“It’s The War, Stupid!”

“It’s The Economy, Stupid!” — Quote of the 1992 presidential cycle from Clinton campaign manager James Carville

“We are ending the era of endless wars.” It is not the job of American forces “to solve ancient conflicts in faraway lands that many people have not even heard of … “ – President Donald Trump, West Point commencement, June 13, 2020

Almost DailyBrett never voted for Donald Joseph Trump. The primary reason was his stunning lack of political/personal discipline during his campaigns and in the White House.

Without doubt he is a consequential chief executive, but that sword cuts both ways.

Yes, the border is sealed. Tax reform is permanent. The hostages were returned. Venezuela’s Nicholas Maduro is behind bars.

Yet we have not broken the “era of endless wars.” Gas prices are skyrocketing (not just in California). Price pressure on consumers continues unabated.

It’s the war, stupid! It’s also the economy, stupid!

Predictably, Trump’s approval rating has plummeted to 38.5 percent (RealClear Polling). Worse yet, only 32.5 percent are thumbs up on the president’s conduct of the Iran War. His support appears to be reduced to the MAGA diehards, and only the MAGA diehards.

Your author realistically believes the Republicans are in store for a midterm ass-kicking November 3 (possibly losing control of both houses), and it’s more than the incumbent party historically losing altitude.

Will there be a Blue Wave? What happened to the Red Wave of 2022? If the Democrats were not undertaking an intra-party civil war (e.g., Democratic Socialists vs. Normal Democrats), the chances of a broad-blue sweep would be greater.

There is a direct correlation between the fight with Iran, access to the Strait of Hormuz, and skyrocketing gas/diesel prices from sea-to-shining sea.

Almost DailyBrett recently rewatched the 2012 Oscar-winning Best Picture “Argo” as a refresher about the brutality of the Iranian theocracy. The real question was there any way to containing Iran, short of war?

The same question was asked of former President George W. Bush in the early years of the 21st. Century. Couldn’t Saddam Hussein have been managed without American boots on the ground.

The Sun, Earth, Planets and Moons Do Not Revolve Around Washington

“You have sat too long here for any good you have been doing. Depart, I say, and let us have done with you. In the name of God, go.” – English statesman Oliver Cromwell (1599-1658)

“All Politics Is Local.” — Former House Speaker Tip O’Neill, making his English instructor squirm (1912-1994)

Even though your author has a sense of dread for the GOP, we need to keep in mind that polls — particularly partisan media media surveys — have a habit of being downright wrong. A midterm cycle is a serious of statewide elections, reflecting conditions on the ground not within the Beltway.

Even though Donald Trump is seriously overexposed from a public relations counselor’s standpoint, he is not the only Republican on the ballot. The Democrats will recite the mantra: Trump, abortion and data centers … but there is more that enters the equation.

We have already discussed the affordability crisis, made worse by skyrocketing petroleum prices and gas taxes. Your author’s hometown of Glendale, CA as of October 1 now charges a staggering 11 percent sales tax. How does that make tasty food any cheaper?

Then there is the issue of filthy homeless encampments, fire hydrants that do not spray water, billions for illegal alien medical services and a $1 billion each year for a high-speed train from nowhere-to-nowhere.

Almost DailyBrett will go out on a very-short limb: The Iran War will not end by the midterms. Trump will not make a “deal” with the mullahs in time. Iran is his Vietnam. The GOP will suffer November 3.

How bad will it be? Tip O’Neill may posthumously provide some hope.

https://www.reuters.com/article/world/us/trump-to-west-point-grads-we-are-ending-the-era-of-endless-wars

Trump + News = Republicans Lose

Can History Fairly Judge Donald Trump’s Legacy?

Trump Is The Anti-Reagan

“A Bodyguard of Lies”

When Missiles Fly, It’s Time To Buy?

Opposing Him: Any Time, Any Place, Any Conditions

Wearing A Suit, Shaking The President’s Hand

The Ongoing Problem With Straight Pale Males

“Enough Is Enough”

“Gavin, you got to get rid of the train! I say this as a friend, you got to let that train go! Let the train go!” — Comedian, political commentator Bill Maher interviewing California’s lame duck Governor Gavin Newsom, May 2, 2026

“From adversity comes opportunity.” — Former Notre Dame Football Coach Lou Holtz (1937-2026)

Exactly 40-years ago, the dominant motto in California’s successful politics without any hint of hyperbole was Governor George Deukmejian’s: “Great State, Great Governor.”

Today, the operating mantra in the failed Golden State is Steve Hilton’s: “Enough is Enough.”

The California Republican nominee is climbing a steep mountain in Wednesday’s gubernatorial debate, hosted by unabashed, shameless and deeply biased CNN.

After twice reading Hilton’s “Califailure: The Ruin of America’s Worst-Run State,” Almost DailyBrett is convinced the Oxford educated GOP nominee (i.e. philosophy, politics, economics) has the gravitas tonight to face down the slithering likes of liberal-activists-masquerading-as-journalists: Anderson Cooper, Dana Bash, Jake Tapper and/or Kaitlan Collins.

The Democratic … err CNN … talking points … are obvious: Trump, Abortion, California supposedly as the fourth largest economy in the world … as if that matters.

The litany of failures resonate from Sacramento, particularly from its quiet-quitting governor (Gavin Newsom) with his 44 percent approval rating … and falling (e.g., UC Berkeley Institute of Governmental Studies).

Even though California is blessed with an absolutely glorious Mediterranean Climate, the escalating price-to-pay-to-stay is simply too high. The Golden State is beset with a nearly impossible to solve Affordability Crisis.

The California Diaspora reverse Gold Rush with literally hundreds of thousands voting with their feet for other states and dozens of publicly traded companies relocating to low-tax, business-friendly red states (i.e., Texas, Florida, Tennessee, The Carolinas).

