Charles Krauthammer: Obama Never Cared About Debt, His 'Priority Is to Increase Entitlements...'

At RealClearPolitics.

Congressional Leaders Race to End Stalemate

Maybe they'll get a deal today. Word is Speaker John Boehner's caving.

At WSJ, "Leaders Adding Final Touches to Senate Budget Deal: Plan Would Temporarily Raise Debt Ceiling, Reopen Government":

Senate leaders in both parties were putting the finishing touches on an agreement to temporarily raise the nation's debt ceiling and fully reopen the government as lawmakers raced to resolve their budget stalemate and calm anxious financial markets.

The expected Senate deal would avoid a potential U.S. debt default, but it would only set new deadlines for lawmakers to make decisions about the long-term course of fiscal policy.

As outlined by aides, the deal would fund federal agencies through Jan. 15 and extend the nation's borrowing authority through Feb. 7. A negotiating committee would be charged with devising plans for longer-term solutions.

Lawmakers have been hoping to pass legislation—or at least set Congress on a clear path to doing so—before Thursday, which many officials and investors view as a landmark moment. The Treasury says that on that day it will exhaust its emergency borrowing powers and be left with only about $30 billion to pay the nation's bills, enough to last for a week or two.

House GOP leaders on Wednesday were contemplating taking up the expected deal from the Senate for a vote later Wednesday, according to aides from both parties. That would send the bill to the Senate in a fashion enabling the Senate to skip some of its time-consuming procedures to ensure a quicker final vote.

"What I'm hearing is they may move first," Sen. Kelly Ayotte (R., N.H.) said of the House.

Yeah, they're gonna move. See Ed Morrissey, "Breaking: Boehner to take vote on Senate compromise 1st, pass it with Dem votes":

The endgame will arrive a little sooner than expected, thanks to a deal cut with John Boehner to take the first plunge on a bipartisan plan to end the budget standoff before the theoretical debt-ceiling limit gets breached. Instead of the Senate taking up the proposal from Harry Reid and Mitch McConnell first, Boehner will allow a vote — without amendments — and have it pass with Democrats making up the difference from expected opposition from conservatives...

Yeah, well, even WSJ tired of the games, "The Debt Denouement":

The Beltway budget melodrama rolls on to its predictable and dreary end, with both sides now split over increasingly small differences. None of this is worth a partial government shutdown, much less the risk of a debt default, and both sides are looking like losers. Let's get it over with.

As we went to press Tuesday night, Republican leaders in the House had abandoned a plan to pass a debt-increase bill that was nearly identical to the one that Senate leaders agreed to on Monday. The main differences were funding the government only through December 15, rather than January 15 in the Senate bill, and a provision to require Members of Congress and their staff to live by ObamaCare's subsidies.

None of that was enough to please the small band of 20 or so House conservatives who have been all but running the House since this fiasco began. They refused to support House Speaker John Boehner and even Budget Chairman Paul Ryan. Another 30 or so Members were tired of getting kicked around by Heritage Action and Senator Ted Cruz and want the whole thing settled. With Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi keeping her troops in line for a no vote, GOP leaders pulled the bill from the floor.

The conservatives thus undermined whatever small leverage the House GOP had left. Without a united majority of 218 votes, Republicans might as well hand the Speaker's gavel to Senate Democratic leader Harry Reid. Senate leaders announced immediately that they would resume negotiating to finish a deal that they would bring to the floor as early as Wednesday...

Keep reading.

Maybe's it's time to lick the wounds of battle, but I'm not so downbeat as WSJ. I expect the administration's callous treatment of veterans, and its cold indifference to plight of average Americans, will come back to haunt the Democrats in November 2014. Republicans can wrap up this fight and then keep hammering away on Democrat weaknesses, the shitty economy and the morally bankrupt ObamaCare monstrosity.

More at Memeorandum.

Army Captain William Swenson (Retired) Finally Gets His Medal of Honor

A CNN report:



More at WaPo, "With William Swenson, the Army gained a Medal of Honor but lost a leader."

And ICYMI, "New Versions Question Dakota Meyer's Account of Battle at Afghanistan’s Ganjgal Valley in September 2009."

