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This week in PurpleAmerica (9/27 through 10/4)

Here we are in the homestretch! Finally! Thank God. This has been as long and as dull a campaign season as I can remember. I can’t wait for it to be over next month.

As every election cycle, we had a VP debate that ultimately will be inconsequential. They never matter. If a Presidential candidate could say he would shoot someone on 5th Avenue and nobody would care, what does that say for the VP candidates really? I looked at the whole ordeal as much ado about nothing.

We had a slew of polls showing most of the swing states slowly slipping toward Kamala Harris. That’s a good thing. I think it’ll continue too as the election gets closer, Trump gets more erratic, and the further details of the Jack Smith investigation gets revealed to the public. After reading that brief, thinking of Trump makes me want to vomit. The guy is just repulsive.

So now we enter the GOTV phase, where some states are already voting, absentee ballots are out, and the campaigns change gears from trying to convince you to vote for them to trying to get you to the polls. The team that is usually better at that usually wins. It’s funny though, and maybe its just that the last time it was during a pandemic so the effort was made to ensure you got your votes in, but I just see less energy in the electorate this year. And that’s not just at the PResidential level, but all the way down ballot too. Maybe its because they made up their minds of who they would vote for as much as a year ago, maybe its because of just malaise and apathy. Nobody really knows what the electorate will look like this year, not even the pollsters. So it’ll be interesting to see what kind of turnout we’ll get and how that impacts things. Normally, it favors the Republican. However, I had this conversation earlier this week and Tim Walz has diffused much of the rural anger out there. He’s one of them. He talks like them. Rural voters may disagree with Dems but they tend to like him as one of their own. I just dont think the energy that drove Trump voters to the polls in 2016 and 2020 is still there at the same level. Call it Trump fatigue.

And then the real circus begins….again.

PurpleAmerica’s People of the Past Week

The Good

The Civility at the VP debate. It was good to see some respect and decency in politics again. Kudos.

As long as we’re on the topic of the VP debate, a good job by Norah O’Donnell and Margaret Brennan, particularly in fact checking some egregious lies in real time.

Jack Smith. Thank God this guy is here, because he seems to be the only person currently working in government willing to go out of his way to save democracy.

The Bad

R.I.P. Pete Rose, Kris Kristoferson, James Earl Jones, Dikembe Mutombo, Drake Hogestyn, John Ashton, Dame Maggie Smith, and Tito Jackson. Its been a tough month for celebrity losses. God Bless.

Israel invading Lebanon. I’m not saying it’s bad because it’s not justified or based on how one may feel about either side in this conflict. I’m saying it’s bad because whenever something like this happens in the Middle East, the rest of the world holds its collective breath and hopes it doesn’t escalate into a greater uncontrolled war.

Hurricane Helene has been devastating, with a death count the highest since Katrina due to flash flooding and mudslides. Please consider donating to the Red Cross for relief efforts.

The Ugly

My Beloved Green Bay Packers. How could you? It wasn’t just that you lost to the Minnesota Vikings, it’s that you didn’t show up, dashing all of our Cheeshead hopes, then decided to come back and make a game of it, and then break our hearts twice in the same game. I’m…I’m just…. Ugh.

The CNN Post-VP Debate Analysis. It was pathetic and elitist. Nobody cares about anything they were focused on. This is why CNN is failing.

Megalopolis. I saw it. It’s bad. It looks REALLY good visually¹, but that doesn’t make up for the nonsensical plot and extremely awkward dialogue. I can’t believe Francis Ford Coppola made this for $120 million. His future heirs must have really pissed him off something awful.

Once again, Donald Trump. Just read the Smith brief and you will really understand what a swine he is, and why he should be nowhere near the White House ever again.

Have a nominee for us to consider? Send an email to purpleamericanunity@gmail.com!

PurpleAmerica Pop Culture Random Top Five

This week: The Top 5 Not In Their Respective Hall of Fames

With Pete Rose dying this week, we’re reminded once again that even though he has more hits than anyone in Major League Baseball, he was banned for life for gambling on MLB games and therefore banned from the Hall of Fame. It got me thinking, who are the best players in various sports not in their respective HOFs. Here are my choices.