Finally Choosing To Debate, Kicking and Screaming

“It’s only a slight exaggeration to say that California has become the place where jokes are criminalized and crime is legalized.” — Steve Hilton, author of “Califailure, Reversing The Ruin of America’s Worst-Run State”

“The situation in the State of California is it’s a one-party state . . . There’s no competition quality-wise, philosophically-wise. That’s why we’re stuck with no great quality Democrats running.” — Former California Assembly Speaker and San Francisco Mayor Willie Brown on the 2026 Golden State Democratic gubernatorial primary

Almost DailyBrett is not surprised that partisan CNN is hosting tonight’s 6 pm PDT debate.

The the real head scratcher comes from Xavier Becerra’s belated acceptance of a debate invitation against the former policy advisor to United Kingdom former Prime Minister David Cameron, and former Fox News commentator and author Steve Hilton.

Becerra will hide behind the predictable talking points mentioned above, and offer remaining Californians more of the same. Do Californians concur with fire hydrants that simply do not spray water (i.e., Pacific Palisades, Altadena, 2025) or a $231 billion high-speed train supposedly from Bakersfield to Madera? What to where?

Do these models-for-the nation represent the best and the greatest in expensive public services?

Are there any ideas about fixing California? If there are, are these proposals a tacit admission that something has gone wrong in Gavin Newsom’s California? Is California still a “model-for-the-nation” when it comes to the most services for the homeless — nearly 200,000 — of any state in the country?

Becerra’s task for 60-minutes to simply deflect any real serious discussion about what went seriously wrong in California and offer zero solutions that suggest Gavin Newsom did it wrong or change the public employee union dominated status quo.

Steve Hilton is “David” with his sling shot. Can he bring down the California Goliath. Most will say, ‘no.’

There is a reason why elections are held.

https://nypost.com/2026/05/02/us-news/gavin-newsom-grilled-by-bill-maher-over-his-biggest-failures

California, China, Cuba: All One-Party States

Are Venice Beach “Homeless,” Really Homeless?

Are Saintly Non-Profits Modern-Day Mother Teresa’s?

Welcome Back “1980s Mass Incarceration”

Gray vs. Gavin: A Golden State Race To The Bottom

California Chicken Salad

When Elite States Lose Corporations, And Simply Don’t Give A Rat’s Behind

Gavin: All Hat And No Cattle

California Masochism

In-N-Out Moves Out of Newsom’s California

Does Dan Lanning Really Respect Lincoln Riley?

“When you’re winning, no one can hurt you. When you’re losing, no one can help you.” — Hall of Fame Coach and Broadcaster John Madden (1936-2021)

“Three wins against these guys (USC). I guess, if you’re interested in winning football games, (and) you’re from the area, you should go to Oregon. If you want to go to a Chris Brown concert, you should go here.” — Oregon Head Coach celebrating his third consecutive win against zero losses against USC Head Coach Lincoln Riley

From a PR standpoint, Dan Lanning has the propensity toward being magnanimous in victory and gracious in infrequent defeat. He is a class act, and is respectful of his fellow members of the college football coaching fraternity.

Having made this accurate assessment, Almost DailyBrett could not miss the last almost ad-lib statement in his Los Angeles Coliseum news conference Saturday night. He invited LaLaLand studs to metriculate to the Willamette Valley to win or hang out with the Hip-Hop Tinsel-Town bling and glitz.

Emotions were high on Saturday after Oregon quarterback Dante Moore was knocked out on cheap shot by USC’s Desman Stephens. As Moore laid stricken with an obvious concussion on the turf, Stephens was dancing, strutting and celebrating with his teammates. It was a bad look for USC. Most of all the prancing reflected on Lincoln Riley’s culture, permissiveness and lack of discipline.

When asked why Stephens was not banished to the locker room, Riley’s reply was lame … he’s on our team. Is Riley scared of his players?

As a undergraduate from USC in Broadcasting Journalism, your author believes Troy needs an Uncle Phil in the worst way possible. The buy-out for Lincoln Riley is a reported $50 million-to-$60 million.

Will that be cash, check or card?

USC never respected Oregon. Maybe they should? The Coliseum was filled for the first time. USC was not feasting on juicy cupcakes — San Jose State, Fresno State, Louisiana Lafayette — but a real opponent. Let’s face it: Oregon has been outplaying, out-coaching, out-recruiting, out-marketing and out-classing the Trojans for years.

Besides Lanning beating Riley three times in their respective five-year tenures, the Ducks have won five straight, and believe this … nine-out-of-the-last 11 times.

Almost DailyBrett as an Oregon post-graduate in Communications and 37-year season ticket holder asks USC fans: ‘Would you trade Lincoln Riley for Dan Lanning?’ What do you think Cardinal-and-Gold Petros Papadakis?

Allow yours truly to answer the question: In two nanoseconds, err make that one nanosecond.

Is John McKay Turning Over In His Grave?

USC is enamored with tradition. There are zero names on the back of jerseys. They still wear black shoes. Ronnie Lott was patrolling the sidelines. He played 50 years ago for the Cardinal and Gold. Matt Leinert and Reggie Bush were not suiting up.

A chronic disease of Lincoln Riley teams is giving up gobs-and-gobs of points: 30 against effing Louisiana Lafayette, 35 to rugged Rutgers and now 41 more to Oregon. Dan Lanning is a defensive guy. He was defensive coordinator at Natty Champ Georgia before coming to Oregon.

Lanning understands that defense — making stops, turning over the opponent, pressuring the quarterback — wins championships (e.g., Big Ten, 2024).

