A boot and a fumble....(UPDATE: ...and a double dribble; UPDATE II: Video added)

President Obama is a renown Chicago White Sox fan. So when making a speech at Symphony Hall in Boston Tuesday, the President chose to rib the crowd about Red Sox fan favorite Kevin Youkilis being traded to his White Sox recently.



As thin skinned as this administration is, Obama staffers couldn't even acknowledge that the attempt at some harmless ribbing went over about as well as whizzing on a hornet's nest.

Lest a negative story go unchallenged, enter Jay Carney, the White House press secretary and a big Red Sox fan.

Unprompted, Carney told reporters traveling with the president that there had been some "really silly reporting" about the episode.

He commended his boss for refusing to cater to Red Sox Nation and gently chided those who couldn't tell a dis of the president from the calling of a player's nickname.

"Anyone who knows Boston and anyone who was in that room last night knows that the preponderance of people shouting in response to what the president said about Youkilis were saying 'Yoooouk' and not 'Booo' for God's sake," Carney said.

Uh Huh.

Look, I don't envy Carney one iota. His sole responsibility is equivalent to (forgive me as I derive a quote from The Outlaw Josey Wales) telling you it's raining when someone is actually pissing on your back.

Ah, but perhaps the White House's current occupant found a little reprieve from this miserable month when the news came down about college football moving to a playoff system.

A mere couple of weeks after being elected, Obama declared that ditching the BCS in favor of some sort of playoff format was "the right thing to do."



Hopefully that will provide a modicum of solace in the wake of one monster goal - an economic recovery - falling miserably short.

UPDATE: On Tuesday, the President also congratulated the city of Miami "for having the world champion Miami Heats here in town."



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Box Score of the Week

Twins second baseman Tim Teufel hit a game-winning three-run homer in the bottom of the ninth in this June 1984 win over the Chicago White Sox.

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White Sox pitcher Rich Dotson was in cruise control having thrown eight shutout innings. Then in the bottom of the ninth, Dave Engle lead off with a single. With one out, Tom Brunansky reached with another single to put runners at first and second. Teufel then hit a blooper to right field that fell in front Harold Baines. However, as Baines charged the ball, it took one of those crazy Metrodome bounces over his head, rolling all the way to the wall. By the time the Sox corralled the ball and made the relay throw home, Teufel was sliding across the plate with the winning run!

This meant Teufel won the game with a three-run inside the park home run. 

The Twins would in stay contention for the AL Western Division title the rest of the season, whereas the defending AL West champs White Sox never recovered from this bizarre loss and thus were a non factor the rest of the season.

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Yeah, so that happened

While sitting around with some of my GOP friends Wednesday evening, I was asked how I thought  the US Supreme Court would rule on Obamacare. I did not share the conventional wisdom that it would be 5-4 in favor of striking down the individual mandate. For some reason I felt a sense of dread, but could not give a rational or intellectual reason as to why.

Sure enough, my trepidation was validated this morning.....for a little while anyways. We'll come back to that. But first.....

In a victory for President Obama (for now - ed.), the Supreme Court decided to uphold his signature health care law's individual mandate in a split decision, upending speculation after hostile-seeming oral arguments in March that the justices would overturn the law. The mandate has been upheld as a tax, according to SCOTUSblog, with Chief Justice John Roberts joining the liberal wing of the court.

For anyone geeky enough to have a SCOTUS prediction pool, I would surmise that no one collected. I mean, Chief Justice Roberts the swing vote?!?! Initially, I was stunned like so many others. But as Charles Krauthammer explained, Roberts pulled off one the "greatest constitutional finesses of all time."

He managed to uphold the central conservative argument against Obamacare, while at the same time finding a narrow definitional dodge to uphold the law — and thus prevented the court from being seen as having overturned, presumably on political grounds, the signature legislation of this administration.

Law upheld, Supreme Court’s reputation for neutrality maintained. Commerce clause contained, constitutional principle of enumerated powers reaffirmed.

That’s not how I would have ruled. I think the “mandate is merely a tax” argument is a dodge, and a flimsy one at that. (The “tax” is obviously punitive, regulatory and intended to compel.) Perhaps that’s not how Roberts would have ruled had he been just an associate justice and not the chief. But that’s how he did rule.