Why #ObamaCare's a Mess

A Chicago Tribune editorial, "The administration has to 'fess up and promote changes":

If you've tried to sign up online for health coverage under the problem-plagued Obamacare exchange, our sympathies. Many people have tried to create accounts and shop for insurance under the new law. Few have succeeded. Those that have enrolled have found that the system is prone to mistakes. Some applications have been sent to the wrong insurance company.

Wait. It gets worse. Those who have managed to browse the marketplace have often been hit by sticker shock. Take Adam Weldzius, a nurse practitioner and single father from Carpentersville. He sought the same level of coverage on the exchange as he and his 7-year-old daughter have now, with the same insurer and the same network of doctors and hospitals. At best, Weldzius found, his monthly premium of $233 would more than double. If he chose a plan priced at the same level, the annual deductible would be $12,700, more than three times his current $3,500 deductible.

"I believe everybody should be able to have health insurance, but at the same time, I'm being penalized. And for what?" Weldzius told the Tribune's Peter Frost. "For someone who's always had insurance, who's always taken care of myself, now I have to change my plan?"

Last spring, President Barack Obama said "there will still be, you know, glitches and bumps" in the rollout of the new system. But what we're seeing now is no glitch or bump. There is a growing mountain of evidence that Obamacare has fundamental problems in design and implementation.

Oh boy. This isn't IBD or WSJ. This is the leftist Chicago Tribune, the marquee newspaper from Obama's hometown. This editorial should sink in. It should sink in for those who most need to be shaken from the stupor and cognitive dissonance: the idiot regressive leftists who refuse to see reality and blame everything else under the sun for the disaster besides the freakin' ACA itself. (See Power Line for just one example, "The Kos Kids Learn About Obamacare.")

In any case, don't hold your breath for changes. King Barack's got his socialized medicine. It's locked in and he couldn't give a flying f-k if it works or not.

More from the Tribune at the link.

Awesome O'Reilly Talking Points Memo: The Collapse of #ObamaCare

And listen especially to Monica Crowley. Obama promised a "fundamental transformation"of America, and it's finally here.

And as O'Reilly notes, the president hasn't said a word about the epic disaster of the health exchange rollout. He doesn't freakin' care. He's got his socialized medicine and the country just better suck it up.

'Strong is the New Skinny' - Jennifer Nicole Lee Flaunts Smokin' Hot Body in New Fitness Program Rollout

Well, she's certainly the perfect spokeswoman for "strong is the new skinny."

What a lady. Wow!

At London's Daily Mail, "Holy Batgirl! Jennifer Nicole Lee makes a splash in superhero bikini bottoms while promoting her fitness program."

Previous J. Nicole Lee blogging here.

Principles in Shutdown Debate Worth Fighting For

From Michael Ramirez, at IBD, "At Stake For Republicans: Principles and the Party":

Some say the Republicans suffered an unnecessary, self-inflicted wound engaging in a government shutdown when President Obama seemed most vulnerable.

His popularity, after all, was eroding, the media were finally beginning to criticize his conduct of foreign policy, and even unions and the Congressional Black Caucus were turning their backs.

Truth is, the unions and black caucus will never turn their backs on this president and the media will continue to pronounce the scandals surrounding Benghazi, the IRS, Fast and Furious, intelligence leaks and the NSA as "phony" and ignore the administration's incoherent foreign policy and diplomatic failures.

No one wants a government shutdown, but the principles behind this one are worth fighting for. The shutdown challenges Obama's reckless policies and brings to light the real danger they pose, something the media refuse to do.

Continue reading.

Rush Limbaugh: #ObamaCare Debut is 'Worse Than Many Realize...'

I've been blogging on this all week. It's not the failure of the healthcare website. It's the law itself. It's literally destroying the U.S. healthcare system, working just as planned.



Rush cites the Chicago Tribune out this week, "#ObamaCare Deductibles a Dose of Sticker Shock." And Bloomberg's cited as well, "Patients Pay Before Seeing Doctor as Deductibles Spread."