Basketball: Bill Laimbeer. Three championships and a cornerstone of one of the best teams of the past 40 years, the late 80s Pistons with Isaiah Thomas wouldn’t have won without Laimbeer underneath.

Football: Jim Marshall. One of the original “Purple People Eaters” and a huge contributor who took his team to four Super Bowls, Marshall’s hindrance to reaching the Hall is largely due to an error resulting in the famous “Wrong-Way TD” play (in it, he picks up a fumble and inadvertently runs to his own end zone thinking he scored a TD); that’s a crime, he was one of the best defensive linemen of the time.

Hockey: Alexander Mogilny. For the most part, the Hockey Hall of Fame has done a good job of making up for some serious snubs of the past, bringing many overlooked players into the Hall eventually. They even have a spot for a female player every year. But the fact they haven’t included Mogilny, who was the first player to defect from those outstanding Soviet teams to play in the NHL is baffling. His career stats easily make him a strong candidate, but he continues to be snubbed.

Rock and Roll: I’ve written about it several times. There’s too many to count. But if I had to choose one, how do you keep Soundgarden out?

Baseball: Avoiding those who are out of the Hall for steroid abuse,² I know that now, especially when sports gambling sites are ubiquitous and there is talk of letting Pete Rose into the Hall of Fame, I’m sure Shoeless Joe Jackson’s family would like a word too.

WWE Wrestling: How is Demolition, the ultimate Tag Team from the late 80s who practically owned the championship belt during their years in the WWE, how are they not in the Hall of Fame?

PurpleAmerica’s Subscriber Mail

When we here at PurpleAmerica Respond to the Teeming Millions (well, we’re still working on that first million)

Yeah, yeah yeah. I know. I haven’t been posting as much. I get it. It’s been super busy here with work and….OK. For the most part, its been because I have one kid, an exchange student, and I find myself driving all around the place taking them to sports and school. Now that school is in session, I’m always driving somewhere. I apologize to all the teeming millions out there wanting some feedback, but dammit man, even I need a break sometimes. I put this on the backburner until I found some time.

But, the good news is that by taking a break, the subscriber mail has piled up. Some good stuff in there too. I’m just going to discard all the “Where are you?” emails since it seems I just answered it, but without further ado…

Dear PurpleFraud,

You seem like just another cis white male who’s upset their time is over and the rest of us are taking over America. Just crawl into your little hole or better yet, stay in the closet like we did forever.

Sincerely,

JJett809716237

Dear J. Jett Nine Digit Zip Code,

Pretty far off the mark. You must think I have a Bad Reputation. But I am Everyday People (Yeah, I know, its a Sly Stone song, but stay with me). I mean, I like as many diverse things as Crimson and Clover. You can too! You’re just around the corner from the Light of Day!

Now, I love Rock and Roll, but I also love America too. July 4th, Cherry Bomb (I Love playing with fire), the whole nine yards. It’s for all of us. And in a love your neighbor sort of way, I (Don’t) Hate myself for Loving You! But pardon me if I tell you your attitue kind of sucks. You’ll never convince anyone to agree with you if all you show is your Blackheart.

Thanks, Rock on.

PA

Dear PurpleAmerica,

I can’t believe you sided with Vance in your post about the VP debate. You’re the reason Trump is still at 50% in this race and has a chance at winning. You need to denounce those neo-fascists Vance and Trump and the GOP immediately…. [and it went on like this for four fucking paragraphs].

Karen [Last name withheld]

Dear Karen,

First, I’m not surprised your name is Karen. Second, did you actually read a word of what I wrote about the debate here? It’s like you have selective blindness or brainworms or something. There’s a cure for that you know— actually taking in information objectively and not being such a left wing tool.

Always glad to help,

PA.

PurpleAmerica,

Who the Fuck cares what Conservative Sci-Fi looks like?

To Nameless Cylon/Klingon/Demon/Other Sci-Fi Enemy ending in -on

Seemed like a lot since it got a lot of views, mostly agreeing and offering their own takes on it. I did get some blowback from those who loved Gene Roddenberry and his intent with the original Star Trek, but many also agreed that the political perspective is situational and should not be broadly applied against groups per se. I wish more would take that attitude here on earth when considering politics.