Obamacare is now essentially upheld. There’s only one way it can be overturned. The same way it was passed — elect a new president and a new Congress. That’s undoubtedly what Roberts is saying: Your job, not mine. I won’t make it easy for you.

Yes, as I read Roberts' majority opinion, the court's ruling could indeed put the President on the defensive. That is, the individual mandate was essentially ruled a tax, an assertion at which Obama bristled nearly three years ago.



So my initial feelings of utter despair soon turned into that of a steely political warrior knowing full well the task ahead of us. Will it be easy to flip the Presidency and Senate to the GOP as well as maintaining a majority in the House? Of course not. But it's doable. In fact, GOP Presidential candidate Mitt Romney raised over $100,000 within an hour after the Supreme Court's ruling. And as of 6:30 Central time, a Romney source indicated that the campaign raised $2.8 million since this morning, with nearly as many individual donors as the entire month of May.

My fellow Americans aren't ready to cede this issue quite yet.

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Most of 1070 was 86'd

As it turned out, Arizona SB 1070, the state's immigration enforcement bill which passed two years ago, was merely a symbolic gesture to get the attention of the Feds. The lawsuit the Obama administration filed made it all the way to the Supreme Court.....where three of the four provisions of SB 1070 were struck down.

One made it a state crime not to complete or carry the immigration papers already required by federal law. Another made it criminal for an illegal immigrant to apply for or hold a job -- a rule that goes beyond the federal norm that criminalizes the employer of an illegal worker, not the worker himself. The third provision gave the police the authority to arrest without a warrant anyone whom they reasonably suspected of having committed some act that would allow them to be removed from the country under federal immigration law. (Ordinarily, if federal authorities stop a removable alien, they can’t detain him, but simply tell him that he must show up for a hearing.) The court concluded that all of these provisions were beyond Arizona’s authority to enact.

The one part of the law allowed to stand was seemingly the most controversial aspect, which was the "Papers, please" provision. However, the SCOTUS did seem to attach one caveat while allowing this part of the law to remain.

It said that the law might be read to mandate nothing more than a requirement for police to check immigration status during the ordinary duration of a legitimate stop based on reasonable suspicion of a crime. If that was all the law required, said the court, it would be constitutional.

On the surface, this holding upheld “papers, please.” In practice, though, the court took away some of the potentially frightening effects of the law, suggesting a roadmap for the state to follow in implementing it. The court said that detaining people only to determine their immigration status “would raise constitutional concerns,” implying that the length of the stop should not take longer than it ordinarily would to perform a criminal background check.

When SB 1070 was passed two years ago, the idea was to strenuously enforce Federal immigration laws in an effort quell out of control border crossing. But the fact the Supreme Court struck down the majority of 1070 seems rather moot when you consider the highest office in the land was demanding that much of the aforementioned Federal laws pertaining to immigration were going to be ignored anyhow.

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Help combat political terrorism

If you've been paying attention to the national conservative blogosphere lately, you've undoubtedly heard the name Brett Kimberlin.

Apparently Mr. Kimberlin is loathe to having his past felonious activities being brought to light, so much so that he has filed one frivolous lawsuit after another in an attempt to silence those who dare expose said activities. Even more despicable is threats of violence being levied towards bloggers and their families.

Thankfully, there is a way you can help combat such "political terrorism."

DB Capitol Strategies, in partnership with RightSolutions, a 501c3 public charity, is building a nationwide team of lawyers to fight those who would silence online free speech. Our first salvo in that effort has been to file a federal lawsuit today against Brett Kimberlin, seeking, in part, an injunction to prevent the state from ever again arresting Mr. Aaron Walker, an American citizen, for exercising his right to free speech, and to release him from any prior censorship restrictions imposed by unlawful judgements.

This is only the first step in what we call the "Bloggers Defense Team." We are firmly committed to exposing and combating the efforts of Brett Kimberlin, otherwise known as the Speedway Bomber, and his well-funded allies on the left (like George Soros and Barabara Streisand) who will use any means of harassment to silence political opposition.