Conversely, Lincoln similar to his USC predecessor Lame Kiffin, can always be found calling plays behind his laminated card. John McKay, Pete Carroll as well contemporary Dan Lanning all celebrated stopping the other guys, not just engaging in track meets.

Will Oregon finally win an elusive Natty with Dan Lanning? Only time will tell.

Will USC raise the ESPN-Dr. Pepper trophy with Lincoln Riley? We already know the answer to that question.

“The Grass Is Damn Green In Eugene”

Oregon’s Best 21st Century Autzen Win

Has Oregon Joined The Ranks Of The Most Hated?

Are The Oregon Ducks, “America’s Team?”

“Little Sisters of the Poor”

Is Oregon That Irritating School Out West?

Can Dan Lanning Save ESPN’s Monopoly Playoff?

USC Should Give Reggie Bush The “Heisman”

Has Eugene Become The New Green Bay?

Open Up White House Briefing Room Doors

“With best wishes to Kevin who understands what this is all about” – Former White House Press Secretary Jody Powell signed autograph of his book, ‘The Other Side of the Story.’

“While Democrats themselves have been wrestling with what Tuesday night means for the direction of their party, socialism, much less democratic socialism, is not communism.” — Chief CNN White House correspondent Kaitlin Collins after primary victories by Democratic Socialists

“I wholly disagree with what you say and will contend to the death for your right to say it.” — Misattributed quote to French Enlightenment writer/philosopher Voltaire

Instead of barring access to the White House Press Briefing Room to über-partisan CNN, MS-Now and Politico, Donald Trump needs to ponder his precedent, and hire a kick-butt, take-no-prisoners press secretary.

Almost DailyBrett must pause here and ask: What’s to prevent a subsequent Democratic White House from showing the door to a Peter Doocy, senior White House correspondent for America’s go-too Network, Fox News?

Every president since the earth cooled — yes even Democratic officeholders (read Jody Powell’s “The Other Side of the Story”) — has cursed the White House Press Corps. But isn’t the nation’s virtually out-of-control media doing enough damage to its own image and reputation without inadvertently making them sympathetic creatures?

Last February, Pew Research Center reported that 57 percent of Americans have low-or-zero confidence in its media to act in the best interest of the general public. Worse, only 9 percent of normally sympathetic-to-the-press Democrats have a high-degree of confidence in the country’s Fourth Estate.

Your author as a former assistant professor of public relations understands the academic word, empirical. The core definition: Grounded in verifiable real-world data, physical testing, or direct observation. How is Mizz Collins’ ex-cathedra pontification that Democratic Socialism is not Communism, verifiable real-world data?

Did she ever visit the Soviet Union or any of its communist … err … socialist satellite states in Eastern Europe? She was born in 1992. The USSR imploded in 1991.

Almost DailyBrett toured the USSR in 1981. Soviet media at that time described fellow Warsaw Pact members as “socialist.”

Maybe to borrow a Vietnam-era phrase to fit contemporary times, the media has a credibility gap. We have these on-air bloviators making grand pronouncements that please the Democratic National Committee and its fellow travelers. What about the rest of the country?

Republicans wear sneakers, too.

Almost DailyBrett has repeatedly bemoaned the loss of CNN as America’s preferred outlet for breaking news and information (e.g., Bernard Shaw). Today as unapologetic partisans with microphones, boom mikes and notepads Miss Collins, Dana Bash, Anderson Cooper, Jake Tapper et al. have jettisoned any desire to provide objective news and information to the other half of America.

The Trump White House cannot change the obvious partisanship of the likes of CNN, MS-Now and Politico. The American public has already made that judgement. Locking the doors is boorish, crude, vulgar and childish.

Visiting The White House Press Briefing Room

“Hold On, Mr. President!” — Title of best-selling tome by long-time ABC White House correspondent Sam Donaldson

As a press secretary for California Governor George Deukmejian, Almost DailyBrett visited the disappointingly small White House Press Briefing Room during the late-1980s.

Standing behind the podium was President Reagan’s deputy press secretary Larry Speakes. In the first row were the aforementioned Sam Donaldson of ABC, Lesley Stahl of CBS, Chris Wallace of NBC and Helen Thomas of UPI.

They were tough. They were probing. They were not afraid of confrontation. They were also objective. They sought out both sides. They were fair. No one even contemplated even for a nanosecond, closing the White House doors in their collective faces.

On the other side of the podium, Larry Speakes held his own against an unrelenting intellectual assault. White House correspondents may have tested out theories, but they were not making infallible statements out of thin air. The American public’s esteem for its media was light years more positive than it is today.

The Trump White House should not need a court order to open up the White House briefing center doors. They should be ready to engage, knowing they still occupy the upper ground even with the Iran War, when compared to the all-time low public esteem for its media.

Let the mayhem continue.

Kaitlan Collins pushes back on Trump rhetoric: Democratic socialism ‘is not communism’

Are “Journalists” The Greatest Threat to Journalism?

What Happened to Bernie Shaw’s CNN?

Were Yesteryear’s Journalists, Better People?

“The Other Side of the Story”

The Mickey Mouse Empire Strikes Back

“A Bodyguard of Lies”

Do The Inmates No Longer Run Newsroom Asylums?

Fox News: The “Go-To” News Channel For Democrats?