'The willingness of well-off white liberals and the Obama administration to keep throwing poor black children under the public-school bus is dumbfounding and inexcusable...'

This is perfect, at the letters to the editor, at WSJ, "Why Liberal Elites Are Opposed to Empowering Parents":

Kevin Chavous, chairman of Democrats for Education Reform, argues that "Vouchers Can Help Kids and Big-City Politicians" (op-ed, Oct. 8) who are struggling to fund public schools and other city services while keeping up with budget-crushing pension, health-care and debt obligations. As Mr. Chavous appears to recognize, the major impediments to "unleashing parental choice in education" are: most big-city politicians and their teachers-union benefactors; Democratic, white, liberal elites; and the Obama administration. Conservatives generally support school choice.

Why are white, liberal elites so hostile to school choice? A primary argument is that public-school resources are reduced when students exit the system and that the better alternative is to make all public schools work.

A less-advertised rationale for opposition to vouchers is, at its core, pure and simple paternalism mixed with condescension. Poorly educated, impoverished black parents, including many women raising children on their own, are unprepared to evaluate and select the best school options for their children. It takes a state, run by enlightened and educated liberals, to decide what is best for those disadvantaged students. One can understand that big-city pols kowtow to teachers unions, even if Mr. Chavous is correct that school choice actually can ease budget pressures. The willingness of well-off white liberals and the Obama administration to keep throwing poor black children under the public-school bus is dumbfounding and inexcusable.

Terry Hill
Reston, Va.

Democrats are such hateful, horrible people who in fact spit on the poor and rob them of their dignity.

Shame on them. Shame on anyone who calls themselves a Democrat.

Jaguar Attacks Caiman

Amazing video.

At National Geographic, "Exclusive Video: Jaguar Kills Caiman":

Dramatic still images of a jaguar ambushing an unwary caiman in Brazil's Pantanal wetlands went viral on the web this month. National Geographic has exclusive video of the attack that reveals what the pictures only hint at.

With one bite, the big cat likely delivered an immediate blow to the caiman's central nervous system, leaving the animal unable to fight or flee, according to Luke Dollar, a conservation scientist who helps manage National Geographic’s Big Cats Initiative.

"This guy knew his business," said Dollar. Suffocating an animal with a bite to the neck is a classic big-cat maneuver, but caimans don’t have a discernable neck. So the jaguar—which has the strongest bite of any cat—went right for the skull.

"This guy got right in the thickest part of the brain case and sunk those teeth in," he said. "And that's pretty amazing when you consider a caiman’s brain is probably the size of a walnut."

Kedar Hippalgaonkar, of Berkeley, California, shot the footage while vacationing in Brazil with his wife, Parul Jain.  The couple were hoping to spot some jaguars on an eight-hour boat tour of the Pantanal with ecotourism operator SouthWild.

More at that top link.

'Talk of the Town'

From yesterday's drive-time, on the Sound L.A.

You May Be Right - Billy Joel 08:20 AM

Money - Pink Floyd 08:14 AM

Talk of the Town - Pretenders 08:11 AM

Pushin' Too Hard - The Seeds 08:08 AM

Fame - David Bowie 08:04 AM

The Wanton Song -  Led Zeppelin 08:00 AM

Down On the Corner -  Creedence Clearwater Revival 07:57 AM

Born In the U.S.A. - Bruce Springsteen 07:53 AM

You Won't See Me - The Beatles 07:41 AM

PREVIOUSLY: "'You've changed your place in this world...'"

#ObamaCare 'Has Raped My Future...'

See the Facebook post from Ashley Dionne, at Ironic Surrealism, "College Grad's Viral Open Letter: Obamacare Has “Raped My Future”."

Debt Ceiling Dirty Deal

"Dirty deal."

Sounds, well, dirty.

Via ReasonTV.

#StopRush Troll Melissa Brewer and the Kimberlin-Schmalfeldt Axis of Criminal Harassment and Intimidation

Robert Stacy McCain posted an entry the other day explaining the significance of the conservative campaign against Brett Kimberlin and his associates.

See, "WHY BRETT KIMBERLIN MATTERS."