No citizen of the United States should ever be arrested merely for blogging – especially not for blogging about the crimes of the notorious Speedway Bomber Brett Kimberlin.

This is an issue that should cross all party lines and divisions. Free speech is what makes our country great, and we must all forever defend it – or forever lose it.

JOIN US in this fight by contributing to the Right Solutions Bloggers Defense Fund Today!

I have provided a link to the site which contains a "donate" button if indeed you're willing/able to make a financial contribution.

My thanks to Breitbart writer Mandy "Liberty Chick" Nagy for appearing on my radio program Sunday and bringing this story to our attention.

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You keep your distance with a system of touch and gentle persuasion...

A lot to get to on today's edition of The Closer, which will air from 1- 3 PM Central on AM 1280 The Patriot.

I'll discuss the Obama administration's unraveling in the wake of the ATF gun walking scandal (aka "Fast and Furious") as well as the President himself continuing to perpetuate certain narratives on the campaign trail even after they've been proven false. I'll also check out the latest on the GOP "Veepstakes."

At 2:15 I'll be joined by Breitbart writer, researcher and activist Mandy "Liberty Chick" Nagy to discuss the chaos surrounding the mere mention of Brett Kimberlin's name.



So please give me a call at (651) 289-4488 if you'd like to discuss any of the topics I plan on addressing. You can also text comments/questions to (651) 243-0390.

You can listen live in the Twin Cities at AM 1280 on your radio dial. In and out of the Minneapolis-St Paul area, you can listen to the program on the Internet by clicking this link.

And if you're so inclined, follow along on Twitter at #narn or "Like" our Facebook page.

Until then.....

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Box Score of the Week

The Chicago White Sox traveled to the Bronx to take on the Yankees in August 1985.

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In the bottom of the seventh inning of this game, the Yankees had Bobby Meacham on second base, Dale Berra on first, no outs, scored tied at 3 and Rickey Henderson at the plate. 

Henderson hit a drive to center field which was just out of the reach of leaping White Sox CF Luis Salazar. Thinking the ball might be caught, Meacham was tagging second base looking to advance to third. However, Berra was running from first on contact, so he happened to be right near second base as Meacham was tagging. 

Both runners started heading for third base where coach Gene Michael was frantically waving Meacham around. However, Berra was close behind and thought the "go" sign was also for him. By this time, Salazar retrieved the ball and threw to SS Ozzie Guillen in short center field who in turn relayed the ball to catcher Carlton Fisk. The throw beat Meacham to the plate and he was subsequently tagged out by Fisk as he attempted to dive head first into home. Fisk recovered from tagging out Meacham and regained his balance long enough to tag out Berra, who also came charging into home.

Still one of the more bizarre double plays I've ever seen.

--------------------------------------------

Most. Transparent. Administration. Evah.

Or not.

A long-simmering fight between Republican lawmakers and the Obama administration sharply escalated on Wednesday, as a Congressional panel recommended that the House of Representatives cite Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr. for contempt and President Obama asserted executive privilege to shield Justice Department documents from disclosure.

Immediately after the House oversight committee voted along party lines to approve the contempt recommendation, Speaker John A. Boehner, Republican of Ohio, said the full chamber would vote on the request next week unless Mr. Holder turned over more documents related to the botched gun-trafficking investigation known as “Fast and Furious.”

The president’s move to invoke executive privilege was the first time that he had asserted his secrecy powers in response to a Congressional inquiry. It elevated a fight over whether Mr. Holder must turn over additional documents about the gun case into a constitutional struggle over the separation of powers.

Hey, I think we oughta recycle some of those vapid phrases lefists used ad nauseum during the Bush administration.

Bush Obama lied, kids border patrol agents died.

Or how about the timeless "What did he know and when did he know it?"

Thankfully Judge Andrew Napolitano asks the question that mainstream media members likely won't: Is "executive privilege" relevant here?

Executive privilege, in its definition, provides protection over communications with the president himself, according to the judge. The letter sent by Eric Holder requesting executive privilege does not detail a discussion with the president, but Judge Napolitano said, “The implication is there.”

“If the attorney general sat down and discussed it with the president, he probably doesn’t want the Congress and the public to know that,” Napolitano said.