Trump Is The Anti-Reagan

When Reagan Walked Into The Room

“I Don’t Really Care, Margaret”

“Journalists” Telling Their Truth, Not The Truth

Gray vs. Gavin: A Golden State Race To The Bottom

“Here are some other stats, the highest poverty rate tied with Louisiana. The highest unemployment rate. And as Nick Kristof of the ‘New York Times’ recently wrote, ‘Mississippi schools outperform California schools, especially for poor kids.’ Now people see that or hear that or read that and they’re like ‘no thanks California, no thanks Gavin Newsom.'” — Katie Couric interviewing California Governor Gavin Newsom, March 5, 2026

“He’s kind of taking on a new persona. He’s no longer just the governor of California. He’s a spokesperson for the national party and basically voters are being asked to react to that.” — Mark DiCamillo, UC Berkeley Institute of Governmental Studies survey, revealing an all-time low California approval rating for Gavin Newson at only 44 percent

He’s no longer just the governor of California? Did Gavin (not so) quietly quit his job?

Almost DailyBrett, as a former press secretary to the most popular California Governor (George Deukmejian) of the modern era, cannot relate to a narcissistic Sacramento chief executive, who failed the people of the largest state of the union. Of course, your author served at a time when it was indeed, “Morning Again in America.”

Today, It’s Mourning Again in California.

As we look back upon California’s 40 governors, the question boils down to which one was the absolutely nadir when it comes to … ah … sucking in Sacramento.

Using modern standards, it’s easy to point at the present-day self-serving mere-occupant in the Corner Office. Even with his tortured legacy, he did not beat his predecessor recalled Governor Gray Davis in the race to the bottom. Close but no cigar.

Almost DailyBrett resided in California during two titanic political earthquakes, first covering the epic Proposition 13 tax revolt as a cub political reporter in 1978, and second voting to recall Gray Davis and replace him with Arnold Schwarzenegger in 2003.

Gray Davis took a reported $14 billion surplus and poof … transformed it into a $38 billion deficit. That’s a $52 billion shift in the wrong direction in a few weeks after his 2002 re-election.

Californians were not fooled. The electorate was downright pissed. Governor Gray had zero chance of dodging the recall, particularly in light of such an attractive alternative.

Republican candidate for California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger walks up the steps to the state Capitol (AP Photo/Steve Yeater)

As California eagerly counts down 105 days to the next inauguration on January 4, the question remains is what particular metaphor more than others symbolizes and epitomizes the abject failure of Gavin Newsom? He is not as deplorable as Gray Davis, but that’s not a compliment.

Some images come flooding into your author’s mind waves: The Gavin Choo-Choo to nowhere, Miles upon miles of homeless squalor and filth, Major publicly traded corporations that left or are leaving California, Failing schools, The Golden State affordability/poverty crisis, Taxes up the Wazoo.

Almost DailyBrett contends the worst Gavin Newsom inspired image was not only only the massive wildfires, which charred all of Pacific Palisades and Altadena in January 2025 with very few rebuilding permits issued to date.

Worst of all, the fire hydrants did not spray water. California just burned to the ground. Gavin had no answer (clueless?).

The same tired responses deeply unpopular Gavin offers are twofold: 1. California’s sixth largest gross domestic product (GDP), if the state was a separate country (it’s not), and 2. Any critic is suffering from California Derangement Syndrome (CDS).

How Much More Can You Take?

“I don’t have a brand. I don’t have a tag …’Make America Great’ … ‘The Great Society’ … something like ‘Medicare for All.’ For me standing up for ideals, striking out against injustice. I’m a Sargent Shriver Democrat. The whole ’60s, the vernacular of the 60s, solving ignorance, poverty and disease. The Spirit of the ’60s, The Spirit of (Martin Luther) King. The non-violent movement of Ghandhi and Mandela … that whole space … that’s the Zeitgeist … that’s me.” — California Governor Gavin Newsom podcast with comedian Adam Dean Friedland, March 5, 2026

Californians are voting with their feet and U-Hauls.

The state with the highest state income and sales taxes is looking for new creative ways to raise even more — you guessed it, taxes.

Will the remaining Californians be compelled by Franchise Tax Board (FTB) to inventory their wealth? Will there be new taxes based upon miles driven in addition to gallons purchased? It just isn’t fun to live in California anymore.

California is a one-party state that simply doesn’t like its productive people.

What Gray and Gavin have in common — besides an affinity for poofing before the mirror in the morning — they were California Governors, who took the people of the Golden State as fools.

They believed they could run crippling deficits with impunity, pour unaccounted governmental services into the homeless and undocumented immigrants, serve their union masters, and raise a myriad of taxes on remaining California residents.

Gray was recalled. Gavin is more unpopular than ever.

Gray won the Golden State race to the bottom. Gavin is a close second.

https://enewspaper.latimes.com/infinity/article_share.aspx?guid=e9ee1ee5-d03c-42f7-91fc-ced87bb0bf4f

Great State, Great Governor

A California Collage

Arnold: Athlete, Actor, American

California Chicken Salad

Gavin: All Hat And No Cattle

The Party That Doesn’t Like People

In-N-Out Moves Out of Newsom’s California

Escape From California

The Skipper Of The California Titanic

Are Venice Beach “Homeless,” Really Homeless?

“Little Sisters of the Poor”

“This (Big Ten) conference is competitive. We didn’t play Chattanooga State today, like some other place, right? We competed.” — Oregon Coach Dan Lanning

“The games they remember are played in November.” — Former Oregon Coach Rich Brooks

Guess who mighty Alabama Crimson Tide is playing on November 21, the week before the Iron Bowl? The answer, Chattanooga.

Auburn in turn is locking horns with Samford (and Son).

Ole Miss is pitted against Wofford (and bacon) on the same day.

Mississippi State is matched up with Tennessee Tech.

Ever wonder why ESPN’s intemperate college-football proctologist, Southern-fried, Crimson-Tide homer Paul Finebaum hates Oregon so much? Dan Lanning spoke the unmitigated-and-unadulterated truth about his beloved Alabama and Auburn.

Consider that USC is not playing Notre Dame this year, the first miss in the greatest intersectional rivalry in college football virtually since the earth cooled. Okay there were understandable absences for the 2020 pandemic and World War II, but this time the cancellation of the game is deliberate.

