions, except for maybe poet is yes. He was all of these things and did all of these things very well. Perhaps The Greatest of All-Time doing all of these things. That is how quick and intelligent he was. No one has know them self better and the people around him better than Muhammad Ali. And really the only mistake he’s ever made in life was fighting too long. Which of course has cost him the rest of his life. And he has to live with Parkinson’s.

But here’s a guy who dominated the media from a news, entertainment and sports perspective, as well as the heavyweight boxing division for about 15-20 years. He only time he didn’t dominate these fields was when he lost his boxing license because of his opposition to the Vietnam War. But he was the best, The Greatest of All-Time for a very long time. We never saw anyone as good pre-Muhammad Ali and haven’t seen a boxer and entertainer as good since. Muhammad Ali, is truly an American original.

Thom Hartmann: Video: This Week, Governor Mike Pence Doesn't Understand Discrimination

Source:The New Democrat

If a church whatever the church decided not perform gay weddings or inter-racial weddings or inter-ethnic weddings, they would be perfectly within their rights. Remember, Separation of Church and State goes both ways. Government won’t endorse religion or interfere without churches practice their religion. And members of churches are more than welcome to believe that homosexuality is a sin and that gays are not equal to straights. And even express those views in public. Just as long as they are inciting violence or falsely accusing gays of lets say bad behavior. But we are not talking about that, which is why this so-called Indiana Religious Freedom Law will either get thrown out by the courts. Or Indiana will decide to scrap their own law because of the lost of economic revenue that will come to Indiana. With different states and private business’s and groups deciding not to do business in Indiana. This is not about religious freedom, but creating some new right for private groups that are open for the public, to deny access to people simply because they are gay and for no other reason. Which is bigotry and will be thrown out.

Washington Examiner: Stephen R. Smith: How to Make Retirement More Secure & Make Capitalism Work For All

Washington Examiner: Opinion: Stephen R. Smith: How to Make Retirement More Secure & Make Capitalism Work For All

Source:The New Democrat

How about instead of justing giving big successful companies and corporations subsidies for being successful and wealthy, which is what corporate welfare is, we put that taxpayer money to good use. We convert corporate welfare into corporate workfare. That is taxpayers are going to subsidize American corporations at all, that money has to be spent in America and invested in the American economy. No more subsidizing American jobs oversees. That instead that money is invested in Americans and American workers.

Pension plans would be an example of that. Subsidize American pension plans so American companies are incentivized to give their employees pensions.

Subsidizing stock options so workers can own a real stake in the company that they work for.

Subsidize education and retraining, especially for low-skilled low-income workers. So they can move up in the company that they work for. And actually get themselves a good job.

Subsidize expansions and redevelopment of companies so they are encouraged to expand their companies when it financially makes sense for them to do so. Instead cutting jobs and sending them oversees.

Subsidize cost of living increases so we can see some real wage growth in America again. Instead of wages going flat or decreasing because companies are struggling.

Instead of corporate welfare, let’s have corporate workfare and business workfare in general. So money that taxpayers are paying out to American companies goes to good American economic use. And not used to develop other countries and send jobs oversees.