Bush's Eroding Popularity Problem

Bush's poll numbers this week continued to slide, hitting him at a 44% approval rating. Kos over at Daily Kos has a great piece on why ending the filibuster for judicial appointments would actually end up hurting the Republicans in the end. The reasoning? It will be seen by the American public as continuing to pander to the radical right.

I think that Senators like Santorum may start to back off of this hot potato. Santorum will be having a difficult re-election battle, and needs to make himself look more moderate. Killing the filibuster will not help that cause.

Good Luck Deron Williams!

Deron has hired an agent and is going into the NBA Draft.

He came in as a pudgy kid who was Bracey Wright's teammate at The Colony. You were rough your first year guy, not scoring, and having trouble in the transition. You surprised everyone your sophomore year and shed a ton of weight when you broke your jaw. You led the Illini to greatness this year.

Good luck in the NBA. I hate to see you go, but can certainly understand. Thanks for all you did for Illini basketball.

Pope Benedict XVI

I have to admit as a history buff that I have been geeking out over the whole Conclave and changing of the Pope. A very interesting process and one that had my curiosity piqued after reading Dan Brown's Angels and Demons. The role of Pope must be incredibly demanding, but I think I would like to do it for a day just to have access to the Vatican archives, which probably has the largest collection of historical items, information, and secrets in the world. Just to catch a glimpse of some of the items and treasures in there would be amazing.

I am not Catholic so I did not feel too passionately about who the next Pope would be. I was hoping to see someone from the Southern Hemisphere for historical grooviness. I am also sad to hear that the new Pope has a history of hard-line interpretation, but that is only to be expected for someone that is charged with preserving the faith. It will be interesting to see what he is able to bring to the church and to the world.

Pro Filibuster = Anti-Christian

Sinking to newer lows, the Republican leader of the Senate Bill Frist is turning to the radical right to religify and political issue.

"As the Senate heads toward a showdown over the rules governing judicial confirmations, Senator Bill Frist, the majority leader, has agreed to join a handful of prominent Christian conservatives in a telecast portraying Democrats as "against people of faith" for blocking President Bush's nominees. Fliers for the telecast, organized by the Family Research Council and scheduled to originate at a Kentucky megachurch the evening of April 24, call the day "Justice Sunday" and depict a young man holding a Bible in one hand and a gavel in the other. The flier does not name participants, but under the heading "the filibuster against people of faith," it reads: "The filibuster was once abused to protect racial bias, and it is now being used against people of faith." "

Offensive on a number of levels, and another sign of how much the Republican party has changed. Here are some of my favorite quotes on this development:

As a Christian, I'm disgusted at this blatent misuse of religion. This just shows how low the GOP will stoop to "get their way". Unfortunatly, a great number of my Christian brothers and sisters buy into the venomous rhetoric spewed by the likes of Dobson and Colson. it's a shame really. The Dems are not blocking some nominees because they hate "religous people"... it's because the judiciary has great power, lifelong power and putting an ideologue on the bench, either from the right or from the left is just plain wrong. Nominations need to be considered carefully. The judges are there to enforce the laws, not rule based on their own value system. Responsible, impartial people should be on the bench... not extremists! Shame on Sen Frist for using religion to further his own agenda... Also, a great number of "lefties" don't have a problem with God... just the rabid "Christian Right"... I love God, but mourn because so many of the Evangical Christians have lost their way.
Posted by: elmysterio on April 15, 2005 03:39 PM (John Cole)

Could someone please address the fact that all of the powers of each branch are checked by the other branches? The Senate was never meant to just rubberstamp the President's nominees. If the Founders had intended it, then the President would just appoint the judges without any review process. To say that the founding fathers could not have written that were that their intention is absolute nonsense.
The question that Republicans need to ask themselves is how they would feel if the filibuster had been eliminated during Clinton's time in office when Democrats controlled by houses. If you can honestly say that even a Democratic President should have no Senate opposition to his of her judicial nominations, then you are either lying or far too indoctrinated.
However, it is nice to see that there are secularist Republicans left. Now if only the media would recognize the religious Democrats. Hrm.
Posted by: electricgrendel on April 15, 2005 04:10 PM (John Cole)