Almost DailyBrett’s undergraduate alma mater looked great playing the following cupcakes in succession: San Jose State, Fresno State, Louisiana Lafayette and (count on it) Rutgers. None of these imposters will ever be confused with the Fighting Irish.

College Football has been plagued with “Little Sisters of the Poor” mismatches as the “C” game on a team’s three-game non-league schedule in late August or early September. Only the ESPN-promoted SEC plays these squish games in the third-weekend in November.

Now teams are playing three delicious cupcakes on their non-league slates in order to avoid losses with an eye on qualifying for ESPN’s (near) monopoly College Football Playoff (CFP). Nothing else matters except passing muster with the big sports network talking-heads Pharisees.

Give great credit for the Buckeyes visiting hot-and-humid Texas for a classic game in the second week of the season. One team obviously had to lose, and it was THE Ohio State University.

You can understand Ohio State subsequently playing in-state Kent State this weekend. What you can’t comprehend is Fox Sports showcasing the equivalent of the lions and the Christians in the Horseshoe for three-plus hours in its “Big Saturday” linear window.

Your author will go out on the limb and state ex-cathedra: There is zero chance that Kent State will beat Ohio State in Columbus. This week, Wagner (e.g., die Götterdämmerung) is playing Cal-Berkeley and Duquesne is visiting Washington State.

Why even play these games? There is no — “on any given Saturday” — when it comes to 100 percent-to-nothing games. They are no-risk glorified scrimmages for inebriated alums and fans. Nothing else.

The NFL preseason is more exciting.

Chattanooga State For Thanksgiving With All The Fixins’

Are non-league games such as the aforementioned Ohio State vs. Texas, Oregon vs. Boise State, Oregon vs. Oklahoma State on the road going extinct?

Jan 1, 2020; Pasadena, California, USA; Oregon Ducks quarterback Justin Herbert (10) runs in the fourth quarter during the 106th Rose Bowl game at Rose Bowl Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Back in the glory days of the Pacific 10 Conference, there was a pure round robin schedule. There were nine conference games, everyone played everyone else. The champion went to the Granddaddy of Them All, The Rose Bowl.

Today anything and everything revolves around ESPN’s College Football Playoff (CFP) Politburo. Beginning in August and extending for five-straight months every ESPN host during every game will be required to mention the network’s playoff in every other breath. Roone Arledge looking down from heaven would be proud.

Almost DailyBrett appreciates there are only four ESPN-approved Super Conferences: The ACC, The Big Ten, The Big 12 and network’s cherished SEC. If you author’s math is correct, there are 67 schools that compete in Big 4 conferences + Notre Dame.

They all should be required to play nine conference games, and then three non-conference games against other. “The Little Sisters of the Poor” will have to look for other potential pay days in August, September or worst of all, November.

Most of all the comrades, who decide the participants in ESPN’s College Football Playoff, should not penalize teams for playing a real schedule as opposed to feasting on juicy cupcakes.

Almost DailyBrett Editor’s Note: Yes, Oregon is playing in-state Portland State at Autzen Stadium on Friday night. Keep in mind, the Ducks have already played always tough Boise State at home and then went on the road to take on revamped Big-12 member Oklahoma State.

Oregon Doesn’t Play Cupcakes in November

Southern Comfort Cupcake Saturday

November 21: ESECPN Cupcake Saturday

Is Oregon That Irritating School Out West?

Can Dan Lanning Save ESPN’s Monopoly Playoff?

Will DOJ Sue ESPN For Its Football Monopoly?

Oregon’s Best 21st Century Autzen Win

Can Oregon Fans Trust ESPN?

“More Bismarck, Less Hitler”

“Portraying the AfD as far-right is clearly false, considering that Alice Weidel, the party’s leader, has a same-sex partner from Sri Lanka! Does that sound like Hitler to you? Come on!” — Tesla and SpaceX founder Elon Musk, contributed commentary for Welt am Sonntag

Germany’s culture of Nazi atonement has introduced a national “identity disorder,” requiring the prescription of “More Bismarck, Less Hitler.” — Hans-Thomas Tillschneider, Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) chief ideologue

“Laws are like sausages, it is best not to see them being made.” — Widely misattributed quote to first German Chancellor Otto von Bismarck (1815-1898)

Almost DailyBrett’s first physical encounter with the horror of the Holocaust was a 1981 visit to the Salaspils Nazi concentration camp in Latvia. One somber tour of a death camp should be on everyone’s Bucket List.

During his course of his tours of Germany, your author has walked through the deliberately confusing maze of Berlin’s Memorial of the Murdered Jews in Europe, repeatedly visited Nazi Documentation Centers in the Bunker Museum, the rally grounds in Nürnberg and the Eagle’s Nest right outside of Berchtesgaden. Even wrote about the tricky PR question of building a five-star resort right on the spot of Hitler’s Alpine Berghof in Obersalzburg.

Scattered widely throughout Germany are bronze Stolpersteinen (commemorating the people who lived in an exact spot, only to be transported east for … ). There are markers that remind the viewers about the earlier presence of a (e.g., Heidelberg) synagogue before it was burned to the ground during the insanity of the Kristallnacht in 1938.

Earlier this year Jeanne and yours truly toured the tragic Anne Frank House in Amsterdam. The exhibition triggers immediate disgust and revulsion against Hitler, the Nazis and the 12 years of the Third Reich. The intensity against these monumental crimes against humanity has only grown with time, and has not subsided even for a nanosecond.

There is a Teutonic compound noun that applies in Germany: Vergangenheitsbewältigung. The translation: “Dealing with the past.”