Napolitano also said that executive privilege only pertains to “military, diplomatic and sensitive national security matters.”

“Now, was fighting the drug gangs at the border a sensitive national security matter? And, if so was the President of the United States of America personally involved in making decisions as to how to conduct that fight? If that’s the case, this has reached a different level and we now know why the attorney general has ferociously defended these documents,” Napolitano said.

Truth is, we may never fully surmise the President's knowledge or involvement in this whole operation. But one takeaway to which we can fully cling? AG Holder is an utter disgrace to his office. -----------------------------------------

Clemency

When a defendant in a trial is found "not guilty" by a jury of his/her peers, the verdict is either correct or the defense attorney(s) were great salesmen.

Not sure what I think in this case.

Roger Clemens was acquitted Monday on all charges that he obstructed and lied to Congress in denying he used performance-enhancing drugs to extend his long career as one of the greatest and most-decorated pitchers in baseball history.

Fierce on the pitching mound in his playing days, Clemens was quietly emotional after the verdict was announced. "I'm very thankful," he said, choking up as he spoke. "It's been a hard five years," said the pitcher, who was retried after an earlier prosecution ended in a mistrial.

ESPN legal analyst Lester Munson seemed to believe that Clemens' attorneys totally outperformed the prosecutors selected by the government.

In a withering, 15-hour cross-examination over three days, Clemens attorney Rusty Hardin confronted McNamee with a series of what Hardin called "lies, mistakes and bad memory," and, incredibly, caught McNamee "making something up" before the jury, something he had not said in five previous versions of his story of Clemens and PEDs.

In their verdict here on Monday, after less than 11 hours of deliberation, the jurors stated definitively that they believed what they saw and heard from Clemens in the excerpts and that they did not believe anything that (Clemens' former trainer Brian) McNamee told them.

The Congressional committee had reached the opposite conclusion after hearing from both men, refusing to believe Clemens and believing McNamee. But as attorney Hardin explained frequently during the 4 1/2 years since they testified, the real test of their veracity would come in a jury trial, a proceeding in which credibility would be tested in the crucible of cross-examination.

In the jury trial, Hardin and Clemens had the advantage. Clemens' version of the truth came in the video and audio excerpts, and federal prosecutors, who could not force Clemens to testify under the Fifth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, had no opportunity for cross-examination.

McNamee's version was subject not only to Hardin's masterly cross-examination, it was contradicted on critical points by testimony from McNamee's estranged wife, Eileen, as a direct result of some impressive work by Hardin and his team of lawyers and investigators. Working quickly and effectively, the Hardin team pounced when the prosecutors announced that they would not be calling Eileen as a witness, obtaining her cooperation and an award of immunity for her from the U.S. Department of Justice.

As such, it appears Clemens is now in the clear from a legal standpoint. Now the only question that remains is will the Baseball Writers Association be convinced to vote him in to the Baseball Hall of Fame? At the end of this season, Clemens will have been inactive the mandatory minimum of five years, meaning he will be eligible for the Hall for the first time when the BBWAAs vote in February. Since Clemens has never officially tested positive for PEDs, the baseball writers must now be the proverbial morality judges and decide if they too buy the story dished out by Clemens and his attorneys.

Oh, and another interesting side note: Barry Bonds will also be on the ballot come February 2013. Expect to hear the roars of the Reverends Sharpton and Jackson if Clemens is somehow voted in to the Hall and Bonds is not.

--------------------------------------------------

Audacious

Say, do you recall from 2001-2008 when the political left was morally offended at an (alleged) imperialistic President?

Good times!

So are we to surmise that imperialism is all the rage now (emphasis mine)?

Hundreds of thousands of illegal immigrants who came to the United States as children will be allowed to remain in the country without fear of deportation and able to work, under an executive action the Obama administration announced on Friday.

Administration officials said the president used existing legal authority to make the broad policy change, which could temporarily benefit more than 800,000 young people. He did not consult with Congress, where Republicans have generally opposed measures to benefit illegal immigrants.

The policy, while not granting any permanent legal status, clears the way for young illegal immigrants to come out of the shadows, work legally and obtain driver’s licenses and many other documents they have lacked.