The "religious right" has become a cult of constant victimization, despite its unprecedented power. Any religion or spiritual movement or ANY kind of group of people who weilds the kind of power this group does, but STILL cries victim, is morally bankrupt.
I think "Christianity" is too kind a label for the current religious right-wing in this country. Sure, they throw the name "Jesus" around like it's their favorite brand of soft drink, but ignore just about EVERYTHING he says in the New Testament. They have completely perverted the most moral teachings the world has ever been given, making Jesus a mouthpiece for their greed and power machinations, and then they whine about being persecuted when true people of faith and good will object.
They are committing a terrible sin: using God cynically, in service of their own earthly power. The Lord is not a hand puppet to be popped out whenever you want to score a rhetoric point against your political opponent. Jesus saved some of his biggest contempt for the religious and political leaders of his time, for doing the exact same thing.
Shame on them all. They really are defiling the name of Jesus Christ.
Posted by: Chumley on April 15, 2005 07:29 PM (John Cole)

The last post really resonates with me as a man of Christian upbringing who loves the teachings of Jesus, but not what man has used them for. I feel very sad that there is a fanatical religious element in this country that thinks they need to drive their personal value wedge into all corners of the government. It really scares me about what the ramifications could look like if they are successful. The veil has to come off of the wing of the moderate Republicans, or libertarian Republicans, so that they can see that their core beliefs are being plundered by a this fanatical right wing of theocrats pushing their own socio-moralistic agenda. If the moderate and true conservative elements do not wake up soon, the Republican party will no longer be a safe place for them, and then where does that leave us?

Rename the Extreme Religious Right

Hi! I am sponsoring a contest to rename the Extremem Religious Right!!! Using the word right is just not a fitting honor for these folks, so let's give 'em a proper name. List your suggestion in the comments box. Grand prize is Think Blue bracelet from the good Dems at Think Blue 2008. Here are a few of my favorites from the web:

-Christofascists
-Talibaptists
-American Taliban

"Extremism In The Air"

Charles Schumer, the distinguished senior Senator from New York is pleased that the debate over the filibuster seems to be sliding to the side of the Democrats, saying:

"What’s amazingly gratifying is that, in poll after poll, the public understands that the ‘nuclear option’ is an over-reach… and that the right to filibuster judges should be kept," Schumer said. "The public has this sense that there’s extremism in the air. The debate seems to be going in our direction far more quickly than I ever imagined."

The whiffs of religious extremism have been in the air for sometime and it seems that recently much of it may be coming to a head. The wing of the Republican party that is pushing the issue of extremism is encountering several stumbling blocks. The first is within their own party, among the last vestiges of the Goldwater Conservative movement that exist. The true conservatives know that the wingnuts are counter productive to true conservative goals. The extremists do not want less government intervention, they want the government to start dictating policy. The extremists do not want legal precedents uphelp on the basis of the Consititution, they want activist judges to act in spite of the Constitution, and they want to change our sacred document itself.

The backlash is also coming from the public. Many Americans support the wingnuts in regards to abortion. No one wants to see babies killed, but many do believe that abortions should be available and safe, although rare. However, they also acknowledge that the extremists are overstepping their bounds by pushing for more and more control over their personal freedoms. This was best demonstrated during the Schiavo case when a clearly misled group in Congress (both sides of the aisle) tried to overstep the bounds of the government and get involved in a personal rights case. The public did not support them, and witnessing this act may have helped the public see the real reasoning behind the push to end the filibuster...these extremists have a definite agenda, and it is not to allow an up and down vote in Congress, it is to pack all wings of the government with as many people willing to push a neo-Christian, conservative, moralistic sense of public life into American culture.

Seeing the reaction of the public and some of the backlash against the extremists (on both sides of the aisle) makes me happy and gives me hope that the silent majority is still out there. Perhaps they will decide that it is time for them to send a different message in the next round of elections.

