Quick Debate Thoughts
Winners probably Tim Scott and Ron DeSantis. Would add Haley if you only watched the first half but in the second half she got very aggressive and went into full attack mode but generally missed her shots and it just made her look unnecessarily combative rather than talking about her own successes. I think Ramaswamy was a loser last night despite having a couple of good answers. He seems increasingly unready for prime time and unserious, as with his proposal to deport US citizens who are children of illegal aliens. Mike Pence was a loser just for not being able to do anything to boost his popularity and Doug Burgum interrupted constantly and gave answers that were too wonky for this situation. He should be Secretary of Energy (or maybe of Commerce.) Chris Christie did what he's here to do: bash Donald Trump. I don't even really think of him as actually running for president as much as wanting to be the attack dog against Trump as much as he can. It will be interesting to see if his tagging the former president with the nickname "Donald Duck" (for ducking debates) sticks.
Some interesting observations about commercials that run during the debate: Ads become a sideshow in Republicans' debate (axios.com)
Thanks to Mandy for co-hosting our KOACast on Facebook Live last night. And thanks even more to all the listeners who joined us online and posted over 600 comments during our two hours of trying to make the debate more fun.
Here's the link if you want to check some of it out!
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Just One Thing: Park your Kia or Hyundai outside (and hope it doesn't get stolen)
Korean carmakers Kia and Hyundai have been on a roll lately. They make some of the most popular cars in America and are winning awards that would have seemed unthinkable for what were barely known companies just a decade ago. But they hit a speed bump yesterday with news that problems with their antilock brake systems, specifically that they might leak brake fluid which could then cause an electrical short which can in turn cause a fire in the engine compartment. The issue is due to an o-ring that seems to degrade over time.
Kia and Hyundai have so far reported over 30 fires and about as many episodes of smoke and melting parts. They ask owners of the 3.3 million affected vehicles to park outdoors though that poses its own risk because these brand are also famously easy to steal.
Here's the press release that lists the relevant vehicles: Consumer Alert: Kia and Hyundai Issue Recalls for 3.3M Vehicles, Advise Owners to Park Outside | NHTSA
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Today's Guests
Harold Bronson is Co-founder of Rhino Records and author of Time Has Come Today (published yesterday!)
People who take up a life of rock and roll either make music, collect it, write about it, sell it or get into the record business. Harold Bronson has done all of those things. In "Time Has Come Today: Rock and Roll Diaries 1967 - 2007", he recounts the fascinating adventure of his musical life.
Before he co-founded Rhino Records - America's leading reissue label -- and put decades of rock and roll history back into musical circulation, Bronson was just another devoted fan growing up in Southern California in the 1960s. But with boundless enthusiasm, a discerning ear and a near-photographic memory, he channeled his passion into writing for the UCLA Daily Bruin and then Rolling Stone and other magazines. After meeting and interviewing many of the era's greats, he launched the Rhino label from the back room of the Los Angeles record store he managed. His new role put him behind the scenes with many of those same artists, working to bring their old - and sometimes new -- music to the public.
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Jonah Goldberg is Editor-in-Chief and co-founder of The Dispatch and host of the Remnant podcast. Although it's not his most recent book, one of my favorite political books by anyone is his Liberal Fascism: The Secret History of the American Left, From Mussolini to the Politics of Change.
Here's his Dispatch page: Jonah Goldberg, Author at The Dispatch
We'll discuss last night's debate and the ongoing budget/shutdown fight in Congress
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Other Stuff
Wow. One wonders if her husband (very very likely the killer) will be re-arrested and finally go to trial: Remains of Suzanne Morphew found during unrelated search
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Read this: Change is coming: https://rogerpielkejr.substack.com/p/the-new-climate-reality
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This, from Andy McCarthy, is basically what I said yesterday: Did a Judge Go Too Far in New York’s Civil Case Against Trump? - The Messenger
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A government "shut down" seems more likely than not at the moment. Here's some useful info:
How a Government Shutdown Could Affect You - WSJ
Government Shutdown: Standoff Brings Congress to the Brink - WSJ
Interesting point here about contract workers vs gov't employees: U.S. government shutdown's economic risks grow the longer it lasts | The Spokesman-Review
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Not where I want to see Denver mentioned: In El Paso, Migrants With Nowhere to Go Strain a Welcoming City
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I meant to talk about this a few days ago but this issue will not go away:
It's a story that will remain important in the GOP primary going forward: Donald Trump, who always campaigns as anti-abortion and successfully made it his mission to appoint Supreme Court justices who would overturn Roe v Wade, is calling out pro-life Republicans for being "inarticulate" about the issue of abortion and approaching it in a way that has cost, and will cost, Republicans dearly in elections. He's right, and the hard-core pro-life crowd is upset...but he has some wiggle room with them because of his prior success on the issue. Meanwhile, Ron DeSantis is warning the pro-life base that Trump "will sell you out."
Politically, I think it's VERY smart of Trump, especially to the extent that he considers himself almost unbeatable to win the GOP nomination.
Full transcript: Read Kristen Welker's interview with Trump (nbcnews.com)
Trump steamrolls anti-abortion groups (msn.com)
Trump's abortion comments spur backlash from the right (msn.com)
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Why do some leaves turn beautiful colors in autumn? More than yellow aspens: Which trees turn which colors in Colorado?
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Ugh: Chinese hackers stole emails from US State Dept in Microsoft breach, Senate staffer says | Reuters
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Peter Jacobsen of FEE takes on two of the big weaknesses of the FTC's new assault on Amazon: The FTC Attacks Amazon - Foundation for Economic Education (fee.org)
Here's what he's responding to: FTC Files Antitrust Lawsuit Against Amazon (reason.com)
Here's the actual lawsuit: ftc.gov/system/files/ftc_gov/pdf/1910129AmazoneCommerceComplaintPublic.pdf
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Even the mayor of San Francisco is figuring it out...but of course she also knows she's facing serious political competition: California mayor London Breed proposes drug tests for citizens to keep welfare (nypost.com)
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Today's Videos
This level of excitement is exactly what I don't feel when I see ANY of our current candidates for president
A little early for Halloween but freakin' insane