“They are Americans in their heart, in their minds, in every single way but one: on paper,” President Obama said in announcing the new policy in the White House Rose Garden on Friday.

Oh, that little detriment of "on paper" getting in your way, Mr. President? Yeah, you see, that is what's called a "legal document" which, you know, is in line with Federal law. Y'know Federal law, right? Those pesky little doctrines which you kinda swore to uphold.

Anyhow, carry on.

(The President) said he was taking “a temporary stopgap measure” that would “lift the shadow of deportation from these young people” and make immigration policy “more fair, more efficient and more just.”

Look, I'm not even in 100% disagreement with the President when it comes to not deporting the hundreds of thousands of illegal aliens who fit the criteria he has outlined. But the issue here is there is already a law on the books. And if the current law is considered to be stale, outdated or impractical? Make a new law or amend the existing statute. But guess what. THAT IS NOT WITHIN THE PURVIEW OF THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES!!! That would be the role of Congress (aka "LAW MAKERS").

I know it's been Obama's M.O. to ignore laws of which he's not fond. But, again, there are checks and balances in place for a reason. Of course, President Obama may have been unaware of that whole check and balance thing. Upon his assuming office in January 2009, Obama benefited from a substantial Democrat majority in the House and, within a couple of months, a Super Majority in the Senate (thanks to Minnesota electing Senator Fart Joke Franken). That paved the way for Congress to be the President's rubber stamp on Healthcare, Dodd-Frank and multiple stimulus packages. Essentially, Obama had carte blanche for nearly two years.

Apparently he has now forgotten the shellacking he took in November 2010. Perhaps it's time to issue a stern reminder in 4-1/2 months.

-----------------------------------------

Believe in me, I'm with the high command......

It's a reunion of sorts on today's edition of The Closer, which will air on AM 1280 The Patriot from 1-3 PM Central time. It was seven years ago on Father's Day when I made my debut on Twin Cities radio with my good friend Greg Bittner.

 As such, Greg has graciously agreed to join me in studio to reminisce as well as opine on the news of the week.

And since it is Father Day, I invite all you Dads to call in to the program to share your perspective as a Father. Even if you aren't a Dad, I invite you to call in as well to perhaps share an anecdote or memory of your Pop.


 So please give me a call at (651) 289-4488 if you'd like to discuss any of the topics I plan on addressing. You can also text comments/questions to (651) 243-0390.

You can listen live in the Twin Cities at AM 1280 on your radio dial. In and out of the Minneapolis-St Paul area, you can listen to the program on the Internet by clicking this link.

And if you're so inclined, follow along on Twitter at #narn or "Like" our Facebook page.

Until then.....

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Well I love her......but I love to fish.

Today on the Northern Alliance Radio Network, Mitch Berg and I will be broadcasting live from the Fish Fair at the Anoka County fairgrounds (Ed Morrissey is out on assignment). We will be on the air from 1-3 PM Central time.

This event, which is put together by the charitable organization Fishing for Life, will take place from 9:00 am until 5:00 pm and is $5 at the door (kids under 2 are free).

In addition to that likelihood that we'll have on as guests some of the officials from FFL, we will be joined by MN GOP endorsed House candidate Ken Rubenzer at about 1:30. Mr. Rubenzer will be running in 42B, which covers Vadnais Heights and Little Canada.

Then at 2:00 pm we will be joined by Rep. Branden Petersen, who currently serves in House District 49B (Coon Rapids and a sliver of Andover) but is the endorsed candidate in new Senate District 35, which is Anoka, Ramsey and Andover.

In between, we'll likely look back at the news of the week.


 You can listen live in the Twin Cities at AM 1280 on your radio dial. In and out of the Minneapolis-St Paul area, you can listen to the program on the Internet by clicking this link.

And if you're so inclined, follow along on Twitter at #narn or "Like" our Facebook page.

-------------------------------------

Box Score of the Week

On Wednesday, the Giants' Matt Cain tossed the 22nd perfect game in MLB history. With that in mind, let's check out another game featuring perfection. It was July 18, 1999 when the Yankees' David Cone baffled the Montreal Expos.

