The Daily Dose/February 12, 2020
By Gaylon Kent
America’s Funniest Guy
Leading Off
Notes from around the human experience…
HERE WE GO AGAIN: As usually happens every four years, some are getting their shorts in a knot over the influence Iowa and New Hampshire have in the selection of Republican and Democratic presidential candidates. They are the first contests in the country and candidates spend no small amount of time and money trying to curry favor, even though only two Democrats who won contested races – Jimmy Carter (1976) and Barack Obama (2008) – have won the presidency.
Dry, Technical Matter: Naysayers like to point out that Iowa and New Hampshire are far from the biggest states in the country, Iowa ranking 32nd in population while New Hampshire ranks 42nd. On the other hand, Iowa and New Hampshire are members in good standing of the Union, having the same status as California and New York and every other state.
Really Dry, Technical Matter: Iowa has long held caucuses. They did have a primary in 1916 but went back to the caucus (where voters cast ballots at county meetings) because of the cost and low turnout. New Hampshire has had the first primary in the nation since 1916 and state law mandates their primary happen before any other primary.
Fly In The Ointment: We’ve long felt that Iowa and New Hampshire’s smaller populations work to our advantage. Consider this: since there are fewer voters, and since candidates want to make good impressions, they go out of their way to shake as many hands and kiss as many babies as possible. Voters are able to look candidates in the eyes and shake their hands and ask them questions, and these are good ways to get to know someone, be it the new neighbor on the block or a candidate rustling up votes.
Get Your Official Daily Dose Policy Right Here: We’re OK with the role Iowa and New Hampshire play in the nominating process. Now, those who say Iowa and New Hampshire are not the most diverse states in the Union have a point, but there are 50 states and not all of them can have the first caucus or the first primary, and we’re happy to have the good folks of Iowa and New Hampshire sort out matters early for us.
Today At The Site
Writing worth reading. Usually.
The Diary of a Nobody: Sparrow shows up to the hotel, but doesn’t do much. Today’s Diary.
I was committed to doing as little as possible tonight…Usually, I can be counted on to spend the idle hours working on project stuff but not tonight…I have a very leisurely job and I decided to take advantage of it and spend as much of it as possible doing as little as possible.
This quest was neither difficult nor unrewarded.
Click here to get in on the laffs: Sparrow, The Bottom Ten, the funniest books you’ve ever read. We offer 4Ever and Ever access, or cheapskates can purchase books and columns individually.
On This Date
Great moments in us.
In 1999 – President of the United States Bill Clinton is acquitted of all charges by the United States Senate in a trial that had followed his impeachment by the US House of Representatives. Clinton had been charged with one count of perjury and one count of obstruction of justice. 67 votes were required for conviction with the first article garnering 45 guilty votes and the second article 50 guilty votes. Ten Republicans voted not guilty on the first article and five voted not guilty on the second. The articles stemmed from Clinton’s affair with Monica Lewinsky and the trial had begun on Jan 7.
In 1947 – Bill Cowley of the Boston Bruins establishes a new NHL record for most career points in a 10-1 victory over the New York Rangers. Cowley had a goal and an assist, giving him a total of 530 points, one more than Syd Howe, who had spent most of his career with the Detroit Red Wings. Cowley would retire at the end of the season with 549 points and the mark has been eclipsed so many times Cowley’s record no longer has any statistical significance. The record is now held by Wayne Gretzky with 2,857 career points.
In 1972 – Al Green is at #1 on Billboard’s Hot 100 for the only week with Let’s Stay Together. It was Green’s second of ten Top 10 pop hits and remains his only #1 song on the Hot 100. The song was also in its sixth of nine consecutive weeks at #1 on Billboard’s soul chart, Green’s first of six soul #1s, and was Billboard’s biggest soul song of the year. The song also peaked at #7 in Great Britain and returned to the Hot 100 in 1983, when Tina Turner took it to #26.
Quotebook
The wisdom of the ages. Whatever.
A proverb is no proverb to you until your life has illustrated it. – John Keats
Answer To The Last Trivia Question
It’s not who you know, but what you know.
The song that spent the most weeks at #1 on Billboard’s soul chart in 1967 was Respect by Aretha Franklin, which spent eight weeks at the top.
Today’s Stumper
Cheaper than Trivia Night at the bar.
How many #1 songs has Al Green had on Billboard’s soul chart? – Answer next time!
