Weekend Parting Shot: Debate Edition (Because There Is Nothing Else in the @#$%& News)

Happy Friday, Gentle Readers,

Normally, this space is reserved for lighter topics that don't necessarily make the headlines. But in the wake of last night's... whatever it was, there is nothing in the news except debate reactions and SCOTUS decisions. So despite my best efforts to make this week's offering debate-free, I eventually gave up. Otherwise, I'd still be staring at my screen this time tomorrow.

Random debate notes

Joe Biden was either unfazed by last night's implosion or doesn't remember it. Either way, he was back out in the public eye today, looking quite a bit more robust than last night. During a rally in North Carolina, someone convinced attendees to start shouting, "Lock him up!" This, of course, was a reference to Donald Trump. Biden declared, "There's time for that."

Crowd chants “Lock Him Up” about President Trump. Joe Biden responds “There’s time for that.”

pic.twitter.com/M7BKWf4Y2W
— The Post Millennial (@TPostMillennial) June 28, 2024

I'll bet that in Biden's more lucid moments, such a scenario is one of his favorite daydreams. After last night, it may be the only chance he has of winning. Even if Trump was raptured up a week before the election, and Kennedy suddenly changed his mind, there is a good chance Biden would still come in second.

The sitting president was not the only one whose sparkler failed to light last night. Outside of the debates, some pro-Hamas protestors were so ineffective that few noticed and fewer cared. The Blaze notes that a cadre of antisemites showed up in Atlanta to heckle the candidates and probably anyone else unlucky enough to stray into their orbit. But for one reason or another, the goon platoon found itself split up into two groups.

The people who show up for these things are evil, entitled, and completely unaware of the world around them. And they are also extraordinarily self-absorbed. In group Number One, which had massed outside the Hilton Garden Inn, great speechifying occurred, with what I am sure was filled with what Mark Twain once called "tears and flapdoodle." The crowd was so occupied with the speech (and probably their delusions of grandeur) that it failed to notice Biden's motorcade passing by on the way to debate. So no one hurled a single insult. I am sure the speech was spell-binding, and everyone awarded themselves participation points for attending.

Up the street, the other half took it upon themselves to take over a park and occupy a spot near the playground because that is who these people are. Again, speeches were made with plans to hold some sort of intimidating and egotistical demonstration. However, the speeches ran long, and by the time the malcontents were supposed to get around to creating actual chaos, it was too dark for them to see one another. One aspiring terrorist lamented that they did not even have enough people to get up a decent riot:

“The terrain and our capacity, as it stands, we don't have the force to do the thing that we wanted to do. We don't have the ability to shut down the debate. We don't have the ability to have a giant, meaningful clash with the police on these streets," the person said in the pitch dark. "We don't want to walk into situations where we're just gonna get totally lit [up] just so it can be on the news. Why would we do that?”

Why would they want to get totally lit up when they came all that way and put on their best keffiyehs to totally light someone else up? And it was too dark for selfies. I'm sure a few bong hits made it all better. And if they had just waited, maybe Joe would have sent them over a few gallons of chocolate chip.

Wine recommendation

Because while last night was far more dismal than entertaining, conservatives got some nice SCOTUS wins today with Fischer v. United States, Relentless, Inc. v. Department of Commerce, and Loper Bright Enterprises v. Raimondo. So we've got that going for us, which is nice.

Despite the Utah heat, I've been in the mood for red wine, and browsing the shelves yesterday, I decided to give the 2021 Cavit Pinot Noir a test drive.

This wine hails from Provincia di Pavia in Italy; It is very balanced and understated with low tannins and is also dry and acidic. There is nothing dramatic about it; it is simply smooth and enjoyable. Look for cherries and red fruits, with a bit of oak, some vanilla, and just a dash of chocolate. It will work well with all red meat dishes, although some have suggested pairing it up with a nice swordfish steak or your favorite pasta dish. It would also make for a slightly unconventional dessert choice if you matched it up with some dark chocolate morsels.