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There was one thing in common between the perfect games thrown by Cone and Cain: Ted Barrett was the home plate umpire in both, making him the first ump to call balls and strikes for two perfect games. 

---------------------------------------------------- 

Happy Flag Day!

----------------------------------

On this date 25 years ago....

A speech for the ages, which included perhaps the most riveting six words spoken by a President in my lifetime.

"Mr. Gorbachev. Tear down this wall."




For my money, it was President Ronald Reagan's closing remarks which really struck a chord.


"And I would like, before I close, to say one word. I have read, and I have been questioned since I've been here about certain demonstrations against my coming. And I would like to say just one thing, and to those who demonstrate so. I wonder if they have ever asked themselves that if they should have the kind of government they apparently seek, no one would ever be able to do what they're doing again."

------------------------------------------------

Now tell me whatcha gonna do when there ain't nowhere to run?

Back in the Patriot bunker this afternoon for another edition of The Closer from 1:00 until 3:00 pm Central time.

We'll start off the program with a look back at last Tuesday's recall election in Wisconsin and how it solidified Michael Savage's thesis that liberalism truly is a mental disorder.

In the second hour, great basketball mind Mike McCollow will join me via phone to discuss the NBA postseason thus far as well as previewing the Oklahoma City Thunder-Miami Heat finals matchup.


So please give me a call at (651) 289-4488 if you'd like to discuss any of the topics I plan on addressing. You can also text comments/questions to (651) 243-0390.

You can listen live in the Twin Cities at AM 1280 on your radio dial. In and out of the Minneapolis-St Paul area, you can listen to the program on the Internet by clicking this link.

And if you're so inclined, follow along on Twitter at #narn or "Like" our Facebook page.

Until then.....

-------------------------------------------

Box Score of the Week

As the 1980 regular season was winding down, the Chicago White Sox hosted the then California Angels.

----------------------------------------

Minnie Minoso is one of only two players in Major League Baseball history to play in five different decades. He played the bulk of his career from 1949-1964. Then as a publicity stunt engineered by Chicago White Sox owner (and proverbial circus master) Bill Veeck, Minoso made appearances in MLB games for the Sox in 1976 and 1980 to attain the record of playing in five decades. 

Minoso's final major league game is the one I've referenced above.

On a side note, Veeck's son Mike, who owns the St. Paul Saints of the independent Northern League, allowed Minoso to join the club for pinch hitting apperances in 1993 and 2003. As a result, Minoso is the one and only player to play professionally in seven different decades.

-------------------------------------------

Quick Hits: Volume LVI

- Eric and Andrew Dayton, sons of MN Governor Mark Dayton, have stepped up their efforts to defeat the Minnesota Marriage Amendment which will be on the ballot this November.

Minnesotans United for All Families, a group urging a no vote on the amendment, says that through June 12, the two Dayton brothers will match donations to the group's campaign, up to $200,000.

In an email, the brothers wrote: "It's simple: Committed, same-sex couples should have the freedom to marry. Together, we can contribute $400,000 toward Minnesotans United's  efforts to protect that freedom."

Regardless of what one thinks of this amendment (I'm still undecided myself), I find rather tedious the publicity stunt of "we'll match every dollar up to {name the amount}." If the Dayton brothers are as adamantly opposed to the Marriage Amendment as they convey, then donate the entire $200K up front and challenge other amendment opponents to cumulatively match that number by Monday's deadline. Personally I believe the "telethon" approach is much more effective.


- Yes, we're seemingly many generations removed from celebs like Elvis Presley meeting with President Nixon to discuss becoming a "Federal Agent-at-Large."

Amanda Bynes is calling the officer who arrested her on suspicion of driving under the influence a big fat liar. And she's turning to the highest authority she can think of to help her right this grave injustice.

"Hey @BarackObama… I don't drink," the 26-year-old actress tweeted Tuesday, pleading with the leader-in-chief to "Please fire the cop who arrested me."

Oh, Amanda. You're going about this all wrong. You should have told the President that the arresting officer balked at paying for your birth control. That would have earned you a personal phone call.


