mtutiger

Harsh, but maybe Archie should internalize that when he worries about the poor gun owners, to a lot of folks, that comes across as complete disregard for the rights of kids to be able to go to a school without fear.

I don't believe Abbott wanted the kids shot, but having observed him for years as a resident of the state that he governs, what motivates him in situations like these isn't "doing the right thing".... it's all political calculation. Particularly since COVID, everything he does reflects whatever the poll numbers among the GOP base says. Regardless of whether it is what, as the chief executive of the state, he should do. So yeah, when Abbott gets up there and genuflects to the cops in this particular situation when they aren't really deserving of it, I'm gonna hold that against him. Especially given that, again, he's the chief executive and the state law enforcement officials at the DPS, the same ones who were out there giving unreliable information for the past 48 or so hours, answer to him. The buck stops with him.

Also, IIRC, the majority of guns intercepted in crimes committed in Chicago were acquired outside of both the city and the State of Illinois. Chicago/Illinois cannot control the gun laws in other jurisdictions

Wow

It'll take the feds getting involved for anything trustworthy to come out of this.

Unbelievable

100%. I hate it as well.

Very well may be right, but he's kinda lost the plot as of late.

Everything can be financed these days:

I dont know enough about what is done in foreign countries, but in general, our media tends to demand very little accountability for politicians and access is a factor in that. I can't get over how it is expected that we get comment from AJ Hinch after every Tiger game yet that isn't a reasonable expectation for policy makers among the general populace.

Probably too little too late, but at least it looks like they will eventually get Meadows and Greene to add to this mix. Although we have to assume that there will be ups and downs for Greene, similar to TORK!

On the bright side, unless I'm misremembering from the last time I checked, their team xFIP has gone down some. So at least there's a chance the pitching isn't a pumpkin patch lol

Honestly, probably not. I wouldn't say he's treated as "yesterday's news" here, he can still generate a crowd and attention when he shows up to places, it's just a different environment in 2022 and a different race. If he were running with Trump as POTUS, it'd be pretty competitive... but thermostatic blowback is a real thing these days... means more than ever before. His gun stance? On the margins it hurts, although its probably overblown some. But in a state the Dems haven't won a statewide race in since 1994, marginal hits do matter.

Unfortunately no. Although I do believe the result could be closer than outsiders tend to expect given the national environment. I do think Paxton, the AG, his race will be the closest in November because of his legal troubles. Not sure it will be enough to win, but that will be the best Dem performance guarunteed.

Not to mention our corrupt Attorney General, under indictment for securities fraud and facing sanction from the Texas Bar.... in a sane world, he would have lost his primary, not won with 69% of the vote.

Like most states, it's a mixed bag. Obviously the state has had a lot of success attracting outsiders, but the reasons aren't purely on how the state is run but also hinges on inherent advantages that the state has that others do not (ie. the availability of cheap and easily developable land, the oil and gas reserves that this state has, etc.) But having said all of that, the response not only to this incident but also to COVID (particularly how the state would impede the ability of local governments to have self-determination) and the February 2021 winter storm really has brought into question the competence of parts of the Texas government IMO. The winter storm, in particular - in a world where partisan polarization isn't what it is, Abbott should lose his job for that performance alone.

Probably a better question for Microline or Edman, but the reason that you don't give up on him yet is his age - still only 22. He did move up a level early on this year, so that probably buys him another year or two. Daniel Cabrera is the one who feels more like he's living on borrowed time... he's a college guy who is older and just hasn't shown it.

No doubt, the takeaways here shouldn't just be about the police. But I do think it's important to figure out what the timeline was here. And moreover, the tribal impulse to just fly the "thin blue line" flag and treat police as the Gods of civil service should be pierced on account of this... maybe one can not believe in defunding the police while still acknowledging that there are a number of ways in which law enforcement can fall short or can be improved. Whether it be in terms of equity or in terms of how individual incidents are handled.

Absolutely correct. The local cops were overmatched, and then you have the state's response which has been a how-to in how not to handle a crisis. People, especially conservatives, look at Texas as being a really well run state, but there are subunits within governments here that can be very poorly managed. DPS is one of them... it's an insular, good ol' boy outfit that is capable of doing good police work, but often times can be outmatched for the situation. And often doesn't find itself in situations where they have to answer tough questions. That press conference yesterday with Escalon kinda encapsulated it well. People are angry and want answers, and the response did anything but provide answers.

His stock has fallen, but he's still listed on Fangraphs and Pipeline. So, yeah.

Sort of nice to see... the team, which has guys like Meadows and Workman who are considered prospects, has been pretty sluggish with the bats up to this point.

I recall people suggesting that he was the worst hitter in the lineup preseason. We'll know they're going places when that is actually the case lol

Really nice win... still leaving too many men on base, but that 9th inning was a thing of beauty. Good hitting by Schoop and Miggy!

Tork has been something in the field... better than expected