It might seem funny that Robert would write such an entry, especially given the massive anti-Kimberlin blog-burst that erupted 18-months ago in defense of a number of TCOT bloggers who'd been targeted by the convicted Speedway Bomber and nascent left-wing "justice-through-music" shakedown scam artist. (See Michelle Malkin for a refresher, "Free speech blogburst: Show solidarity for targeted conservative bloggers; Update: It’s Everybody Blog About Brett Kimberlin Day; Donation fund for targets.")

But as anyone who's even sporadically kept up with this situation knows, Kimberlin maintains a deep bench of malicious hate-activists ("hatevists") conducting long-term intimidation campaigns to harass into silence conservative voices online, on Twitter and the right blogosphere. While no doubt many of the original participants in the Everybody Blog About Brett Kimberlin blogburst have moved on --- either having lost interest, or in fact having little skin in the game to keep them angry and engaged against the haters --- the core group of bloggers targeted by the Kimberlin axis are still battling the hate, most prominently by defending themselves against a $1 million Kimberlin lawsuit filed in Montgomery County, Maryland, in September.

I confess to often overlooking the need to stay up-to-date on the Kimberlin cabal, and I certainly haven't blogged as much as I should have on this --- against an utterly depraved program of hatred, perversion and criminal violence attempting to destroy anyone who dares speak truth against the evil.

I'm now updating after seeing the latest developments at the Other McCain, "The #Shutuppery Files: ‘Twitter Gulag’ #StopRush Crew Joined Team Kimberlin." The entry focuses on the nefarious #StopRush troll Melissa Brewer (pictured above), who in a previous incarnation posted under the Twitter handle "Melisssa in DC (@subculturestuff). Brewer, under that nom de guerre, organized a campaign against Sister Toldjah, which included the creation of an enemies list of conservatives to be targeted for dispatch to Twitter gulag. Right-blogger Serr8d was on the list and has it posted at his blog, "Twitter 'Hit List', Organized by the #StopRush Liberal Fascists Who Are All Hatetivists."

Brewer's harassment went well beyond Twitter malevolence campaigns. This is someone who was deeply involved in criminal harassment of conservatives, including publishing the personal information of her targets, as well as contacting employers of the people she'd targeted for destruction. Check this post for an idea of this woman's machinations, "Twitler's List."

It turns out that new information links Brewer to Bill Schmalfeldt's completely unhinged psycho-killer campaign against Kimberlin target Aaron Worthing and others. New information also ties her to the various mob-style smear campaigns of Kimberlin’s associate Neal Rauhauser.

I'm not an expert on these things, as mentioned. It's hard enough keeping up on my day job. But I've been targeted in equally evil campaigns of workplace intimidation and harassment. These attacks are among the signature methods of the anarchist-Alinskyite-nihilist left. Frankly, I was shocked at the enormity of lies that leftist enemies were willing to spew in their disgusting and wicked campaigns of workplace harassment. I now know there's no depth to which regressive leftists won't stoop to literally annihilate those whom they detest. And thus, for true patriots there is no higher battle than standing up for decency and right. In the end, defending truth is the ultimate virtue, for if you don't have truth you have tyranny. And what the left wants more than anything is to destroy any semblance of virtue that stands athwart its totalitarian project. They have not reason nor faith. Only brute force and the legions of Lucifer willing to do their bidding. I don't exaggerate on this. Brett Kimberlin's personal jihad against any and all who deign to even mention his name speaks to the left's genuine existential hatred of goodness and righteousness. I suspect most people haven't the personal constitution and fortitude to withstand the onslaught. Indeed, many will simply run and hide from the hate-addled monstrosity of progressive intimidation. But it can't be ignored. Civil society will perish if no one stands in its defense. As I get older, and I see how the U.S. has become largely a shell of itself and its past glory, I know the fight is long but that conservative values will again prevail with nurture and perseverance. The defense against the Kimberlin axis is but one theater in the right's long campaign against the left's postmodern socialist takeover of America. These are truths of my being. I will die vindicating them.