- I've said it before and I'll say it again: In a perfect world the residents of MN Congressional District Four would wake up on Election Day and proclaim "Wow, Betty McCollum is a lousy representative. Time to vote for the Republican candidate this time around."

Ah, but in a perfect world, Betty wouldn't have been elected in the first place. But I digress.

Once again CD4 Republicans have endorsed a fine candidate in Tony Hernandez to oppose Rep. McCollum this election cycle.

Tony Hernandez speaking at a fundraiser in the backyard of his childhood home in St. Paul

Since Ms. McCollum will likely raise close to $1 million for her 2012 campaign, it would be understatement to say that Hernandez's task is somewhat daunting. But in the immortal words of Abraham Lincoln "The probability that we may fail in the struggle ought not to deter us from the support of a cause we believe to be just."

Since I live in the reddest Congressional District in the state of Minnesota (the Sixth), I don't mind telling you that I have diverted some of my financial resources for the cause. In fact, if any of you reading this live in the 2nd, 3rd or the 6th, your incumbent member of the US House will win reelection rather handily. With that in mind, click here and help out Tony today!

Be part of a just cause by returning Betty McCollum to the private sector (or whatever she did before she warmed a seat in Congress).

--------------------------------------------------

Walking away a winner!

Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker turned back the recall effort with a resounding victory Tuesday!

As it became pretty apparent that Walker was going to emerge victorious, the leftist spin machine all of sudden was outraged, OUTRAGED I tellz ya, at the tremendous amount of money an incumbent Governor was able to raise, especially from out of state. Once again, my friend and Northern Alliance Radio Network colleague Mitch Berg had leftists pinned perfectly when conveying "Berg's Seventh Law" several years ago:

" When a Liberal issues a group defamation or assault on conservatives’ ethics, character or respect for liberty or the truth, they are at best projecting, and at worst drawing attention away from their own misdeeds."

 By the way, do you recall this logo put which was designed by the union allies?

I'm in need of a capable graphic artist who can re-design the fist playing the sad trombone.

And now......ON WISCONSIN!

-------------------------------------------

Total Recall

Today the voters in Wisconsin finally get to decide whether or not Governor Scott Walker should be able to keep his job, a mere year-and-a-half into his term.

While I am beyond hopeful that Walker will get to serve out his full term, I will be grateful when this whole disgusting saga is over, win or lose. The tactics employed by several members of Wisconsin public employee unions and certain fleebaggers Democrat legislators has been nothing short of totalitarian. It's been almost laughable to see the lefty spin machine try to demean the elimination of significant budget shortfalls (not to mention the saving of several educators' jobs) brought about by Governor Walker's reforms. As a friend of mine said via Twitter recently, the Democrat position on the recall has been little more than "give unions their cushy sh-t back!"

As of late Sunday evening, according to Public Policy Polling, Walker was clinging to a slim 3-point lead (50-47) over Democrat challenger (and Milwaukee mayor) Tom Barrett. Given that PPP is the poll endorsed by the far left Daily Kos, that is a very good sign for Walker. Alas, the Governor's supporters are taking absolutely nothing for granted, as GOTV calls will continue into this evening.

Let's just say I'm very cautiously optimistic.

-------------------------------------------------------

One year ago today....

It was Saturday, June 4, 2011. The inaugural edition of The Closer was on the air from 3:00-4:00 PM on AM 1280 The Patriot!
 
I recall showing up to the AM 1280 studio a whole two hours before my show started, a bundle of nervous energy. As I look back, I chuckle at how I was so overly concerned about being able to fill up a whole entire hour of air time. Ah, but the fact I had the Congressman Anthony Weiner "sexting" scandal to talk about should have eliminated those concerns. The New York Congressman was still in full fledged denial mode about tweeting an explicit photo of a...ahem...."turned on" male, but no one was buying his story about his Twitter account being hacked. Two days later, Weiner admitted to online dalliances with several women, so I got another week out of that saga!



Here I am one year later with a whole two hours of broadcast time, now every Sunday from 1-3 pm. Aside from the free studio time every week, this endeavor has also allowed me to hang around prominent national radio hosts like Dennis Prager & Michael Medved, interview Congresswoman Michele Bachmann and get credentialed seating to events like the MN State GOP convention. Oh, and free parking and admission to the MN State Fair on days I'm broadcasting are nice perks also!

