Tweet
With the Olympics presently going on, if you don’t know by now, you’ll certainly hear at least a dozen times starting here, that today is the 30th Anniversary of the “Miracle on Ice“. On February 22, 1980, to hear Glenn Beck tell it, a flock of young Republicans, pictured here, overthrew Jimmy Carter, “History’s Greatest Monster” [and maybe that's the way Al Michaels would tell it now too].
In actuality, of course, it was the defeat of the Soviet hockey team — truly a world power — by a young American team coached by Herb Brooks — America, at that time, being a small but plucky country of no prior consequence — at least that’s what Glenn Beck tells me.
Brooks had many sayings — like most great coaches — a pertinent one he made as his team, having beaten Soviets, were on the verge of blowing the gold medal by falling behind Finland. It has resonance to the Obama Administration and the Democrats to a variety of things, but mostly health care reform:
“If you lose this game, you will take it to your fucking grave….YOUR FUCKING GRAVE!”
Do you believe in political miracles?
Eh, probably not.
40 Comments
Support this site!
Subscribe to the newsletter
Advertise on Firedoglake
Send
us your tips
Make us your homepage
About Firedoglake
It’s more likely we’ll need a kiss and cry area.
Shoulda let the Canadians win.
Ryan Miller was awesome.
Colbert must have given the U.S. hockey team a pep talk. We made the host country look like hosers.
Losing Ted Kennedy’s seat was kind of a miracle.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WHpqcLdU28w
I’ve learned over the past 13 months of the Obama administration to expect nothing, or expect the worst. That way the disappointment doesn’t hurt so much. Haven’t figured out how to deal with the rage yet.
Whoa. U gots skillz, man. Gracias.
My spouse and I watched the beginning of that game but were more intrigued to see Rodnina and Zaitsev practicing at the adjacent rink. We watched them for an hour or so and then went back to “the game”. And last night I totally forgot about “the game” on television and watched Bode Miller instead. Hockey fans we ‘aint!
You are such a pill!
We were in Placid for the whole olympics and, of course, friends all asked “did you see the game?” “Sort of” is our standard reply. I kick myself now for not seeing the whole thing but on the other hand Rodnina and Zaitsev were truly amazing to watch.
Pretty funny! I have picture in picture so we watched both last night.
Good morning, pups. It’s [sigh] The Pasty Little Putz and Krugman this morning. The Pasty Little Putz, in “Enquiring Minds,” says not all affairs produce corruption, but the media should be willing to go digging for those private acts that should be publicly disqualifying. Great. Just what we need… more panty sniffing by the likes of the Putz. (The brain bleach is over there in the corner.) Prof. Krugman, in “The Bankruptcy Boys,” says Republicans are adamantly opposed to reducing the deficit with tax increases, but they don’t have any other plan, except to regain power.
Here they are.
The coffee, tea and hot chocolate are ready, and the biscuits are out of the oven. Cokie Roberts is holding forth on HCR on the radio, and discussing the proposal to have federal oversight of insurance company rate increases.
There, in a nutshell, you have the current political situation explained. And to think I heard it on NPR… Never Provoke Republicans. (Hat tip to 300SDL, from whom I stole that!)
Now that’s a good idea.
The piece about the GED in NY is interesting.
Wow, you read the Putz and listened to Kooky all in one morning. You are either a very brave woman or you have gone nuts overnight.
Krugman says the right is all about power? I think he’s missing the point, it’s the trough they seem to be after first and foremost.
I am so glad to be able to watch the Olympics without doing a slow burn at bad judging – a big step forward, imho.
I have a Hazmat suit. And brain bleach.
I agree about the judging (“The Russian Judge” was almost an epithet in my childhood) but Evgeni Plushenko disagrees… I really don’t like a sore loser.
Aha, that is what is so enjoyable. No second guessing announcers dissing the judges. I had forgotten the rules were changed. I do think though the announcers tend to forget that the mobile advertising symbols, otherwise known as competitors, are just kids having a bloody good time.
I sympathize with Plushenko, he did do a quad, but didn’t show any bizazz in his program – suspect his coach just slacked off, but he’s the one who lost a gold medal and is bitter.
Does anyone know how many Senators have signed the public option demand?
What is different about the judging?
just had a friend post this elsewhere, sadly appropriate;
Judy Collins’ ‘It Isn’t Nice’ comes to mind:
They murdered boys in Mississippi; they shot Medgar in the back;
Did they say that wasn’t proper? Did they stand out on the track?
They were quiet, just like mice,
And now, they say that we’re not nice:
Well, thank you, buddy, for your advice,
But if that’s freedom’s price, we don’t mind
He bobbled several landings, whereas Lysacek skated clean. Me? I’d rather see a clean triple axel/triple toe loop (3½/3 revolutions) than a bobbled quad/triple.
particularly in gymnastics, the performances could be stellar but marks low, while team members of the eastern block teams could fall and still be marked high, finally judging came under such scrutiny that judges were forced to resign, admitted they had prior arrangements to give awards to countries that were doing them favors.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2002_Olympic_Winter_Games_figure_skating_scandal
yes, bobbled, but at least he stayed vertical – I saw a lackluster performance, but he pro’ly felt like he was over the top and didn’t work very hard after the quad.
Hmmmm
So this is what is better? (I am not being snarky. . .)
I believe it’s 18 so far.
The American judges were equally stupid when it came to “socialist” countries. Watching in Europe, we cursed the American judges as much as America was cursing the Europeans. Both sides were bloody stupid.
Whatever the means, judging has become much more related to performance.
Thanks. I live in hope that the momentum will increase as we get closer to the Thursday Kabuki Dance. There needs to be a sufficient number of Senators to force Harry and the WH into supporting public option. If thirty signatures were had public option would be hard to dismiss.
One benefit of the end of the cold war is an end to the most egregious nonsense like that.
I think Arlen Specter made 19
The pettiness displayed back then is being emulated by Congress now. McConnell, over the weekend, was as petty as it gets.
He’s a disgrace to the Senate and his state.
Have only seen clips of that since I will not watch Faux news. Seems the rightwingers are afraid they’re about to be shown up as the hypocrites they are.
I thought Arlen SPECTRE was the 17th. Not sure, but either way, it ain’t nearly enough yet. Need more Senators with stones.
Upon further review…. There are, apparently 20 Sens.
So you won’t have to watch Faux Here is McConnell
Thanks, will check it out.
Swim is up…