The Kind-Hearted Smart Aleck

I keep seeing and hearing self-described liberals/progressives saying things such as, “We’re done with the Democratic Party!” “The Democratic Party is just as bad as the Republican Party!” and “I’m either not voting or voting 3 rd party from here on!” First off, the two parties are not remotely the same. Let’s compare January 6 th from 2021 to 2025. Notice any differences? If not, I seriously recommend you schedule an appointment with your optometrist, stat! Given the fact so many registered Democrats stayed home this past November, however, it seems rather obvious to me some changes need to be made moving forward. Yes, I’m going to run through said changes. 1)     1)   Chutes for Leaders : With all due respect to the likes of Joe Biden, Chuck Schumer, and Nancy Pelosi, amongst others, it’s high past time for party leaders to get a makeover. No, I don’t mean Senator Schumer should go Twisted Sister; I mean it’s time for some new faces atop the Democratic P...

As a child, I loved the 4th of July. Between family barbecues to my parents having time off to spend with my brother and I, to of course, fireworks, the 4th of July was my favorite holiday outside of Halloween and Christmas. As is often the case, however, the more I've aged, the more my viewpoints about the major holidays have changed, none more so than the 4th of July or Independence Day. Over the past 5 to 10 years, I've noticed an increasing number of children and pets being frightened by the loud sounds of fireworks. Not only that, I've grown bored of the repetitive nature of fireworks displays. Honestly, if you've seen one, you've pretty much seen them all. Worst of all, though, is a question which constantly rings in my mind all throughout these holiday festivities: "What does Independence Day truly mean anymore?" On July 4th, 300 million+ Americans celebrate their independence. But what about illegal immigrants and DREAMers who could be deported...

While it may be hard to believe, the South was once dominated by the Democratic Party. This was until the Civil Rights Act of 1964 was signed by Democratic President Lyndon B. Johnson and the conservative Dixiecrats left their espoused party for the GOP (Grand Old Party). The electoral map slowly began to reverse itself, as the South went from strong Democratic to strong Republican. Regardless of the party which dominated the region, the South has always been predominantly conservative. Just look at the Civil War and the South's (Confederates') fight for expanded slavery as a prime example. ...and that brings us to today. A lot of people seem to believe that the Donald Trump phenomenon is just an aberration, that his rise within the Republican Party was just a blip on the radar and isn't emblematic of the GOP of today. I'm sorry to have to say this, but he didn't happen overnight. This has been a long time coming.  There's a reason why a large majority of...

The Top Ten Worst Branding Changes (besides IHOP to IHOb) 10. KFC: Good Finger Lickin' 9. Papa John's: Papa John's: Bitter ingredients. Bitter pizza. Papa John's. 8. Rolaids: How do you spell  relief' ? Can you use that in a sentence? What's the term's origin? Could you say the word again? 7. Allstate: You're in good reach-arounds with Allstate. 6. United: Getting Friendly in the Skies 5. Packard: Ask the Only Man Who Owns One 4. McDonald's: You deserve a break today. How's that right arm lookin'? 3. Colt 45: It Works Every Time Some of the Time. 2. Coca Cola: It's the real thing...this time... 1. (drumroll) Motel 6: We'll leave a light on for you...and watch...

Did the best team win the college football playoff this year? That's debatable. Did the Alabama Crimson Tide deserve to win the title, though? Without question, no. According to the playoff selection committee's own guidelines, conference championships are a critical component to a team's resumé. While I've never been a huge fan of conference championship games, given the current format, this is how things are. Having said that, Alabama didn't win their conference championship game this year. Not only that, they didn't even compete in the SEC title game. Due to their in-conference loss to Auburn in the Iron Bowl, the Crimson Tide finished the regular season 3rd in the Southeastern Conference, behind Georgia and Auburn, respectively. While the winner of the SEC title game was a shoe-in (and deservedly so) for the four-team playoff, how does it make any lick of sense to select the 3rd seed from the conference as the #4 team in the playoff? Let's delve into t...

