I'd be the all-time Olympic champion if they gave medals for sitting on your couch and yelling about what Olympic athletes could have done better! On to the ramblings!

I think Ben McAdams’ effort to woo Republican endorsements could pay off big in November.

McAdams’ biggest problem on the November ballot is not the “D” next to his name - it’s Mitt Romney. He has to somehow convince voters who want to vote for Romney to split their ticket and vote for him too instead of straight-ticket Republican.

A further challenge for McAdams is his race will be down-ballot. Voters will have to wade through quite a few contests before they get to Salt Lake County Mayor.

The best thing McAdams can do now is build name recognition and generate curiosity about his candidacy. Getting high-profile Republicans on board with his campaign does that. Voters (and the media) pay attention to politicians who cross party lines. Nobody, except Democrats, care about the Democrats who support McAdams. Republicans who support McAdams? That’s another thing entirely.

So, how does McAdams play this? His press conference announcing the support of Republican mayors is a good start.

Nobody asked me, but I’d run a campaign with the theme “I’m a Republican and I support Ben.”

I think Mitt Romney is going to be terrible in the presidential debates.

Why? Look at what happened after the shootings in Colorado and his trip to England. Gaffe after gaffe after gaffe.

He said most of the weapons used in the Colorado shooting were illegal (they weren’t).

His trip to England ahead of the Olympics was a disaster, prompting the Twitter hashtag #RomneyShambles. I won’t go into the specifics, but this headline from the always cheeky British press says it all.



It’s time we just admit the man is just not good on his feet. When he’s unscripted he’s prone to verbal disaster. I get the impression his aides are cringing off to the side, wondering what he’s going to say next. Heck, I cringe.

What do you think is going to happen when he’s in a one-on-one debate with Barack Obama? We’ve already learned he’s prone to saying things that are wrong or ignite controversy. Plus his laugh is extremely off-putting. James Lipton famously said Romney’s laugh doesn’t sound human.

Most of his problems have gone unnoticed by the public at large because they aren’t paying attention. When the debates roll around, they will be. And, as we all know, gaffes in debates can be magnified to an absurd extreme:



I think this has got to be the nastiest ad of the 2012 campaign.

This ad against Texas Senate candidate Ted Cruz goes to a very dark place very quickly.



Cruz is expected to win the Republican nomination in a runoff election against Lt. Governor David Dewhurst. If this ad is any indication, voters in the general election are in for quite a bit of ugliness.

I think Political Screaming Match is my favorite new website.

Sometimes I feel feisty and hanker for a good debate. PoliticalScreamingMatch.com is just the ticket to scratch that itch.

The site allows you to use your phone or computer to debate a complete stranger. You pick a side on their issue of the week (this week it’s gun control), and you wait for them to connect you to someone taking the opposite stance.

It took me a while to find a debate partner when I tried it, but the result is quite entertaining.

A colleague once described my debate style as “driving a nail with surface to surface missiles.” I found that I was more willing to listen to what my opponent had to say because I didn’t know him. Maybe politeness trumps all when dealing with strangers.

All of the debates are recorded and posted on their blog. Mine didn’t make the cut.

I think I’m not very shocked to find out those claw games are rigged.

Check out this thread from Reddit about whether claw machines are rigged. An arcade owner confirms what we’ve all suspected for a long time.



My kids are addicted to these things, and beg me for a dollar every time we pass one. I finally have proof that they’re not worth it.

Shameless self promotion: Check out my new personal website SchottHappens.com (thanks to Ric Cantrell for the idea).

Parting thought: "Politics is the art of looking for trouble, finding it everywhere, diagnosing it incorrectly and applying the wrong remedies.” ~ Groucho Marx