In any case, more from the Other McCain:

So, to recap: The same Melissa Brewer who was part of the hateful #StopRush boycott effort to silence Rush Limbaugh, the same Melissa Brewer who was part of the hateful effort to silence @SisterToldjah and other conservatives on Twitter, this was the Melissa Brewer who claimed to have an “Anon leak about people being PAID to blog about Kimberlin,” and this same Melissa Brewer was communicating multiple times daily with Bill Schmalfeldt, who has harassed Aaron Worthing, Ali Akbar, Lee Stranahan, Patrick “Patterico” Frey, John Hoge and others. Lee Stranahan, Feb. 16:

Cease & Desist: Melissa Brewer aka @CatsRImportant Is Working With Bill Schmalfeldt

That was at the time Stranahan was pursuing harassment charges against Schmalfeldt. It has been alleged by Kimberlin Unmasked that Melissa Brewer is “Xenophon,” who has published multiple attacks on Team Kimberlin targets. And guess what? Kimberlin Unmasked also is a defendant in the Kimberlin v. Walker et al. lawsuit. Now, after all this, Melissa Brewer has posted a long article with this headline:

My Story: PTSD, Survival, and Feminism

Go back and RTWT.

#ObamaCare Deductibles a Dose of Sticker Shock

Everyday, another report of the law working exactly opposite of the way Democrats promised it would.

Consumer costs are supposed to be coming down, but they're not.

See the Chicago Tribune:

Obamacare deductibles a dose of sticker shock http://t.co/St0ZS9k1nm

— Anne Leary (@backyardconserv) October 14, 2013

Adam Weldzius, a nurse practitioner, considers himself better informed than most when it comes to the inner workings of health insurance. But even he wasn't prepared for the pocketbook hit he'll face next year under President Barack Obama's health care overhaul.

If the 33-year-old single father wants the same level of coverage next year as what he has now with the same insurer and the same network of doctors and hospitals, his monthly premium of $233 will more than double. If he wants to keep his monthly payments in check, the Carpentersville resident is looking at an annual deductible for himself and his 7-year-old daughter of $12,700, a more than threefold increase from $3,500 today.

"I believe everybody should be able to have health insurance, but at the same time, I'm being penalized. And for what?" said Weldzius, who is not offered insurance through his employer. "For someone who's always had insurance, who's always taken care of myself, now I have to change my plan?"


Many Illinoisans buying health coverage on their own next year will face a similar dilemma spurred by the health care overhaul: pay higher monthly insurance premiums or run the risk of having to shell out thousands more in deductibles for health care if they get sick.

To promote the Oct. 1 debut of the exchanges, the online marketplaces where consumers can shop and buy insurance, Obama administration and Illinois officials touted the lower-than-expected monthly premiums that would make insurance more affordable for millions of Americans. But a Tribune analysis shows that 21 of the 22 lowest-priced plans offered on the Illinois health insurance exchange for Cook County have annual deductibles of more than $4,000 for an individual and $8,000 for family coverage.

Those deductibles, which represent the out-of-pocket money consumers must spend on health care before most insurance benefits kick in, are higher than what many consumers expected or may be able to stomach, benefit experts said.

By comparison, people who buy health insurance through their employer have an average individual deductible of just more than $1,100, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation.

Although millions of Americans will be eligible for federal assistance to help offset some of those costs, millions will not, underscoring one of the trade-offs wrought under the law's goal to ensure most people have access to health insurance.

"It's been major sticker shock for most of my clients and prospects," said Rich Fahn, president of the Northbrook-based insurance broker Excell Benefit Group. "I'm telling (clients) that everything they know historically about health plans has changed. They either have to pay more out-of-pocket or more premiums or both. It's an overwhelming concern."

Keep reading.

Veterans Take Over Washington Mall, Liberate War Memorials — #1MVetMarch

William Jacobson had the awesomely-titled post yesterday, "Liberation of WWII Memorial."

In all my years of tea party protests and anti-ObamaCare rallies, I don't think anything has resonated so viscerally with American freedom.

At Fire Andrea Mitchell, "Pictures From Million Veteran March – Media AWOL in Coverage."

