The Frankish Reich

The "short stairs." That's it! Senile!!

I'm not aware of any relaxed ethics rules for newcomers.

Allow me to repeat: - Hunter Biden should be investigated. By congressional committee AND by the special counsel for violation of the criminal laws. The congressional investigation should be aimed at determining what role Joe Biden played in Hunter's activities and whether he profited from those activities while he was VP. - Jared Kushner should be investigated, perhaps by the Dem-controlled Senate (since the House won't do it) to determine whether there was/is any quid pro quo for his and his father-in-law's actions while in the White House. There doesn't appear to be any basis for a criminal investigation here, at least not yet. I know everyone else here seems to think it's an either/or. It isn't.

Guy is showing a backbone. Either that or he's spooked by how Trump-endorsed candidates did in recent GA elections.

Boo-SHELL As in the chorus of boos from Wrigley Field as he grounded out weakly to end the rally. Now THAT's before my time.

Steve Rattner explains why we should continue asking questions. Rattner kind of knows what he's talking about - in addition to being a business commenter, he runs the investment fund that manages Michael Bloomberg's wealth ...

True, I didn't see the INTs, the forced fumbles, the sacks. But that's a narrow view of what counts as "making mistakes." Not giving up the big play, making an offense sustain a 12 play drive without a holding penalty, a dropped catch, a false start causing a 1st and 15 ... all of those things are critical to a bend but don't break philosophy. And Edmunds was a very good fit for that. Yep. It's great to build a defense around a strong MLB when you happen to have Luke Kuechly. They may have hoped that Edmunds would be that guy, and of course he wasn't. So maybe some of this has to do with the realization that you aren't gonna find another Kuechly but you can still be a great defense.

And if the Dems still had the House, there'd be Kushner hearings. Trump Sr doesn't help matters by his almost romantic attachment to the Saudi regime.

Yeah, the moneyballer in me wants to say "bad situational luck" since their runs scored vs. runs against suggests that they should at least be in the wild card hunt. But my gut tells me "this just ain't working"

Well, no. Bigger is great if it doesn't bring along slower. In McD's defense, slower is a problem.

Oh, I agree with that. They simply couldn't pay everyone, so they made the tough decision to let Edmunds walk. But MLB will be an adventure without him this year since Kirksey, Klein (could he be cut when Kirksey is activated?) and the young guys simply provide no reason for us to believe they'll be able to fill his shoes.

This is where the Hunter and Jared cases ARE similar. They both depend on the answer to this question: was Burisma (the Saudis) promised something in exchange for payments (immediate or in the future) to a close relative of the President (Vice President)?

Who said it's "equivalent?" It is still very shady, and very worthy of investigation. Yes, some party activists and congressional reps are trying to distract from the Hunter investigation with a "but what about Kushner?" That doesn't mean Kushner's deals are pure as the driven snow. In fact, in terms of the amount of apparent favors distributed (all disclosed here) the MBS-Kushner deal dwarfs anything Hunter received.

And don't forget this from James Comer, Hunter Biden's Inspector Javert: “I think that what Kushner did crossed the line of ethics,” Rep. James Comer (R., Ky.) said earlier this month on CNN.

Since I know a lot of you don't read our more reputable sources and prefer to subscribe to an army of self-appointed expert tweeters, here's the key graf from the WSJ story (again): Kushner had raised the money from Saudi, Emirati and Qatari investors, after presenting himself as a unique business leader able to bridge the region’s economic and cultural divides. To that end, he had secured unique approval from Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to invest the kingdom’s money in the Jewish nation for the first time. Kushner left Tel Aviv last spring without writing any checks. More than a year later, while collecting millions in management fees, Kushner says he is just now poised to invest in his first Israeli company. *** “Deployment has been slower than expected because we maintained high standards,” Kushner said. “In retrospect, I’m glad we didn’t follow the herd.” Kushner’s post-White House work has drawn scrutiny from some in Congress who question whether the business arrangement is a Saudi reward for all the work Kushner did in government to advance the kingdom’s interests in Washington.

Except the Saudis have seen no monetary return, and have not closed on any investment opportunities Jared has (in theory) brought to them. On any level, it is a weird deal. And remember: this is the Saudi sovereign wealth fund. In other words, Saudi royal funds. Government funds. Not a private company. It's wrong to ask about the origins of this curious deal and what exactly Saudi Arabia expects to get out of it?

It's not that dissimilar. The suggestion - and it came from a WSJ report, not from AOC or something - is that the payments to Kushner, who has yet to come up with any actual investments in Israel, could be seen as a kind of payoff for his father-in-law's unprecedented level of support for the Saudi regime. So there's legitimate questions: was an advisor deal for Jared discussed during the course of the Trump admin? (Remember, Jared had an official post) What value is Jared providing in exchange for the extraordinarily lucrative deal? And then on the political side: if Trump is elected, what does he propose to do about his son in law, sometime business associate, and prior White House official being under retainer by the Saudi regime? Well that would be a bit selective, wouldn't it

That is nuts. And yet Irv questions the value of this board ....

I'm not a Cubs fan, but that 1992 season is a perfect example of why people considered them cursed. Future Hall of Famers: peak Greg Maddux, Ryne Sandberg, old (but still could hit) Andre Dawson. Other really talented (Dunston) or really productive (Grace) players. How many teams with 3 future Hall of Famers on the roster for 4 or 5 years (and in their peaks or still productive) have underperformed so badly?

Oh, there's a there there all right. This is not to excuse Hunter's shady deals and dad's possible role in them. But it's not like First Son In Law is all on the up and up. And we all know how his dad just loves the Saudi regime.

Not exactly. He was kind of a hanger-on who started schmoozing the Gettys when he was very young, then got one of them to invest money in some vanity things like a winery. I'm not sure exactly how he parlayed that into living so well. There's probably a really good biography in his future where we figure all of this out. To me, more of an empty suit than a stalking horse for the economic elite. He has always had plenty of ambition without ever really standing for anything policy-wise. Good hair and access to a lot of extremely wealthy people who can donate to his campaigns.

I remember him with the Twins - MLB debut at 21, and I saw him in spring training. One of those "good stuff, wait till he learns how to pitch a bit" guys. Still waiting.

The Steve Buechele of the 21st century. Or the Curse of the Angels.

I'm gonna play nice now. Yes, I have learned a thing or two from other posters. No, not all of them. (I haven't looked in the mirror and said, "so maybe I AM a commie.") But some people here have experience or knowledge about things I don't know much about. So occasionally a real discussion breaks out and I do learn something or get a new perspective on something. I have my own areas of expertise (outside of the general know-it-all tone) and I kind of hope certain people have benefited from that. At least from time to time. And it's a distraction from boring work. Particularly when I was "working" at home a lot.

I didn't know that ... goes in my Steve Buechele brain file. Thanks!