Many in the sports media, ESPN in particular, have an odd, almost abusive relationship with Alabama head coach Nick Saban. Saban treats them like crap day in and day out for many years, these sports commentators start to believe they deserve such treatment, and wind up spending most of their time defending their abuser - in this case, Nick Saban. At no time was this any more prevalent than last night and this morning, after Alabama dominated Clemson 24-6 to win the Sugar Bowl and advance to the national championship game to face in-conference rival Georgia. To paraphrase, here are what 99% of ESPN's college football analysts said following the Tide's big victory:  - "Well, that just goes to show you the committee got it right." - "This game proves Alabama's one of the best four teams and deserved to get in over Ohio State." - "Alabama's loss to Auburn was obviously due to injuries." - "Alabama's just the better team....

This may come as a great shock to many of my readers, fans, and followers, but I want the Republican Party to return to respectability. I want the GOP to return to the Abraham Lincoln, Teddy Roosevelt, and Dwight Eisenhower days. On election day, I want to choose between the better of two respectables, not the better of two evils. The biggest reason why I spend so much time satirizing the modern-day Republican Party is because I want its members to finally realize how the GOP has been hijacked by racists, sexists, homophobes, oligarchs, narcissists, conspiracy theorists, and phony Christians, and to take it back. Unfortunately, that has yet to occur, but I still remain cautiously optimistic it will at some point. Segueing from that, a number of self-described Republicans are, to this day, still naively stuck on the party's name, claiming it represents today what it represented 150 years ago. I'm sorry, but the party names mean relatively little. If a KKK member was a regist...

Based on a series of polls that were released last week, one thing's for certain about the Senate's proposed health care plan - the people don't much care for Trumpcare. In a USA TODAY/Suffolk University poll, it showed that just 12% of Americans approve of the Senate's "Obamacare" repeal-and-replace bill. That's not a typo - just over 1 in 10 Americans like the Senate's health care plan. Meanwhile 53% believe we should either keep the Affordable Care Act as it is or make some changes while keeping its framework. In addition to that, 77% believe it's "very important" to cover people with pre-existing conditions, 63% feel similarly about providing Medicaid options to those whom are eligible, and 57% believe it's "very important" to lower premiums. The GOP had 7 years. For 7 years, the GOP ran on the platform that they'd repeal and replace the evil "Obamacare." For 7 years, they tried defunding the ACA. For 7...

As a progressive, I'll probably receive some flak for this, but the Republican Party was once a great party. This is the party that brought to us the likes of Presidents: Abraham Lincoln, Teddy Roosevelt, and Dwight Eisenhower, among others. They were the anti-slavery party. They were the limited government party. In many ways, they were the progressive party. However, as the saying goes, all good things come to an end, and there is no greater example of this than the GOP (Grand Old Party), for the modern-day Republican Party has become the antithesis of what it stood for upon its inception, directly opposed to equality, small government, and progression. The Republican Party began losing its identity in 1964 when then President Lyndon Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act. Ironically, more Republicans than Democrats in Congress voted for the bill, but since Johnson, a Democrat, signed it, fairly or not, his party received the most praise for its passage. With this one swoop of a p...

We've been in a transition stage at The Tracy Fort Show . Unfortunately, due to both Tracy and I battling illnesses in recent weeks, this transition stage has been a much more gradual process than we had initially intended. While we have discussed ideas on changes to the show's name, for the time being, we're going to call it The Tracy & Craig Show . I'll be certain to update readers on any additional changes to the show's title and/or any other changes my co-host and I decide to make during this transitional period.

I was caught off guard over the weekend when a friend of mine asked me, "So what do you plan to do with the rest of your life?" I think I was doubly caught off guard due to the fact I was out and relaxing at a bar. When I venture to such a destination, the last thing I think about is, "Where am I going to be 20 years from now?" At least for me, I go to bars to temporarily unwind and get away from reality, not to have it thrown in my face. In any case, even 48 hours after the fact, I'd still have difficulty in concretely answering the question, "So what do you plan to do with the rest of your life?" Now, if I had been asked, "What are your end goals or dreams?" I would have had a fairly easy time responding in full. However, as I've come to learn, it's incredibly difficult, if not next to impossible, to fully plan life. On a daily basis, things happen which we never would have expected, let alone planned, and that's one of the lo...