The Long Winter Begins

For college basketball fans, winter is not the time when the snow falls. It is not the time when the winds howl in from the North leaving everything desolate and bare. No, our winter lasts from early April until early November...the long dry spell in between college basketball seasons.

Pat Forde at ESPN writes about missing this season, one of the best ever. I also am feeling the emptiness of having no more games to look forward too. No more upsets to delight in. Seven months of nothing but baseball....yuck. Don't get me wrong, I like baseball and follow the White Sox really closely, but there is very little drama to me in a protracted 9 inning ordeal where most of the folks just stand around for the game.

Oh well, at least it will only be until August when football starts again.

2004-2005 Illini: One of the Greatest College Teams Ever.

Greg Doyle has a magnificent piece on CBSportsline right now on the Illini. Saying that the Illini were one of the greatest teams in college history on the verge of claiming the ribbon for their package. He argues that even with the loss in the title game, they still take their place near the top. The money quote:

Rallying to beat Arizona in Chicago was a sign of greatness. Doing it
against No. 2 North Carolina, with all those future No. 1 NBA Draft picks, would
have clarified what should already have been clear: The 2004-05 Illini were one
of the most impressive teams ever to play college basketball.
No one will say that now, even if it's true.

Fact of the matter, it might still be true. Illinois tied an NCAA
record with those 37 wins, and 17 of them came against 2005 NCAA Tournament
teams. They were 5.1 seconds from perfection, denied a 38-0 record entering
Monday night by Sylvester's 3-pointer in Ohio State's 65-64 victory on March 6.

Until Williams, Head and Dee Brown this season, no team had seen three
guards earn first- or second-team All-America honors.

A 15-point comeback in the final 3:50 of a region championship game
against a team with Arizona's NBA talent and Hall of Fame coach Lute Olson? A
15-point comeback in the second half against a team with North Carolina's NBA
talent and its (future) Hall of Fame coach, Roy Williams? These things weren't
possible; yet for Illinois, they were.

I agree with Doyle. The season was special and was record setting. Lots of the best teams of all time have failed to win the title, and although winning the title does validate your greatness, it cannot strip away the rest of your season resume, or the fact that the Illini buzzsawed the rest of the NCAA this year up to the title game.

Riding The Orange Wave, What A Season!!!

I just rolled back in from what was by far the best day of my life in St. Louis! Forget the outcome of the game, very disappointing all the way around, and focus on this amazing season we were all blessed to experience! I will now cover my experience, including game summary. Pictures to follow!!!

Spending Monday in St. Louis reminded me how very special our season has been, and how lucky I was to be a small piece of the experience for the tourney. To be sure, the atmosphere in St. Louis was ELECTRIC!! I got into town with my two brothers at 3pm on Monday and checked into the downtown Radisson with a view of the Arch and the river from our room. We decided to head to Al Hrabowski's bar by Busch Stadium, which was the official bar for the Illini fans in town.

The sea of orange shirts welcomed us to the bar, where at least 500-1000 fans were crammed into the bar and several tents on the property. Beers were $5 and were cold, so we partook rather liberally of the sweet brew. The crowd was very excited and everyone was having fun, cheering, and drinking. Even the few stray UNC fans seemed to be having a good time. After I bought my first beer, I turned and was looking in the face of Lucas Johnson. SWEET! Illini players and lots of folks partying it up! However, the real treat came later. We were inside when the crowd erupted and started yelling and cheering. We scrambled outside to get a look, and finally we saw the head coming through the crowd....Brian Cook, closely followed by Jerrance Howard, Marcus Griffin, and Sergio McClain. I rushed over and got to talk with Brian for a few minutes and shake his hand, then I got my picture taken with Serge and was sufficiently geeked out.

At about 6pm we headed back to the hotel to grab our tickets and grab some over priced burgers at the bar there. At that time we noticed that UNC was boarding their bus across the street from our hotel, so we went over to taunt them and their fans, and got into a conversation with some nice UNC folks about the ins and outs of the game. Most of the UNC fans we encountered were happy to have the game with Illinois and thought that it would be a tough but good game.