Das Land in die Mitte to its credit for decades acknowledged its responsibility and paid huge reparations for two World Wars, the Holocaust with the senseless deaths of 6 million innocent Jews alone, Occupation and Cold War division.

There is no forgetting. The question being raised now — 81 years after “Zero Hour” — is it time to focus on other events in German history, more than 12 horrific years from 1933-1945? The interrogative does not suggest in any way, shape or form forgetting about the Holocaust.

Still Despised? Still Hated?

“The greater part of our people have fallen into an inferno of immorality. In the immensity of our guilt and the depth of our disgrace, our defeat has no parallel in world history. Let us face the bitter fact that we are despised and hated in the whole world.” – German poet Johannes R. Becher, ‘Zero Hour,’ 1945

“I spent the first 35-years of my life in a part of Germany where National Socialism was considered a West German problem. It took more than 40 years before Germany as a whole acknowledged and embraced its historic responsibility to the State of Israel. Here, of all places, I want to explicitly stress this historic responsibility is part of my country’s raison d’etre.” — Angela Merkel as the first German chancellor speaking to the Israeli Knesset

Considering the source, there are many who suggest figuratively shooting the new messengers, the right-wing Alternative für Deutschland (Alternative for Germany). They still are even calling for the party to be banned by the nation’s constitutional court.

The horse may already be out of the barn.

The AfD just captured more than 44 percent of the vote in Eastern state, Saxony-Anhalt, and they are way out in front in the upcoming September 20 parliamentary election in neighboring Mecklenburg-Vorpommern.

The success of the party is a direct response to former Chancellor Angela Merkel’s mistaken decision to allow 1 million asylum seekers from mainly Syria to enter Germany — all at once — in 2016. Immigration is a major contentious issue, not just in Germany, but around the world.

Was Frau Merkel’s imprudent call: Too much? Too Fast?

Almost DailyBrett knows the AfD is wrong with its expressed coziness with Putin’s Russia. From a communications standpoint, the right-wing party could stand to tone down its rhetoric.

Does that mean the party is also mistaken with its “More Bismarck, Less Hitler?”

Amazingly, today’s Germany is one of the most admired countries in the world. Deutschland’s population of 85 million boasts the third largest economy on the planet at $5.17 trillion. German engineering is legendary. It is also known for the likes of Beethoven, Dürer, Goethe, Kant … and of course, Bismarck, who united Germany for the first time in 1871.

Your author believes the German public with its deep historical knowledge of the Third Reich — even though the perpetrators are all dead and gone — will not tolerate forgetting the past.

There’s still a natural desire to be proud of their country.

https://www.economist.com/europe/2026/08/31/how-the-alternative-for-germany-would-govern

https://www.economist.com/europe/2026/09/06/the-alternative-for-germany-has-won-its-best-ever-election-result

The Terrible Secret Beneath 5-Star Luxury

Checking The Adlon Off The Bucket List

Confessions Of A Germanophile

“Going to Germany, Again?”

Germany’s Delicate Israel Balancing Act

Let’s Take Hitler Out Of American Politics

Did a Perfect Storm Lead to the Gathering Storm?

Germany: From Holocaust to Normalcy

Should Civilizations Ban Conservative Thinking?

Another Industrialized Nation’s Right Turn

“Morning in Germany”?

Were Yesteryear’s Journalists, Better People?

Is Germany’s Public Relations Miracle Kaputt?

Did Personal PR Save Albert Speer From The Hangman’s Noose?

Virtue Signaling Took The “Air” Out of Nike

“Republicans buy sneakers, too.” — Nike Brand Ambassador and NBA GOAT Michael Jordan on the efficacy of not taking unpopular political stands

“Believe in something. Even if it means sacrificing everything.” – Nike multi-million dollar NFL marketing campaign starring NFL Has-Been Colin Kaepernick.

Republican green is the same hue as Democratic green. Got it?

Almost DailyBrett finds absolutely no joy in reporting the common stock of woke Nike is down 76 percent in the last five years or $119.07 per share.

Nike’s market capitalization (# of shares x stock price) has decreased from an all-time high of $281 billion in 2021 to $55 billion now, a stunning 80 percent decline.

The toxic company is being kicked out of the S&P 100 in 11 days after being included for 18 years. Can it get worse? Can it get better?

Your author is a huge fan of Nike founder Phil Knight, The Greatest Oregonian of All Time (GOAT).

Yours truly has always worn Nikes (including this morning) and for many years invested in the best-of-breed stock in athletic apparel. Can’t remember when it was finally time to ring the register, when it came to NYSE: NKE.

There comes a point, when Enough Is Enough.

Nike came down with a severe case of CNN Disease. There was a time when Ted Turner’s edgy network was the go-to-outlet globally for breaking news and information. Democrats and Republicans, both relied on CNN.

Almost DailyBrett asked rhetorically in 2019: ‘What happened to the CNN of Bernard Shaw?’ The answer was the network chose sides in America’s tribal civil war. Publicly traded CNN (Warner Brothers Discovery) decided it was not going to serve one half of the nation any longer.

Screw them.

Nike did the same, building a woke marketing campaign around Colin Kaepernick, solely for his decision to not salute Old Glory. Why did a successful publicly traded business (read Uncle Phil’s “Shoe Dog”) side with someone, who dishonored the American flag?

Did Nike sacrifice everything? For what? What happened to Kaepernick’s career? He’s finished at 38-years-old. What happened to Nike’s good name and reputation? Again, for what?

Forgetting The Corporate Mission?