I'm getting a little tired of the us-vs.-them rhetoric we hear so often nowadays, especially with regard to law enforcement and the Black Lives Matter movement. The two aren't mutually exclusive. It's perfectly rational to be both pro-cop and pro-Black Lives Matter.  First off, no matter who we want to pin the blame on, I think many have misunderstood the intent of Black Lives Matter (BLM). BLM activists aren't saying only black lives matter; they're simply saying black lives matter too. Many black-Americans feel like their voices have been ignored and like their lives mean less than those in other demographics (perhaps 3/5 of a person), to the point where they've decided to stand up and say, "Hey, our lives matter too!" So for those who like to counter chants of "Black Lives Matter!" with "All Lives Matter!" while that's technically true, it illustrates your lack of understanding for the BLM movement. Allow me to provide an ...

In light of the horrific mass shooting in Orlando, Florida over the weekend, I read this post on an old friend of mine's Facebook page: "R.I.P. America!!! You went soft on discipline. You raised the cost of living so high that both parents are always at work, rather than spending time with their children. You took God out of schools. Parents were told 'No you can't discipline your kids'. Kids had rights blah, blah, blah. Well. America!! We have lost a whole generation and turned them into selfish, disrespectful brats who have no respect for people, property or authority! Things need to change! This is the first time I've EVER done the whole copy and paste but I couldn't agree more with this!" While I can understand we all grieve and react to tragedy differently, this post has been going around since at least 2011 and comes across like someone whom was rejected for a role in the film Grumpy Old Men . Look, change is inevitable, and whether or not ...

On December 26th of last year I suffered my first panic attack. Of all my health ordeals through the years, and there have been many, this was by far and away the scariest of the lot. My blood pressure shot up from 120/80 to 197/118. My heart-rate jumped from 90 beats per minute to 155. I started losing feeling in my arms and legs. It reached the point where I looked my mother in the eyes, told her I loved her, and goodbye, because I thought that was it. Fortunately that wasn't the case, but it's been a long four months back to recovery, and I'm still not fully there just yet. Between the numerous tests I underwent, the multiple medications to which I've been prescribed, and trying to make constant adjustments due to the medications and anxiety, it's been anything but an easy process. Due to ignorance on all parties' part, I was initially asked to refrain from consuming caffeine (including allergy pills) and alcohol. It was discovered fairly early that neither c...

There are a number of things which don't make a great deal of sense to me when it comes to the election process in this country. First off, the electoral college. How can we say every vote counts when Al Gore won the popular vote in the 2000 general election, yet lost due to the fact George W. Bush received more votes than him in the state of Florida (all the votes that were counted anyway)? Secondly, there's the Democratic superdelegates. Every person has the right to vote, so why should some votes be tallied as greater than others? Not only should we do away with superdelegates, we should also put the kibosh on caucuses. In the run up to the 2008 general election, I was fortunate enough to participate in my first caucus, as I cast my vote for Barack Obama in Nebraska. Due to the fact it was my first time at such an event, it was a fascinating and educational experience for me, yet I hope to never have to experience it again. As a matter of fact, I think each and every state...

It seems like everywhere I go, I'll see at least one bumper sticker or hear at least one person say, "We want our country back!" These people are typically conservative Republicans. Whenever I see or hear this, three questions immediately spring to mind: 1) Is this a regular occurrence for people on the opposite side of the political spectrum as the president?, 2) How far back do they want to go exactly?, and 3) Would they rather alter the phrase to, "We want to change our country's direction"? I think it would be perfectly understandable for Republicans to not be fully on board with a Democratic president's policies just as it would be perfectly understandable for Democrats to not be fully on board with a Republican president's policies. It's also understandable that, due to this, these disgruntled voters would want a change in direction in the Oval Office, and with that, the policies leading this country forward. However, the phrasing of ...

After $4 billion was spent this election season and under 38% of eligible voters voted in the midterm elections yesterday, with control of the Senate swapping parties as a result, I think it's safe to say our political system is broken. We can try to call this a democracy all we'd like, but when between roughly 1/3 and 1/2 of eligible voters tend to decide this country's future, and are often times influenced by millions of dollars corporations spend misleading them, I'm sorry, but this isn't a democracy. For the most part, the people no longer decide; money decides. With a big helping hand from the Supreme Court and the Citizen's United ruling, this once proud "democracy" (or republic, I suppose) is becoming an oligarchy, and as sad as it is to say, it appears as if most people don't seem to realize or care about this. Many have given up any hope of having a legitimate voice in the election process, because their voice counts for just one vote, ...