A BENGALS THREAD: Evolving into a Burrow-style Bengals fan:
The Bengals had just lost two home games in a row, falling to 7-6 and behind their rivals in the AFC North.
The team was heading to Denver, where we always lose
The once great season looked to be coming to an end
1/
And then something happened.
It was the 3rd quarter. We weren’t playing well and Denver was hanging around.
Bengals fans like me had seen this all before. Filled with dread about the inevitable end
But then, texting with my brother @dougpepper , I did something crazy…
2/
Somewhat tongue in cheek, against all that I was actually feeling at the time and 30 years of fan experience, I texted three words: “We got this.”
Doug responded in exactly the way I would’ve if he had sent the same message.
3/
I knew he was right. But I decided to run with it.
So I doubled down with this:
4/
Not only was I predicting a win, when a season-killing loss was looming, but I now was going a step further.
First place!
Doug, of course, was uncomfortable with this newfound approach to watching games.
It was all so foreign.
5/
His fear only spurred me to up my confidence in the inevitable win:
6/
Yes, with our theoretic victory in hand (although it wasn’t at the time), I wanted to watch our rival Ravens lose so we’d get into first place.
Fear left Doug—this new level of fan boldness inspired amusement. Laughter!
7/
But I didn’t let that stop me.
I was on a roll. And it felt empowering.
Back came more optimism. And for the first time, some self-awareness of an evolution taking place. Then even more confidence. Trash talk, even
I declared “ballgame” long before the outcome was clear.
8/
But I turned out to be right.
And yes, I then enjoyed watching the Ravens lose in disastrous fashion.
But Bengals fans will also remember that at the end of that game, Mixon looked to be badly hurt.
Of course, that sour point was the focus of Doug’s next message.
9/
A very Bengals fan instinct. Doom dead ahead.
But no, I was not going to let that worry change my new attitude.
I did an instant medical analysis from my couch and declared all to be fine.
10/
It was clear I was making progress, because in his next text, brother Doug mentioned two words Bengals fans never utter unless reliving painful memories (Ie. Billups, Krumrie, Wilson, Montana-Taylor): “Super Bowl”
Still, it was laced in pessimism about the injury.
11/
Again, I pushed back. All would be good.
12/
And lo and behold, Mixon did come back.
With the win, we climbed to 8-6 and first place. And never looked back.
The rest is history.
And it all started with that Denver road win.
13/
Now I’m not saying my new attitude is what changed the trajectory of the season.
If others, on reading this thread, want to give me credit, that’s fine with me. 😎
14/
But what I will say is my decision to approach Bengals games as a fan w the same confidence that Burrow and the team have approached the games themselves has made the ride SO much more enjoyable
I can’t recommend it highly enough.
It’s a new team. A new era.
Burrow time!
15/
So in the next 10 days, when people yell “Who Dey?” and I respond with “Nobody!”, know that I absolutely mean it.
You do the same.
END
• • •
Missing some Tweet in this thread? You can try to
force a refresh
Boy, was American democracy on display last night in JD Vance’s hometown—Middletown, Ohio.
Patriotism at its best.
1/
But even though he was invited in numerous ways—including certified mail, so we know he got the invite—Warren Davidson, the House member for the community and the (highly gerrymandered) Eighth Congressional district, didn’t show up.
He missed out.
2/
We even left a chair for him, but it sat empty for two hours.
But that didn’t stop hundreds from coming from multiple counties….and we had a town hall anyway!
Justice Alito released his dissent in the North Texas case, complaining that:
1) The Court acted before the appellate court below had ruled, and even though it was apparently planning to rule soon
1/
2) The Court ordered without having heard from the government—only from the plaintiffs; and the Government had no chance to respond at the lower level either
2/
3. The government had told the district court that no flights were imminent, and the plaintiffs had not proved that they were.
I always read @steve_vladeck — here’s what he wrote about the Supreme Court’s early morning order: “at least initially, this strikes me as a massively important—and revealing—intervention by the Supreme Court, for at least three reasons:”
1/
1) “the Court didn’t wait at all….This may seem like a technical point, but it underscores how seriously the Court, or at least a majority of it, took the urgency of the matter.”
2/
2) “the Court didn’t hide behind any procedural technicalities…Here, though, the Court jumped right to the substantive relief the applicants sought—again, reinforcing not just the urgency of the issue, but its gravity.”
3/
Not long ago, I described how one of the most respected conservative judges in the nation during my law school days was J. Michael Luttig. Judge Luttig, of the Fourth Circuit, was often on the short list to be a Supreme Court Justice,
1/
and considered a top “feeder” judge to prized Supreme Court clerkships, especially for members of the Federalist Society.
So in recent years, as Judge Luttig has raised alarms about Trump’s excesses, and the fraying of our national rule of law, we should all pay attention.
2/
But he wasn’t the only Fourth Circuit star at the time.
There is another: Judge J. Harvie Wilkinson of the Fourth Circuit—a Reagan appointee—has also been among the most highly regarded conservative jurists in the nation for a generation.
3/
If you’re continuously stunned by the behavior of gerrymandered GOP representatives in the world of Citizens United, don’t be.
Here’s how to think of them:
They are no longer public servants.
Improving public outcomes is not their goal. Nor do they do better in life…
1/
…by serving the public interest.
In fact, if they serve the public interest, they will likely be primaried. And lose.
Think of them as the servants of certain private interests. See that they are in public office to use public power to benefit those private interests.
2/
That’s why public outcomes consistently fall in the places they control (such as gerrymandered red states like Ohio), while certain interests seem to always gain.
When those public outcomes fall, it doesn’t impact them at all.
Two sets of institutions— each central parts of the infrastructure of a functioning democracy—find themselves facing a similar dilemma.
Higher ed institutions, and law firms.
1/
In case people question the centrality of these institutions’ roles in our democracy, know that Trump and Vance fully understand:
That’s why Vance has declared universities and professors the enemy to what he and his allies seek to achieve.
2/
And it’s why Trump has declared war on some law firms—because he knows that, in our system of justice, robust representation of both sides (including the side holding the government or political figures accountable) is essential. Without that balance, the system collapses.
3/