“Executives are hired to maximize profits; that is their responsibility to their company’s shareholders. Even if executives wanted to forgo some profit to benefit society, they could expect to lose their jobs if they tried—and be replaced by managers who would restore profit as the top priority,” — Arneel Karnani, University of Michigan associate professor of strategy, Wall Street Journal, August 23, 2010

“Republicans buy shoes. Democrats buy shoes. Most companies benefit when both groups want to buy theirs.” — Dan Zaksheske, Outkick, September 9, 2026

Almost DailyBrett ran corporate communications for a decade for publicly traded Silicon Valley custom semiconductor innovator LSI Logic. Yours truly was very aware of the pressure to respond to Corporate Public Responsibility (CSR), but even more to adhere to the tenets for Fiduciary Responsibility.

Your job was to act in the interests of the company’s stakeholders … employees, shareholders, suppliers, customers … etc. The given political philosophy of a finite group of employees — no matter how close to the C-Suite — should be irrelevant.

Nike pats itself on the back for being on the side of the athlete, but does that mean everybody who laces up the shoes or the skates? What if the athlete is just plain wrong about America?

The American flag may be a red, white and blue piece of cloth to an anointed few. Their stance is sad … and wrong.

Nike has been paying — a steep price for coming down hard against honoring the Stars and Stripes.

Where was the voice in the wilderness, in the board room, who simply asked if siding with Colin Kaepernick (or even coming out with a blood and bullet hole Boston Massacre t-shirt) is consistent with the company’s legally required commitment to fiduciary responsibility?

When it comes to America’s tribal Civil War, maybe it would be best for Nike and other publicly traded companies to simply take a knee. Just Don’t Do It.

Republicans buy sneakers, too.

https://www.foxnews.com/outkick-sports/nike-forgot-republicans-buy-sneakers-too-getting-booted-sp-100

Nike Takes A Knee

“Republicans Buy Sneakers, Too”

Nike Declares Independence From America

What Happened to Bernie Shaw’s CNN?

Fiduciary Responsibility vs. Corporate Social Responsibility

The Perils Of Corporate Virtue Signaling

Winning Over Michael Jordan’s Mom

Two QBs, One Star-Spangled Banner

Is An Adult Back In Charge At Disney?

When Harry Became Sally

Men Have No Place In The Boudoir

Cozying Up To The “Lulu Lenins?”

Did Academic Freedom Usurp U-Dub Virtue Signalling?

“I acknowledge that by the labor theory of property the Coast Salish people can claim historical ownership of almost none of the land currently occupied by the University of Washington.” — Alternative land-acknowledgement statement included in the computer science class syllabus of U-Dub Professor Stuart Regis, (MS Computer Science, Stanford)

“Understand this, the DNC does not exist to right wrongs. It doesn’t exist to acknowledge the more unpleasant parts of history. It doesn’t exist to make people feel good. It exists — just get it through your head —to win elections.” — Longtime presidential election strategist James Carville on the growing employment of woke land-acknowledgement statements, including the Democratic National Committee

“History is made by intense, compact minorities.” — Washington Post columnist George Will

Would “intense, compact minorities” include faculty lounges, the very same venues that supposedly champion sacred First Amendment protected, “Academic Freedom?”

Almost DailyBrett is wondering how a particular faculty lounge in Seattle is reacting to a $600,000 University of Washington legal settlement with a fellow professor, who dared stand up for cherished academic freedom. You would think they would be cheering.

Your editor as a former tenure-track assistant professor of public relations, corporate communications and investor relations knows a thing or two about preparing course of instruction syllabi for a given quarter. There was de rigueur university boilerplate language warning students about Plagiarism.

Don’t go there.

But what about land-acknowledgement statements about particular tribes of Native Americans, who may or may not have populated the lands that now house a major university? If the boilerplate is recommended, that implies the professor in question can exercise her or his own discretion.

One would think so, but we all know the truth.

“Inappropriate,” “Offensive,” “Toxic”

“The speech was protected speech, not government speech, because Reges spoke in his own capacity as a professor, and not on behalf of his employer, and he unquestionably spoke on a matter of public concern.” — Majority opinion of the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeal

“UW was not amused. University officials censored Reges’ parody statement from his syllabus and created a competing class, so students could choose not to take a computer science class from Reges. The university also initiated a nearly year-long investigation of Reges under an ‘anti-harassment policy,'”  — Commentary by The Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE)

“I am deeply grateful to FIRE for this legal victory, which will remind public universities that they are obligated to respect the First Amendment rights of their students, faculty, and staff.” — Professor Stuart Regis upon receiving the news of the University of Washington’s $600,000 settlement

What happens to a (Toxic Masculinity) University of Washington Professor, teaching at the Paul G. Allen School of Computer Science and Engineering, who concluded that a recommended land-acknowledgement statement is inconsistent with the academic mission of teaching computer science? He then had the audacity to offer an alternative.

Guess free thinking is not in vogue in certain Apple Cup quarters.

Almost DailyBrett must ask: What are the consequences of not following the suggested woke statement of (maybe) historical fact?

How about years of scorn and litigation? The first round in federal district court was won by U-Dub in 2024. Yet before the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals last year, the majority upheld Professor Regis’ blessed First Amendment rights of free speech.

U-Dub was eventually forced into a public relations corner. The choice was to attempt to petition this case to the U.S. Supreme Court with six Republican-appointed justices (no guarantee the court would even take the case) or the University of Washington could take its lumps by reaching a settlement.

Maybe bullying your own professors, while expressing faux support for academic freedom, is inconsistent at best and costly at worst.

Do you think the faculty lounge types in Seattle and elsewhere learned a lesson? Or will institutional arrogance continue to prevail?

https://www.insidehighered.com/news/quick-takes/2026/09/04/uw-pays-professor-600k-allows-parody-land-acknowledgment

 https://www.nationalreview.com/news/university-of-washington-pays-600000-to-professor-after-losing-land-acknowledgement-fight

https://www.foxnews.com/media/university-pays-professor-600k-punished-parodying-land-acknowledgments

What Would The Late Paul Allen Think?