We headed to the Dome at 7pm and were amazed at the wash of the crowd as we got closer. The place was packed to the hilt with fans of all sorts milling about and getting excited for the game. We stood in line for about 5 minutes and were in the Dome, shouting I-L-L to the crowds riding the escalator to the top of the Dome. Our seats were right behind one of the baskets and about 6 rows from the very top of the Dome, but they were great seats to see the whole game.

The National Championship
The game was tough. Augie...what happened man? Losing you changed our whole game plan and let the elephant May romp wild in the second half. The first half was by far the worst half of basketball we have played all season. Quick shots, dumb shots, no passing...we did not look like the Illini.

Give credit to UNC, they finally brought a tough defense to a game and completely shut down our inside game. The second half was amazing to experience. My brother said at halftime that we would be back in the game within five minutes and he was right. We put on a furious fight and came so close. Our shots did not fall in the end, and we lost to a quality opponent. I still think we beat UNC 6 games out of 10, but they had our number Monday night.

Thoughts on the Season
How lucky we are. How extremely lucky to have experienced this year. Big Ten Champs, Big Ten Tourney Champs, winners of 28 games in a row, #1 tourney seed, tied for the most wins in NCAA history, and National Runner-Up. I never would have believed you had you told me those stats before the season.

We got to be spoiled like little children this year. We got to see the game be played by a group of outstanding young men the way it was meant to be played. We played with character, courage, and pride. To see Luther Head flourish after so much drama last year, it was very rewarding to see. Watching the growth of these young men over the past three years has been amazing. I will miss them all.

I will hope that by some bizarre chance Deron comes back for another year. Without him, it might be rough. We have some solid contributors returning in Dee and Augie. Marcus Arnold becoming eligible might fill the hole at PF. Warren Carter, Rich McBride, and Brian Randle will all hopefully contribute. The truth is, we have not landed any big name recruits, so we may have to rebuild and struggle a bit next year. If Deron were to come back we might avoid some of that.

All in all, the Illini experience has been amazing this year. I felt blessed to be able to share the title game with the team, it will be something I never forget.

Oskee Wow Wow.

Andy gets bummed at the North Carolina Championship. 

Brian Cook comes out to support the Illini. 

Al Hrabowski (The Mad Hungarian) and the Thompson Boys. 

The Iowawineguy and Sergio McClain in St. Louis. 

Simply Amazing!!

The second half for the Illini against Louisville was a thing of beauty. Never discount the power of senior leadership. Roger Powell and Luther Head were awesome. Jack Ingram was awesome.

Now we are going to play for the National Title....and the Iowawineguy will be there. I am humbled. I cannot believe it. I got pretty emotional as the game ticked down. Why am I lucky enough to be in this position?

I usually see at least one Illini game in person each year, at least I have for the past 8 years or so. Last year it was the Border War in St. Louis, the year before it was a home game against Oakland at the Assembly Hall. This year it will be the National Title Game. For me, being an Illini fan for all of my life, there will be no greater thrill no matter what happens in the game. However, I truly will be surprised if this Illini team loses. They keep finding ways to amaze.

So this National Title game is for:
... Lou Do.
...those that now that Oskee Wow Wow from the hold is always in the perfect key for stadium buzzers.
...for Matt Heldman, taken too early from the Illini Nation.
...the Orange Krush, the best student section in the nation.
...my Grandpa Max, a U of I alumnus.
...my Uncle Terry, a U of I mens basketball alum.
...my Mom, who has loved and followed this team with passion and zeal ever since running the Deon Thomas basketball camps.
...Mark Tupper, you write beautifully about Illinois sports.
...Deon Thomas.
...Champaign-Urbana.
...Jim Turpin and Loren Tate.
...the Assembly Hall, one of the best college basketball venues in the land.
...the Peoria guys.
...the Illini Nation, the ones that sit in an empty Memorial Stadium because they love the teams.
...Chief Illiniwek, you may be politically incorrect, but you still give me goose bumps.
...for everyone, this team is inspiring, fun, and amazing.

It makes me sad that there will only be one game left in this season that has been so much fun. Hang on to it because the memories will last forever.