That’s right, the results are in — i.e., LSU's 17-21 loss to Alabama — and the Democrats will get four more years in the White House. So when President Barack Obama gives his victory speech later tonight, he should give a little shout-out to the Tigers for taking one for the nation Saturday.
Not convinced? Maybe this analysis posted last week by USA Today sports writer Paul Myerberg will change your mind:
Over the last seven elections, since 1984, an Alabama victory has preceded (or followed close behind) a Democratic victory. Conversely, an LSU win has meant the same for the Republican Party.
1984: LSU 16, Alabama 14. Ronald Reagan (R) demolishes Walter Mondale (D).
1988: LSU 19, Alabama 18. George H.W. Bush (R) defeats Michael Dukakis (D).
1992: Alabama 31, LSU 11. Bill Clinton (D) defeats George H.W. Bush (R).
1996: Alabama 26, LSU 0. Clinton (D) defeats Bob Dole (R).
2000: LSU 30, Alabama 28. George W. Bush (R) defeats Al Gore (D).
2004: LSU 26, Alabama 10. George W. Bush (R) defeats John Kerry (D).
2008: Alabama 27, LSU 21. Barack Obama (D) defeats John McCain (R).
Now, just to be fair and square, there is another sports history trend involving the Washington Redskins, which points to a win by Mitt Romney. Here’s what Politico has to say about it:
Since the NFL’s Redskins moved to Washington in 1937, the rule has held true: When the team won their pre-election home game, the candidate from the party that won the previous election’s popular vote won the White House. When the Redskins lost, the candidate from that party lost.
It was true for Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1940, when the Redskins beat the Steelers 37-10; it was true for then-Sen. Barack Obama in 2008, when the Redskins lost to the Steelers by 23 to 6; and it was true for every election in between. It was even true in 2004, when George W. Bush secured re-election after the Redskins lost to the Packers — because Al Gore had won the popular vote in 2000.
If the Redskins Rule holds true, Mitt Romney will win the election on Tuesday.
Luckily, the Washington Redskins and LSU/Alabama games aren't the only sports-related ways to predict who will win tonight's election.
Click here, here and here for these and more predictions.
JUNE 19 Former Saint Steve Gleason, who is paralyzed by ALS, released a statement Tuesday in response to the Atlanta radio station's skit making fun of him and the disease, this Picayune post reports. What did he say? He said he'd accepted the apology of the DJs who did it, notes that at least the incident has got people talking about ALS, and asks anyone who is burning to take action about it to do so -- by helping him fight ALS.
JUNE 19 Blogger Ian McGibboney takes a look at the Gleason incident in this post. He makes a good argument about the difference between having free speech and being free from consequences for your speech (which none of us is). He also admits that many of us got upset before we listened to the skit -- but lets us know that the reality is far worse than we can imagine. It was the incredibly bad judgment, even more than the actual speech, that probably got those DJs fired, he opines.
JUNE 19 Washington Post blogger Aaron Blake writes about Sen. Guillory's switch to the GOP in this post. He writes what most political watchers in Louisiana know: Guillory was a Republican before he decided to run for the senate seat in a mostly-D St. Landry district, and has switched back now that he plans to run for Lt. Gov. in a mostly-R state. But how come Blake missed Guillory's appearance on a TLC pageant show? Now that is a video we'd like to see. (Again).
JUNE 19 Here's another Washington Post blog post about a Louisiana politician, and it's just plain scathing. Ezra Klein says Jindal's Politico post was "insulting" to the intelligence of voters, and adds that Jindal is personifying the "stupid" he's railed against, by being an "elite" who convinces GOP activists of "things that aren't true." Me-ow.
JUNE 19 Here's Gov. Jindal's post in Politico, in which he asks the GOP to get over losing to Obama (again) and stop "the bedwetting." (Uh, what?) He gives his Republican buddies what is probably a nerd's idea of a coach's motivational talk, which starts with a list of accomplishments that they can't seem to exploit and ending with an absurd description of liberals that sounds like a character treatment for a Fox "News" movie scripted by Gordon Liddy. Sure, he's preaching to the choir, but even the choir's not this gullible.
JUNE 19 Lamar Parmentel read Gov. Jindal's post on Politico, but thinks it was so dumb it probably was published in the wrong paper. This post by Lamar on the Daily Kingfish opines that possibly Jindal's post was destined for the Onion -- because the governor couldn't possibly be serious here. If you listen closely, you can hear the staff of the Kingfish giggling.
JUNE 19 Blogger Robert Mann posts from Turkey, a country he has visited several times in the past few years. Mann gives an interesting overview of the current political and societal climate of the country, which -- if you're living under a rock and don't know -- is experiencing protests and turmoil these days. Mann promises to post as much as he can during his trip, which should be fascinating reading.
JUNE 19 Blogger CB Forgotston says the legislature is keeping the vicious cycle going with its funding of new buildings for the community college/technical college system. Universities across the state need maintenance and improvement on existing buildings, and the solution is to build new buildings at other schools? By the time the bonds are paid off, those buildings will be falling down, too, CB says.
Most Read
in case you missed it