So many topics to discuss this week, we can’t keep to just one – so like the candidates on the race to the White House, we’re going to be all over the place this week.
Shout out to early voting in Missouri. We do very few things right around here except for BBQ and NFL Football, but Missouri got this one right. Opening up a two-week window to vote early without an absentee excuse is how it needs to go for everything. The only possible issue was the lack of polling places in Platte County (1) and Clay County (3). Could easily double those according to the lines I’ve heard about. But otherwise, great job.
Be kind to your election workers. They’re going to have a pretty crummy few weeks and God forbid if something close to the appearance of shenanigans points the media spotlight on these folks, it could get even worse. These people are just doing their jobs. Same as yours. And they’re just as thankless, so take a second to thank them.
While we’re on the topic of elections, we really need to do something about these ads. They seem to get worse and worse every year, and we all get tired of them about a week after they start. From watching video of an abortion during a football game, to ads about everything from gambling to immigrants to flat out lying. We need a two week window of political ads. It’s just like Mariah Carey’s “All I Want For Christmas…” two months is too long.
In my next life, I think I’m going to be an undecided voter. How in the world, after 10 years of this, do you not know who you are voting for? I get people who are staunchly in one of the two camps. I also get people who have concerns about both and choose to not exercise their right to vote, even. But how in the world do you not have any idea who you’re going to vote for one week out from the election? This isn’t exactly a coin toss between heads and tails. The only possible explanation that you’re undecided is that you’re lying to get on TV or to get interviewed by the New York Times. There was one undecided voter that asked both Kamala Harris and Donald Trump questions in back to back town halls last week. Like their answers about economic policy is really going to tip the scales one way or the other. I drove through mid-Missouri this week and say what you will, at least the folks with the gigantic Trump signs are sticking with their convictions. I didn’t see one “I DUNNO” sign, tho.
On to happier topics. If you’re one of those grumpy people who said you wouldn’t watch the World Series because of the two teams playing, boy, are you missing a lot of fun. Sure, the Dodgers and the Yankees both deserve to be shot into the sun, but wow, it’s so much fun watching these stars play. And, as is usually the rule when you have so many superstars playing on one field, it’s generally the guys you least expect that come up big. Sure Freddie Freeman is a household name in Chicago, where he led the Cubs for years, but he’s maybe the fifth or sixth biggest name on the Dodgers. But on a bad wheel and with a Kirk Gibsonian swagger, he has led the first part of this series by knocking in a game winning grand salami in Game 1 and topping that with another homer in Game 2. The Dodgers have looked good all year, and I expect them to win the series, but it’s sure fun to watch and I wouldn’t mind if it went seven.
Finally, as I mentioned a couple of weeks ago, October and Fall are the absolute best for sports. The next few weeks with the conclusion of the World Series, the NBA, NFL, and everything reaching its pitch, don’t sleep on some of the great high school sports going on in the area. Platte County, Park Hill and Park Hill South all have outstanding clubs in different sports and there’s absolutely nothing better than grabbing a fleece blanket and heading out to a high school playoff football or soccer game. Get out there, buy a hot dog, and yell your head off. Even if you’re just there for the band.