And one hella roundup at Weasel Zippers, "DEVELOPING… Veterans Storm D.C. #VetMarch."

Also at Gateway Pundit, "Patriots at the Million Vets March Carry Barricades from Lincoln Memorial to Set Up at White House (Video)."And from the Mad Jewess, "Vets, Patriots & Truckers Throw Obama’s Bolshevik Barriers On The White House Lawn."

Follow @RealJamesWoods on Twitter!

He's freakin' amazing.

Yesterday he was tweeting a storm on the veterans' march on D.C.

Thank God we have baton wielding riot police to protect us from 85 yr old vets in wheelchairs. Thanks, Mr. Obama pic.twitter.com/hrxWzMkO18

— James Woods (@RealJamesWoods) October 13, 2013

And last week, at Twitchy, "‘My country first’: James Woods doesn’t ‘expect to work again’ after brutally honest criticism of Obama."

New Versions Question Dakota Meyer's Account of Battle at Afghanistan’s Ganjgal Valley in September 2009

I was reading this story Saturday night on my iPhone before bedtime, at WaPo, "For Medal of Honor recipient Capt. William Swenson, a rocky path to the White House."

It turns out that retired U.S. Army Capt. William Swenson will be honored this week with the Medal of Honor at a White House ceremony, although it took tremendous pressure to bring about the recognition. According to the report:

After returning from the battlefield, Swenson engaged in a lengthy and bitter dispute with the military over the narrative of one of the Afghan war’s most notorious firefights.

The questions he raised resulted in reprimands for two other officers and what he and others say was an effort by the Army to discredit him. His account also cast doubt on the exploits of another Medal of Honor recipient from the same battle, Dakota Meyer of the Marine Corps.

United in war, the two men have taken far different paths since. Meyer has found celebrity and success, with a book and a personal assistant, boosted by a story that Swenson considers an inflated and misleading account of that harrowing day.

Swenson — the first Army officer since the Vietnam War to be awarded the medal — has been unemployed since leaving the service in 2011. He is single and lives in Seattle, growing a thick beard and long hair, in contrast to the clean-cut look of his military days, and escaping often to the mountains to find solitude in “my forced early retirement.”

“Are you familiar with Pyrrhic victories?” Swenson said in a recent interview. “That’s what I specialize in.”

The details of the battle at the link, but here's more:

Rep. Duncan Hunter (R-Calif.) has never spoken with Swenson, but he was incensed when he learned about his case last year.

A former Marine who served in Iraq and Afghanistan, Hunter was frustrated by what he called the “armchair bureaucracy sitting back at the Pentagon changing what the guys on the ground are saying happened.”

The congressman took up Swenson’s cause, writing letters to high-ranking military officials. “It’s taken four years for Swenson to get the medal,” Hunter said in an interview. “Don’t tell me you can’t do it in six months.”

After an internal investigation, Army officials concluded that Swenson’s digital nomination packet had been lost in the computer system for 19 months. Landay also reported that the Army’s investigation had uncovered evidence that military officials may have improperly attempted to downgrade the original nomination to a Distinguished Service Cross.

An Army spokeswoman said this past week that Swenson’s award had not been downgraded and that Medal of Honor award procedures were not violated. Swenson was renominated in 2011 after Marine Gen. John R. Allen, then the commander in Afghanistan, took interest.

“The Army is reviewing ways to ensure this type of injustice does not happen again,” said spokeswoman Tatjana Christian, adding that it typically takes one to three years to process a Medal of Honor nomination before it reaches the White House. She also noted that a medal was awarded this spring to Army Chaplain Emil J. Kapaun, a Korean War prisoner of war who died in captivity in 1951.

During the delay, Westbrook’s widow, Charlene Westbrook, who lives in Colorado, shared her frustrations in telephone conversations with Swenson. “It was almost like a blacklist,” she said in an interview. “He said something, criticized the upper ranks, and he’s being punished for it.”

Swenson retreated further into private life while Meyer became a prominent public figure. Last fall, Meyer published an autobiography titled “Into the Fire,” co-written by military author Bing West. Meyer said in the book that he killed a Taliban fighter by bashing him on the head with a rock — a detail he had not told investigators after the battle.