Sincerely,

Your Friendly Neighborhood Terran

Dear PurpleAmerica,

Your financial advice sucks. Do you realize that since you posted about NVIDIA the stock price has gone down? Maybe STFU and leave financials to those of us who know better.

To Goldman Sucks,

First off, it wasn’t financial advice. It was a story about a huge growing company. NVIDIA still makes up a huge chunk of the S&P and by market cap is one of the biggest companies on the planet. That was the point of the article. The fact most regular people out there hadnt heard of it is a little surprising. As for the stock price, its currently down $1 from where it was when it was published, and I wouldn’t take random investment advice from anyone online, particularly when the focus of their blog is politics and not stocks. I mean, the kind of bozos who do that are those that lost their shirts on crypto and GameStop and DJT and…. Oh wait, aren’t you the guy who bought all those Trump Coins? Now it makes sense.

PUrpleAmerica, really?

How you can sit there and claim to speak for PurpleAmerica and then try to make the case there are no undecideds left. You are such a faker you make me sick. Just another typical left wing tool.

Dear Skeptic,

Being moderate is not the same as being a fencesitter. One looks at the options and carefully considers the pros and cons of each, and acknowledge the positive and negative attributes of all possible choices. The other, if they are not a squirrel, straddles an obstruction because he can’t make up his mind (or maybe they just prefer a stick up their butt, who can tell?). The difference is that the moderate comes to a decision (usually sooner rather than later) while the fencesitter will stay there with a piece of wood up his ass as long as he can.

Which reminds me, you may want to get your head out of yours.

Thanks, keep reading,

PA.

Dear PurpleAmerica,

I was in a discussion today and two of my friends were arguing whether the country is red or blue under normal circumstances. I told them “IT’S NOT RED, NOT BLUE, IT’S PURPLEAMERICA!” and told them about your site. You would have been proud of me! I won’t be surprised if they subscribe!

PA FAN

Dear PA Fan,

Thanks! This makes me sad I haven’t been writing as much lately. My subscriber count went down marginally but that’s what usually happens when you don’t put out content. Tell them if they want to get a PurpleAmerica Mug, they can order one of these great mugs (store isn’t up right now, but message me and I’ll work with you on getting one).

Have a question you want us to answer? Email us at purpleamericanunity@gmail.com

PurpleAmerica’s Historical Note from This Week

On this week back in 1982, Cheers aired for the first time. The long running television show about a bar run by a former Boston Red Sox Pitcher and the usual barflies who inhabit it, started out miserably. In it’s opening week, it came in 86th out of 87 shows. Of the 77 shows Neilsen tracked that year, Cheers came in…74th. The memorable opening theme song, which was released as a single, failed to even chart.

But NBC stuck with it. And it grew. It eventually ran for 275 episodes, one of the longest running comedies of all time. It helped make careers for George Wendt, John Ratzenberger, Woody Harrelson, Harry Anderson, Kirstie Alley and the two original stars, Ted Danson and Shelley Long. Some episodes, such as the famous Thanksgiving episode, are considered some of the greatest ever aired.

I recently watched an episode (it was one of the last ones where the Cheers gang and their rivals at Gary’s Olde Town Tavern get into another predicament) and laughed out loud again. As dated as it is, the humor still holds up. TV can use a show like this again.

PurpleAmerica’s Dad/Uncle/Cheesy Joke of the Week

What’s a skeleton’s favorite Queen song? “Can anybody find me Some body to Love?”

And with that…

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Footnotes and Fun Stuff

1. Someone wrote it looks like every video from 1993-1997, which is remarkably accurate.

2. The steroid issue is divisive. If the goal is to get the most hits, runs, be stronger, better, faster than the opponents and win games, then the fact they played and got those hits and did those things shouldn’t be ignored. In some cases, the alleged steroid was legal for a portion of their careers and then wasn’t. The fact is many were not caught during their careers because after a lockout that damaged the league, they needed people back in the seats and the Commissioner and MLB turned a blind eye to what they knew was going on. That the players bear the brunt of that is a sham. Nonetheless, it IS against the rules, and they did technically “cheat.” It’s disappointing that such players as Bonds, McGuire, Clemens and Ramirez who all likely could have made the Hall without it are being kept out.