I admit that though I’ve been busy with work and personal tasks, I’ve thought more and more about the current elections, at least on the national level.
I am going to have to do some homework about local level stuff to see who to support in the primary; the national stuff is more or less settled for me.
I do admit to having some doubt and confusion as to what “will sell” with the public. My wife is older than I am BUT seems to understand what sells better.
Example one: back in 2008, I was excited that a bunch of Nobel Laureate scientists endorsed Obama. Wife: “Honey, no one cares about that.” Of course, she was right…an endorsement from Oprah meant a whole lot more, in terms of winning votes.
Example two: early in the primary I became an “Amy-bro”…I LOVED Amy Klobuchar. Wife: “Honey, no one knows who she is; she has no chance.” As soon as Biden announced, she went and contributed to his campaign I asked why: “Honey, I am a realist.” She did admit that Amy “grew on her”, but she had too low of profile to start with and she doesn’t have that magnetic stage personality that Obama and Bill Clinton had.
So…I do have doubts about my abilities to gauge. I admit that when I “chose” Klobuchar, I was admitting that *I* liked her and felt obliged to try. I also knew that she was a long shot.
But many of my (soon to be former?) friends liked Elizabeth Warren. Now she is someone that I have an immense amount of personal respect for (stellar scholar, extremely knowledgeable and technically competent) but…OMG, when she spoke, I felt I was at yet another boring faculty senate meeting. I just wanted to mute the volume. And her campaign was “woke” (e. g. she listed her gender pronouns, used phrases like “Latinx” which are popular with activists and academics…and no one else)
So I didn’t want her as a candidate…and “felt” that she wouldn’t be successful. BUT, I have the aforementioned doubts about my ability to gauge what the public would want.
It turns out that THIS time, I was correct. But that doesn’t cancel all of the times I was wrong.
I think that this gets it wright: it sure appears as if Warren’s campaign was run by Liberal Arts faculty:
And I am sure that those who listen to NPR just looooooved her.
And that leads me to the VP discussion. It seems that many on my feed want…Stacy Abrams???? Good lord..she has held no office higher than the Georgia State House, lost an election for governor (in a wave year), and image wide…morbidly obese with bad teeth..a terrible image with a POTUS candidate nearing 80.
Sorry..Joe or Bernie needs someone relatively young with experience who can step in right away..and they do NOT need a drag on the ticket.
Hate me all you want, but when it comes to politics at a national level, image matters. And yes, it matters more for women (men are judged by power and money). And women in the US spend (at least) hundreds of millions of dollars every year to NOT look like Stacey Abrams.
Now to the topic of this post:
On a professional level, I have enough achievement (modest amount) and seniority that I do get some deference on campus. So in that sense, age has made me a bit MORE visible. I am no longer an “Young Turk” but I still am given the most intellectually demanding courses to teach (even out of area), committees to chair, etc. People run things past me.
But in the gym…well, actually on the campus gym, the 6 am regulars (students) appreciate that I have not totally given up yet. But about the weights I can actually handle…..how that is viewed has changed.
Example: there was a time where I would get glances in the gym. And, for example, when a powerlifting coach was looking for spotters when a lifter was going to attempt a 700 lb. squat, I was one of the first ones chosen and I was asked to be the “behind the lifter” spotter. The weights I was handling..while not especially strong, were noticed.
That does NOT happen anymore. Nor should it.
From time to time, my pull ups get noticed but that’s about it. And that is what amused me about this retweet.
Yes, this kid, an Illinois football lineman, retweeted this. And it is literally 7 times more than I currently use….and yes, I clean and press more than I squat.
I have issues.
Well, almost time to stretch for my deadlift session. Current max is 266 and it is time for me to focus on “learning the lift” and training…and to stop the “finding out my max.” I have a baseline to work from.
Current baselines (go ahead and laugh…I suck)
Pull ups: 50 per session (15-15-10-10 or 5 sets of 10)
bench press: 3 x 185 (hips down)
clean and press: 1 x 115, or sets of 5 with 95 (full reps)
dumbbell press: 5 x 50 standing or 10 x 45, lower to parallel shoulders
deadlift: 266 regular, 260 Sumo, 5 x 233 regular or Sumo.
Squat: 5 x 85 (not a joke…I suck that bad) or 6 x 70 goblet.
Life of an old goat 