In the book, Meyer and West praise Swenson and criticize the Army for its handling of his case. But Swenson remains skeptical of Meyer and the publicity he has sought. Swenson has not spoken publicly about the Ganjgal battle.

RTWT.

I'm not one to question anyone's service, and since I wasn't there it's difficult to be sure exactly what happened. Still, as I finished the article I closed the app on went back on Twitter, and up pops this tweet from Laura Ingraham in my timeline:

A great time w/ @JonahNRO & @Dakota_Meyer at @GoldwaterInst Gala last night. #MedalofHonor #Phoenix pic.twitter.com/Py08jlPLDT

— Laura Ingraham (@IngrahamAngle) October 13, 2013

I thought to myself, "Damn, that guy Dakota's indeed a huge self-promoter, hmmm." And then tweeted this out:

.@Dakota_Meyer For Medal of Honor recipient, a rocky path to White House. @JonahNRO @IngrahamAngle http://t.co/RtgDLsPO0M

— Donald Douglas (@AmPowerBlog) October 13, 2013

Never did hear back from any of 'em on Twitter. So, wtf?

Spectacular David Ortiz Grand Slam Sparks #RedSox Come-From-Behind Victory to Tie #ALCS at One Apiece

Ima post the video when it's up at MLB's YouTube page.

Meanwhile, here's the Vine of Jarrod Saltalamacchia walk-off singe in the bottom of the 9th.

No words. https://t.co/TDT5Sh0eFv

— Boston Red Sox (@RedSox) October 14, 2013

More At LAT, "David Ortiz spurs Red Sox to 6-5 comeback win over Tigers."

And at Fox Sports, "Red Sox-Tigers Live: David Ortiz’s Grand Slam Highlights Red Sox’ Amazing Walk-Off Victory in Game 2."

BONUS: At NYT, "Facing Unbeatable Starters, Red Sox Exploit Tigers’ Bullpen."

Dodgers in Trouble, But They've Overcome 0-2 Series Deficits Before

I'm not happy about it, obviously, but I would't count out any team down 0-2 in a best-of-seven series.

At LAT:

The Dodgers' 1-0 loss to the St. Louis Cardinals on Saturday put the team in a bad position in their best-of-seven National League Championship Series and sent their fans reeling on social media. In the hours after the loss, so-called fans took to Twitter and Facebook, sending out messages of "Series over" or "Dodgers need to make some big changes."

How soon they forget.

In 1965, the Dodgers faced the Minnesota Twins in the World Series. They were heavily favored, especially since they had Don Drysdale and Sandy Koufax pitching Games 1 and 2. No way they lose both those games.

But they did, losing 8-2 and 5-1 in Minnesota.

Game 3 was set for Dodger Stadium, but the Twins were pitching noted Dodgers-killer Camilo Pascual, so a 3-0 series deficit seemed likely. If there had been social media then, the reaction would have been similar to the reaction Sunday. Up next this time, the Dodgers face Cardinals ace Adam Wainwright.

So, Dodgers fans, pay attention to this history lesson: In Game 3, 1965, Claude Osteen shut out the Twins, 4-0. Drysdale and Koufax then won Games 4 and 5, and the Dodgers won Game 7 in Minnesota, 2-0, to win the Series. Koufax pitched a three-hit shutout on two days' rest in the clincher and was named Series MVP.

Big deal, though, right? Its happening once doesn't mean much.

Well, it happened three other times.

In the 1981 National League division series, with their two best pitchers, Fernando Valenzuela and Jerry Reuss starting, the Dodgers lost Games 1 and 2 in Houston. They won the next three at Dodger Stadium to win the best-of-five series.

In the 1981 World Series, the Dodgers lost the first two games in New York before sweeping the next four from the Yankees to win the title.

Still more examples at the link.

No matter, Ima be holding my breath through most of the game tomorrow, only gulping some oxygen to say a prayer.

More, "Dodgers' offense remains in hiding, Cards win 1-0 on unearned run."

See also Bill Plaschke, "Dodgers' title hopes take a one-two punch in St. Louis."