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Christmas Day is in six days.
I was worried that one gift that I ordered would not arrive by Christmas Eve. I was just informed that it will be delivered today. I just have one item to pick up. Most of the gifts are wrapped. Over this weekend I will get some Christmas Day grub.
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HCC Trustee Monica Flores Richart has a letter-to-the-editor in today’s Chron about the Chron’s 37 most fascinating folks in H-Town that were featured a couple of days ago. Here is how Trustee Richart’s letter begins:
Regarding “Meet the 37 most fascinating, controversial and notorious Houstonians of 2024,” (Dec. 17): Another December, another Houston Chronicle “Most Fascinating” list that underrepresents the largest subset of our community. By my count, of the 37 people, the only Latinos were the talented Mario “Gonzo247” Figueroa Jr.; and the group identified only as “The Chicano Squad,” without even naming these brave law-enforcement legends.
In a city that is over 44% Latino, it’s disappointing that my local newspaper fails to recognize more of the creative, vibrant, rich and talented Latinos blazing trails in our community. I’d be willing to bet that most of Houston sees us, even if some at our local newspaper do not. We have faced and continue to face underrepresentation and erasure, and there is no indication that this pattern will not continue.
Here is the entire letter from Monica: The Houston Chronicle’s ‘Most Fascinating’ list was light on Latinos.
She makes excellent points. Good for her.
Once again, the Chron was lazy.
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Well, the sh_tshow is fixing to start a little early. Donald Trump told MAGA members of congress to scuttle the latest budget deal. Now a government shutdown is on the horizon. My advice to Democrats in congress is to let the MAGA members of congress shut down the government. That is what America voted for last month.
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Folks know how I feel about Rahm Emanuel becoming Chair of the Democratic National Committee. Emanuel has ideas on how Democrats should deal with Trump and MAGA. See this from Newsweek:
Rahm Emanuel laid out three strategies for Democrats to counter President-elect Donald Trump in an opinion article published by The Washington Post on Tuesday.
Emanuel, the former U.S. ambassador to Japan and former mayor of Chicago, has been rumored to be among the Democrats mulling a run to lead the Democratic National Committee (DNC) after Vice President Kamala Harris‘ loss to Trump in this year’s presidential race.
Democrats are debating the direction they should take moving forward—progressives have argued that the party has abandoned the working class, arguing that Harris’ strategy to win moderate Republicans cost them among traditionally Democratic groups. Others say the party has moved too far to the left on social issues and has alienated moderate voters.
If Emanuel jumps into the DNC race, he would bring high name recognition and experience and would likely be viewed as a favorite, despite resistance from some progressives.
Whoever becomes the next party leader will play a key role in shaping the party’s policy and strategy over the next few years.
Emanuel criticized Democrats for being “blind to the rising sea of disillusionment,” while Trump has seized on a “groundswell of resentment” this year.
“To many voters, the nation’s elite has overseen a system that is rigged in favor of the powerful. And for the first time in American history, there is a generation of voters who believe that their children won’t be better off than them,” Emanuel wrote in a Washington Post op-ed.
He listed three ways Democrats can rebuild themselves in the next few years to retake control of Congress in 2026 and the presidency in 2028.
First, Democrats need to “reveal the populist Trump as a plutocrat,” he wrote. This would unite both the moderate and progressive wing of the party and allow Democrats to return to their “roots as the voice of the middle class.”
“With everyone from Big Oil to Big Pharma lining up for their share of the spoils, we will need to be strategic in how we strip away Trump’s populist veneer,” Emanuel wrote.
Second, Democrats must not “tiptoe” around issues like crime, immigration and homelessness, he wrote.
Immigration, along with the economy and inflation, proved to be a winning issue for Republicans this year, as many voters felt the Biden administration did not adequately address the high number of border crossings throughout his tenure. However, Biden sought to secure a bipartisan border bill that critics accuse Trump of undermining.
Crime has also been an issue for Democrats in cities like New York, where Republicans made significant gains with all types of voters this year. Although crime statistics show that violent crime is down overall, there has still been a higher number of crimes like carjackings.
Emanuel wrote that Democrats can’t just “recite crime statistics to deny people’s everyday experiences” on issues like crime, noting that Democrats’ message on these issues “communicated permissiveness.”
Third, Democrats will need to pick strong candidates for the midterms, when Democrats are already hoping for a blue wave similar to 2018 or 2006. The strongest candidates, he wrote, aren’t “career politicians” but instead include groups like veterans and those who have worked in the private sector.
Here is the entire read: Rahm Emanuel Says These 3 Strategies Can Counter Donald Trump’s Dominance.
Emanuel is certainly a career politician. It sounds like he is being critical of the Democratic Party structure that he helped create and was a part. Oh, well.
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The custom home in the featured photo is across the street from me. They have completely rebuilt the structure that used to sit there. They have been working on it for over a year now. It is supposed to be completed by the middle of next month.
The owner gave me a tour of the inside this past weekend. It is going to be a very nice crib when it is finished. It is definitely one of a kind, the way it is laid out and designed.
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I got my eyes examined yesterday and got the thumbs up. My eyes are in pretty good shape for my age. They took some intensive photos of my eyes by a fancy Nikon gizmo and blown up they looked like planetary objects taken by the Hubble Telescope.
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It is clear the team has given up on signing Alex Bregman. It is just not official. See this from the Chron:
The Houston Astros’ interest in one high-profile infielder has met an apparent complication.
The Astros have had talks with the St. Louis Cardinals about a potential trade for third baseman Nolan Arenado, a person with knowledge of the situation confirmed, as Houston explores possible offseason additions to its lineup.
Arenado, 33, has a no-trade clause in his contract that would allow him to veto a trade to any team. On Wednesday, MLB.com reported that Arenado told the Cardinals he was unwilling to waive the no-trade clause for a deal with Houston.
Arenado could change his mind and talks between the Astros and Cardinals are reportedly expected to continue. According to The Athletic, Arenado declined to waive the no-trade clause because he did not want to make a decision this early in the offseason.
Whether the Astros would continue to pursue Arenado is unclear. Houston acquired a third baseman, Isaac Paredes, in its trade of Kyle Tucker to the Cubs. But it could play Paredes at first base if it added another third baseman this winter.
Arenado, an eight-time All-Star, is under contract through 2027 and owed $74 million for the next three seasons. The Cardinals have said they intend to trade Arenado this offseason and Arenado’s agent, Joel Wolfe, said at the winter meetings the third baseman would be “willing to strongly consider” a deal but is “not going to go just anywhere” and would favor a team poised to contend.
The Rockies are on the hook for $10 million of the remaining cost on Arenado’s contract, and any team that traded for him could ask the Cardinals to include money to help pay down the deal. Arenado’s offense dipped the past two seasons, as he posted a 101 OPS-plus in 2024, but he owns a 120 OPS-plus over 12 major-league seasons and 10 Gold Glove awards.
Here is the entire read: Houston Astros: Nolan Arenado vetoes trade from Cardinals, per report.
The only thing lacking in Arenado’s 12-year career is substantial postseason action. He has only played in 8 postseason games with one postseason dinger. He’s never played in a League Championship Series. I have no idea why he would not want to wear the orange and blue. We are certainly a contender. Maybe he doesn’t like playing in October. Stay tuned.
