Hint: Not being Trump is a major plus

Do you miss David Letterman’s Top Ten List? Here is one in time for the 2020 elections:

• Number 10: Biden can empathize with people, especially those who eat oatmeal every day for breakfast. And he can bring people together, such as his knack for drawing ire from both far-right and far-left activists.
• Number 9: No more lunatics like Kid Rock crashing the White House. And no more Trump kids polluting the White House.
• Number 8: Biden won’t cut Social Security, Medicare, the Affordable Care Act, college financial aid, public education, affordable housing, clean energy programs, and PBS. He will also keep the U.S. in climate change agreements. Imagine life without Elmo, Rick Steves, and Arthur. …

If it’s Oprah, yes. But most do little to sway voters, beyond letting them know who to boycott. Still, it’s interesting to see who supports candidates.

It’s always interesting to see who supports the presidential candidates. Especially this year after the United States has undergone more upheaval in the past four years than a tsunami and Trump has shown little inclination to curb the chaos and his authoritative impulses.

But as far as swaying voters, what effect do political endorsements have? If it’s Oprah Winfrey, who endorsed Biden, the effect can be large, as one study found in the 2008 presidential election. On the other side, Rush Limbaugh’s endorsement of Trump can also sway more than a few, though his listeners tend to be hard-line Trump supporters in the first place while Oprah attracts many apolitical viewers. …

When will the Big Apple get another? And will Buffalo and San Diego experience their first title parade since the 1960s?

Some cities are used to major professional sports parades and enjoy a wealth of teams for fans to follow.

Los Angeles is among those. In terms of years, it really hasn’t been that long since the Kings won the Stanley Cup in 2014. But before the Lakers won the 2020 NBA bubble title, LA fans had sat through some 40 seasons among its nine major pro sports teams without sniffing a parade. …

The US ‘leader’ is going beyond Nero by escalating chaos, not just ignoring it or blaming others

Some compare Trump to Nixon and darker figures, such as a certain late dictator of Germany.

But Nero, the sadistic and decadent emperor during a dark period of imperial Rome, may be a better comparison. Trump’s lust for dictators and sadistic leanings in which he supports torture, “locking up” political opponents, and questionable killings are uncanny enough. Trump hasn’t had his wife killed yet, as Nero did. …

A Journey through the Ghosts of Civil Rights Martyrs Past to the March on Washington

In 1983, Kevin Shay was one of 60 Texas residents who took a 60-hour bus ride through the Deep South to Washington, D.C., and back, attending the 20th anniversary of the March on Washington. That march was the largest of the regular commemorative marches for the original in 1963 that featured Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech. There was one in D.C. this past weekend, as well, during this anniversary, even though most commemorative marches occur every five to ten years. …

Remembering a great friend who passed due to complications that included COVID-19

The hot Texas night air poured through the open windows of the sparkling red and blue-striped 1977 Chevy Camaro, its new 350-cubic inch, 200-horsepower V-8 engine roaring like a lion on the prowl. Steve shifted the automatic transmission lever to a quicker gear, darting past vehicles, maneuvering like he was at the Indy 500. Springsteen sang about freedom, about following your passion to get to a better place, through the Pioneer stereo system that included an eight-track tape player.

“Take that, you fucking jerks!” Steve vented into the night as teen-age males often do, gulping down the rest of his Coors can in triumph. …

In many minds, stuttering is still as humorous and degrading as the Porky Pig caricature. Will people who stutter ever really gain r-e-s-p-e-c-t?

After being ridiculed by President Barack Obama and comedian Seth Meyers at the annual White House Correspondents’ Association dinner in 2011, Donald Trump appeared more than a little angry. He left the banquet in an apparent huff, not sticking around to network or attend after-event parties.

Some point to that public humiliation as the catalyst that propelled Trump to the presidency, even though he had run for president in 2000 and started considering a 2012 bid before that banquet. …

Videos show an alarming number of citizens and journalists assaulted and intimidated by police during protests, causing more anger. It could be a long, hot summer, similar to 1968.

During the 1960s civil rights protests throughout the South, the tide turned when images of police using tear gas, clubs, attack dogs, and fire hoses on demonstrators hit the evening news, shocking millions of viewers across the country.

Today, many people don’t focus as much attention on the evening news, but get more immediate updates in videos and social media feeds, often based on their political biases. And most aren’t shocked as easily. Therefore, it’s harder to arouse indignity about a cause, although the video showing George Floyd’s vicious death at the knees of Minneapolis police certainly mobilized many more people to take action against the societal racism and institutional brutality that have occurred for centuries. …