Time To End Presentism And The Cancel Culture

Education or Indoctrination?

Profs Should Not Force Political Opinions On Students

Illiberal Activists With Microphones and Notepads?

When Boy Meets Girl

“Culture of Toxic Masculinity”?

Mob Rules; Misogyny Reigns

UC Berkeley Announces Nation’s First Cannabis Turf Football Field

Are Ducks Worth More Than Huskies?

Oregon’s Best 21st Century Autzen Win

“(Damon) Huard is back to throw the ball. Sets up. Looks. Throws toward the corner of the end zone. It’s intercepted. Intercepted. The Ducks have the ball. Now it’s to the 35. The 40. Kenny Wheaton is going to score. Kenny Wheaton is going to score. Twenty. The 10. Touchdown. Kenny Wheaton on the interception. The most improbable finish to the football game.” – Voice of the Ducks Jerry Allen calling “The Pick” against the Washington Huskies, October 22, 1994

Oct. 22, 1994 Oregon Ducks vs. Washington Huskies: Oregon CB Kenny Wheaton (#20) intercepts a Damon Huard (not pictured) pass and runs it back for a touchdown. This play is known by Oregon fans as “The Pick”. Paul Kitagaki Jr./The Oregonian

For Almost DailyBrett and literally millions of other Oregon fans, “The Kenny Wheaton Game” will always be their favorite contest played within the Friendly Confines of Bucket List Autzen Stadium. Since that game, Oregon has dominated the Huskies 22-10, at one time winning 12 straight.

Your author has been an Oregon season ticket holder for 37 years and an equal number of years as a contributor to the Duck Athletic Fund. Even time seemed to stand still that autumn afternoon, we have moved away from 20th Century and are now 26 years and counting into a new millennium.

The question for the day — with all due respect to Kenny Wheaton’s heroics 32-years-ago — what is the greatest 21st Century Oregon win at warm-and-cosy Autzen Stadium?

One game immediately comes to mind — also against the Washington Hundehaufen — an October 13, 2018 victory on a simple draw play in overtime. It was yet another opportunity to rush the Field Turf at Autzen Stadium to celebrate a win against the Dawgs.

Contrary to mistaken public opinion, Oregon’s No. 1 rival (and vice versa) is the Washington Huskies. The Ducks don’t even play the Beavers for two more years. The Dawgs are cemented as the season capper right after Thanksgiving, alternating between Eugene and Seattle.

And as pleasing as that win is for Duck fans, it was not the most satisfying Autzen victory of the 21st Century, not even close. Is there a team that curdles the blood of Oregon fans almost as much as the Huskies?

How about Ohio State?

With all due respect to celebrated Ohio State alum Vice President J.D. Vance, there is an unearned dancing-and-prancing arrogance associated with “THE Ohio State University.” What’s with the “Thee?”

Does Oxford need to add a “Thee” before its name? How about Cambridge or Harvard? Aren’t they simply known as Oxford, Cambridge and Harvard?

And what’s with their fans. They and their ESPN homer, Kirk Herbstreit, have earned the scorn of not only Michigan, but literally the entire Big Ten, if not beyond the corn fields.

The Fighting Chestnuts with the cannibis leaves on their helmets from their desultory state hold a 10-2 overall record against Oregon, including one Natty win and three victories in the Rose Bowl.

The gutty Ducks filled up Autzen and turned up the amps on October 12, 2024. It is not hyperbole to personally report that Autzen has never been so energized and downright loud. The game was a classic in every sense of the word. Oregon’s “Us vs. Them” YouTube video recap beautifully tells the story.

And when it ended with the Ducks on top 32-31, the look on fiesty Coach Dan Lanning’s mug spoke volumes. Was it David beating Goliath? Or was it David becoming Goliath? We went eyeball-to-eyeball, and the other guy just blinked.

“What Was He Thinking?”

NBC analyst and former Penn State quarterback Todd Blackledge posed the rhetorical question: Why did Ohio State signal caller Will Howard decide to slide before he reached the first-down marker with no time-outs in his pocket? Game, set and match to Oregon.

For whatever reason, the Oregon fan rush to the field was the largest and the most passionate in the stadium’s history. Maybe it was because Oregon has consistently proven it can beat the Huskies, can frequently defeat the Trojans and there’s no reason to discuss the lower conference Beavers.

There was something about #2-at-the-time Ohio State consistently standing in the way. Almost DailyBrett to this day is still not a fan of Oregon competing in the Big Ten. It’s a conference for scorching/snowy Midwestern schools scattered around the frigid Great Lakes.

Oregon should be playing Ohio State in Pasadena on New Year’s Day or a Natty, not in a conference game.

Three months later, Oregon mysteriously did not compete against the Buckeyes in Pasadena. It wasn’t pretty. The 41-21 score was cosmetic at best as the Ducks were down 34-0 in the second quarter.

In your author’s eyes, that bitter result does not diminish even for a nanosecond the historic autumnal victory under the Autzen lights before a national NBC audience. Almost DailyBrett contends the 32-31 win over the vaunted Buckeyes was easily the best win in Autzen Stadium in the 21st Century.

Gotta love “Kenny Wheaton’s going to score. Kenny Wheaton’s going to score.” Keep in mind that game was so 20th Century.

Roasting Buckeyes On An Open Fire

The Biggest Stage Of Them All

Has Eugene Become The New Green Bay?

Washington Is Oregon’s Most Bitter Rival

Are Ducks Worth More Than Huskies?

Has Oregon Joined The Ranks Of The Most Hated?

Should NBC Jettison Notre Dame For Oregon?

Ode To Autzen