The Window Closes At 11:00 pm gmt

Like a I said in an earlier post this week is going to set the frame work for Arsenal’s season. Tomorrow at 11:00 pm gmt the transfer window closes in the Premier League until January 1.  

These are critical hours for Arsenal.  

The teams needs a holding midfielder first and foremost.  Then they need a striker and a backup defender. Given the talent in the Premier League Arsenal will not be able to contend for the title unless they get a midfielder and either a striker or a back up defender.  In an ideal world they would get all three.  

Well, if it was really an ideal world all three would already be on the team and I would the owner of the club.  Unfortunately none of those have happened.

Of course, Arsenal love the drama so you can expect things will go down to the wire tomorrow evening.     

Get Ready for Some Cruzing

No, I am not talking about the Al Pacino gay-killer 70’s movie.  Instead I am referring to Ted Cruz staffing up for a probable 2016 run.  Cruz is pulling together a team that has solid Iowa experience.  The Texas senator knows this will stoke the fires over a possible presidential bid.  Frankly, that is exactly the way he likes it. 

Interesting to see how Cruz tries to play it in New Hampshire.  Will he go all in or will he focus on Iowa and hope momentum carries him to victory in the Granite state? That’ll tell you how serious he is about winning. 

Look Out Iowa – Here Comes the Pence Express

Wake the kids and phone the neighbors, Mike Pence (yes, that Mike Pence) is going to visit Iowa in September.  I wonder why? Could it be to promote the GOP and support its great candidates on the ballot in November?  Could it be to see the Hawkeyes pay?  Maybe to both.  Or it could be that the Indiana Governor is testing the waters for 2016. 

My money is on the last one.

Pence has a solid conservative voting record, mid-western roots which will play well in Iowa, and as a governor does have executive experience. However, he also has a stern, humorless personality, similar to Mr. Fitts in American Beauty.  Is that really the guy to get the GOP back into the White House?  Many in the party base may think so.  

He is in the second tier of candidates but don’t be surprised if he moves up as 2015 moves along. 

Obama Is the Worst President Ever* Part 3 – Iraq/Syria

* – When it comes to communicaions

Today, President Obama said that when it comes to dealing with ISIS the U.S doesn’t have a strategy yet. Ouch.

You can just see that being used to attack Obama and Democratic candidates in the fall.  Why?  It doesn’t exactly inspire much confidence when it comes to dealing with a group that cuts people’s heads off.  If Obama wanted to give the GOP a way to hit him hard he just did. 

Now it’s certainly a very smart thing not to rush into a military conflict in the Middle East without a plan. We kind of did that once over there and it didn’t turnout to great.  But to say OUT LOUD that you don’t have a strategy is probably the worst thing you could say as people ISIS kill people on tv. Seriously, what was he thinking?

More Signs of Libertarians Being Overrated

Apparently, not everyone has joined the rush of media hailing the upcoming Libertarian golden age. Of course it is hard to believe considering how much press Libertarians get for doing so little.

It turns out that the young folks may actually be not just socially liberal but also supportive of government programs to help the poor.  

Research from Emory University finds voters under 30 identify as liberal and not libertarian but a margin of 35-16.  Their attitude towards social welfare spending is more favorable than those over 30 by a 10 point margin.  Numbers like this show that the GOP might be fooling itself if they think younger votes will automatically flock to them if they nominate someone like Rand Paul.    

After coming of age during the Great Recession some people don’t automatically embrace the market as the solver of all life’s problems.  Go figure. 

Studies like this should give the GOP pause to think that simply changing their position on gay marriage or pot (neither of which will be easy) and leaving everything else in place is suddenly going to bring in a whole new flock of voters.  In some places it may turn off many of their socially conservative supporters but that is a story for another post. 

This is the Season

The next 5 days will frame the entire Arsenal season.  If they lose today and don’t sign anyone for CDM, defense or striker they will struggle to get to 4th.  Hard to believe months of work hinge on the next week.  

Happy Anniversary and Good Riddance

25 years ago Pete Rose received a lifetime ban from Major League Baseball. The ban also includes a ban from the Hall of Fame (which Rose was assured of getting into had this not happened). The Cincinnati Reds star was found to have bet on baseball.  The rules are very clear on this and Rose clearly broke them.  Although he denied it for years Rose later admitted he did it.  

I understand that Rose was a great player.  Unfortunately, he broke a rule that was pretty explicit and was defiant about it for years.  I hope he never gets in the Hall of Fame.  

By the way, I also hope none of the steroid guys ever get in either. 

Why Are You Here?

Seriously.  What are you doing looking at this blog right now?  The Every Simpsons Every Marathon is on RIGHT now.  Put on FXX and enjoy. 

Guess They Don’t Stand with Rand on this One

A poll from the Washington Post-ABC News shows 63% of conservative Republicans and 61% of all Republicans back Obama’s airstrikes in Iraq.

First, Obama has actually done something conservatives support.  That don’t happen every day.  Second, this is a sign that reports of the death of the neocons are greatly exaggerated.  Now, they will not call themselves neocons or Bush Republicans but those are exactly the kind of policies Republicans are supporting when they are willing to back even Obama on Iraq.  Imagine if it was President Walker or Christie who ordered the strikes, support would be in the 80’s.

Third, this is a big problem from Rand Paul.  It is impossible for Paul to escape this non-interventionist foreign policy roots.  Hell, it’s probably what drives half of his support in the GOP.  The thing is that going into a primary where your first goal is to build support among the GOP base it’s a little harder when you and them have a big disagreement on a big issue.  Also, it probably won’t help that your opponents will be CONSTANTLY reminding the voters of that difference.  

It’s not all bad Rand.  The staff of Reason Magazine loves you more than ever.  That’s good for 20-25 votes. 

Best Campaign Ad Ever, Maybe

Candidates will have a hard time topping this classic from Arrested Development: