The reviews are in: T12 failed in his debut yesterday as a Fox NFL game analyst. But I’d argue he failed even before he failed. The ridiculous $375 million contract he got from Fox was bad enough, a figure so over the top that it alienated fans and raised legit questions about whether anyone deserved so much for so little. But all the pre-game hype about how much he practiced and studied tapes before his debut blah, blah, generated the impression that he wasn’t a natural, that it was all contrived and studio-tested. That was more damaging to his debut than the contract, if you ask me.
Month: September 2024
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Tom Brady’s Fox analyst debut failed before it failed
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How to cover a Trump-era political story, courtesy of Universal Hub
You’ve heard of “sane-washing,” i.e. when a news outlet reports seriously on one thing that Donald Trump says without mentioning the other crazy things he says in a speech, thus making him look more sane than he really is. Well, here’s the opposite sane-washing, courtesy of Universal Hub’s Adam Gaffin, who covers the conviction of a former Faulkner Hospital doc who got in a whole bunch of trouble for participating in the Jan. 6 mayhem at the U.S. Capitol. … The story starts off slowly, but picks up steam as her defense attorney’s arguments pick up steam in their absurdity. No sane-washing in Adam’s coverage. …
And fear not. I’ll be zeroing in on future, though not quite as absurd, “sane-washing” issues tied to the left. I got a minor start on this front the other day (see below for my prior ‘Are we really going to have wall-to-wall coverage of campus protests again?’).
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‘Harris’s Support Has Stalled’
I’ve been sensing the same thing. … It’s not just the Times/Siena poll. Other surveys show the race has become what we all knew it would become: damn close.
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Spotlight report: Fifteen patient deaths tied to operational neglect at Steward hospitals
This isn’t capitalism. It’s criminal neglect. From the Globe: “The Spotlight Team identified at least 15 instances in which Steward patients died after failing to receive professionally accepted standards of care due to equipment issues or staffing shortages. This total omits deaths due to individual lapses in judgment or medical errors in order to focus on the real, systemic Steward scandal, the one driven by radical under-investment by management in hospitals that mainly serve patients on the lower end of the economic spectrum — often those most in need of care.’
The team cites staff shortages in critical areas, surgeries canceled due to stiffed vendors not delivering vital equipment, medical tests delayed, hospital personnel scrounging for basic supplies (including toilet paper), etc. etc. All while its CEO and investors played shell games to reap huge “profits” from the formerly non-profit hospitals.
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Keep your eye on BC, Part 2
Another impressive BC win (and almost too impressive). … From Bob Ryan: “It’s time to climb aboard the Boston College football bandwagon.”
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YIMBY’s political moment, Part 2: A polarizing issue?
Jerusalem Demsas at The Atlantic defends national Dems’ embrace of YIMBY goals, despite concerns of some pro-housing advocates that it might politically polarize the goal of building more homes. … Demsas makes good points. But if we know anything about today’s polarized politics, it’s that anything can be polarized. …Christian Britschgi at Reason thinks national Dems aren’t as committed to YIMBY as it might appear.
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Are we really going to have wall-to-wall coverage of campus protests again?
I don’t think I can take it. I.e. , renewed over-the-top media coverage of pro-Palestinian student protests around the country. The latest sign the media is eagerly preparing for campus protests to resume this fall, after a summer lull: The Globe had three (count ‘em – three) reporters covering yesterday’s “inaugural” protest of the school year at Harvard. … Sigh. … Next to come: The first “inaugural” media references to Vietnam War-era protests.
Update — Protesters demand to be taken seriously. But their actions are not treated seriously. Rita Koganzon explains at the NYT.
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Return of the triple-deckers
Somerville’s loosening of rules to allow construction of more triple-decker homes has generated interest among developers. Not a lot of interest. But it’s enough to show that tweaking zoning laws can lead to modest increases in desperately needed new housing, reports the BBJ’s Greg Ryan.
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Keith Regan, local journalist and friend to so many, RIP
An old friend and colleague, Keith Regan, died last week after a “hard-fought battle against an aggressive form of cancer.” Keith, 57, who is survived by his wife of eight years and two children, was a long-time local journalist who I was lucky to work with while at the Boston Business Journal and MassterList.com. He was so dependable and professional, so friendly and easy-going. He had a dry wit that shined through in his writing. He was a joy to work with. A true first-rate guy, he will be dearly missed. God bless and rest in peace, Keith.
Update – More on Keith’s work at MassterList can be found here.
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Kamala Harris’s so-so tax proposals
In a bid to win over the business community, Kamala Harris has been rolling out new tax proposals designed to make her look less progressive than she’s been portrayed by partisan critics. Is it working? Sort of.
Sure, she’s proposed increasing the capital gains tax on those making $1 million or more at a far lower rate than what President Biden has proposed, but she’s still calling for a capital-gains tax increase, as the NYT reports.
Meanwhile, she’s also called for an increase in the U.S. corporate tax rate, from 21 percent to 28 percent. Hmmm. Are we really going to go back to the days when the U.S. corporate rate was significantly higher than quasi-socialist Sweden’s corporate tax rate?
Harris has indeed announced a small-business tax plan that would allow start-ups to deduct up to $50,000 in expenses, a tenfold increase from the current deduction, as CNBC reports.
So let’s add it up: Two tax increases + one tax deduction = not as centrist as she’s trying to make it appear. Sorry to put it that way. Yet it’s true. But I’m still rooting for her to win.
Hub Blog 