Yes it's safe to say that hosting a weekly radio show has given me much more than I've put in to it.

--------------------------------------------------

I've never had a hand for solitaire - it's so unfair.

Today seems like a mighty fine day to emerge from the Patriot bunker and participate in a remote broadcast. With that in mind, today's edition of The Closer will be on the air live from the first annual Minnesota Cheese Festival, which will take place at the MN State Fair Grounds from Noon until 6:00 PM. I will personally be in my usual broadcasting slot from 1-3 PM Central time.

Given the venue, it's likely to be all cheese all the time but there's a distinct possibility we'll delve in to the news of the week as well. Guess you'll have to tune in!


So please give me a call at (651) 289-4488 if you'd like to discuss any of the topics I plan on addressing. You can also text comments/questions to (651) 243-0390.

You can listen live in the Twin Cities at AM 1280 on your radio dial. In and out of the Minneapolis-St Paul area, you can listen to the program on the Internet by clicking this link.

And if you're so inclined, follow along on Twitter at #narn or "Like" our Facebook page.

Until then.....

-------------------------------------------

The sun sets on Dark

I was shocked to learn of the passing of Twin Cities media guy George "Dark Star" Chapple, who was found dead in his home on Friday afternoon. Dark was 66 years old. 

The one and only time I met Dark was in January of 1992 (coincidentally, at the same event where I made an arse of myself hitting on a preacher's daughter), the day after Super Bowl XXVI took place at the Metrodome. I remember thinking that he looked like a silver haired Moe Howard. Anyhow, I merely said "Hey, Dark Man!" To which he politely replied "How are ya, sport?" 

As the years passed I would occasionally tune in to Dark's late night WCCO radio talk show, which first aired from Midnight until 3:00 a.m. nightly before he found a long term home in the early 90s, which was the 9:00 pm until 1:00 a.m. time slot. I guess I was always fascinated by Dark's story, since he was a regular guy who worked a "real job" until he caught his big break in the media biz. How he got in to the inner workings of Twin Cities media was the stuff of folklore. In 1985, while unwinding in a tavern after a long day at his office job, Dark overheard an inebriated patron (who happened to be connected to the Vikings brass) saying that Bud Grant would retire as Vikings head coach only one season after reassuming the reins from the disastrous one-year tenure of Les Steckel. From there, Dark called in to AM 1500's Monday Night Sports Talk, hosted by then St Paul Pioneer press scribes Joe Soucheray and Pat Reusse, to break the news. Since there had been no hint of Grant moving on, the phoned in declaration was dismissed as empty speculation. However, Grant did indeed resign after the '85 season, which prompted Soucheray and Reusse to give Dark his props. From there, the sports duo helped get Dark on the payroll at the Pioneer Press as a handicapper, an act of generosity which Dark never forgot.

I recall an interview Dark conducted with a local magazine some years ago where he discussed his career in radio. There was one quote which always stuck with me. "The minute you take (the radio) business more seriously than it takes you, you're finished." Yes, after nearly twenty years in the business at the time, Dark never took any of his success for granted. In fact, when he was let go by WCCO in 2010, Dark was as gracious as he could be saying he "stole every penny" he ever made working in radio. He was the epitome of that old saying where if you make money doing what you love, you'll never work a day in your life.

As I listened to reaction from the likes of Reusse and KFAN colleague Paul Allen, the one thing both mentioned is that Dark had not been feeling all that well lately and made a pledge to see a doctor. In what turned out to be his final TV broadcast of his weekly Sunday night program "The Sports Show" (which he co-hosted with Mike Max, nonagenarian scribe Sid Hartman and Reusse) six days ago, it was obvious Dark was struggling to breathe normally.




I didn't know Dark personally, but given all the stories I've heard from all who knew him, it's pretty obvious that he was a personality that has rarely been seen around these parts.

R.I.P., Dark.

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Box Score of the Week

The 1984 NL champions San Diego Padres took on the Atlanta Braves on August 12 that season.

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