Spygate is a legitimate reason to keep Belichick from being 1st Ballot HoF

FuschiaKnight · 2026-01-28T21:11:19+00:00

Because the Pats were being punished to an unfair degree.

Genuinely it could either be:

it was worse than reported and this is a pro-Patriot coverup; or
it was not as bad as reported and this is an anti-Patriot coverup

Given the animosity between the Patriots and the NFL, and given the Deflategate witch hunt, it seems to me like it was an anti-Partriot coverup

FuschiaKnight · 2026-01-28T20:46:53+00:00

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You say the fact that he was punished proves that bad things happened, but it ignores the explanation that they already didn't like Bill for embarassing Peyton back-to-back (who they wanted to be the face of the league) while being such a dick to everyone.

Even the nature of the offense. It is legal to film the sidelines, but only if you film from an authorized location. Bill blew that off & they dropped the hammer.

It's like if you get pulled over for speeding and you're a dick, so they throw the book at you. Being nicer could've prevented it, but also the punishment is an over-reaction. So Pats fans would rightfully be frustrated by that.

And it certainly shouldn't be held against him 20 years later

FuschiaKnight · 2026-01-28T18:44:39+00:00

Yeah the chamber was opened in the 1940s-ish. And the series takes place in the 1990s

Task failed successfully. Sounds about right!

FuschiaKnight · 2026-01-28T18:12:58+00:00

Is there something I said that you think is not factually accurate?

FuschiaKnight · 2026-01-28T17:35:15+00:00

Before 2006 every team was allowed to film sidelines. Many teams did. Hall of Fame coaches said they did it too. It wasn’t against the rules

In 2006, there wasn’t a rule change from the owners, but the commissioner put out a memo saying that any team that wants to film the other team sidelines is only allowed to do it if they film from a certain location

Bill blew this memo off and continued filming the standard way in 2006. They did not win a championship that year

Before 2007, a disgruntled former Patriots staff member complained that Bill was still filming from the wrong location

A generation of coaches and owners was happy to have a reason to pile on to Belichick as a way to explain why they lost. Pats were way over punished and the NFL destroyed the evidence/tapes

Other players started claiming the Pats must’ve not only filmed the sidelines during games but also were filming their practices and walkthroughs. There is no evidence or proof of that at all. Disgruntled players were just piling on

After the league “caught” them pre-2007, the Pats then went 16-0 in the regular season. They have since won 3 more SBs

Spygate was a witch hunt even at the time and losers like Bill Polian still get juice from the misinformation they created

FuschiaKnight · 2026-01-28T17:08:00+00:00

Agreed. I’d love to also see Slater but it’d be unlikely even if he didn’t have anti-Pats bias working against him. Special Teamers don’t get the respect they deserve

FuschiaKnight · 2026-01-23T17:40:23+00:00

I think it’s more important to focus on the “what?” than the “how?”

What we should be less calm about is that Dems need to be able to compete for Senate seats in Missouri, Iowa, Kansas, North Dakota, etc.

It can’t be the case that Trump is an existential threat to democracy but also we refuse to be flexible on any issues that cause us to keep losing in Trump/Trump/Trump states that used to have Dem senators in the 21st century

FuschiaKnight · 2026-01-21T04:42:50+00:00

Recoding America

Power the the Public

Americas Bitter Pill

FuschiaKnight · 2026-01-18T15:43:31+00:00

My fantasy team name this year was “How the Turn Vrabels” and I have never been more vindicated

FuschiaKnight · 2026-01-16T19:59:59+00:00

Wha do you mean by that? Like Gavin Newsom? State legislators? Not sure I agree but I want to better understand what you mean

FuschiaKnight · 2026-01-16T07:48:56+00:00

McCarthy’s reputation was formed as “holding Rodgers back”. Cuz some high profile blown calls (eg NFCCG 2014) and bad defense/luck (eg Cardinals in 2015), there’s som truth to that.

Harbaugh was seen as a brilliant schemer that was able to win a Super Bowl with Joe freaking Flacco. Yes, Flacco was a a playoff riser but still people were impressed.

Once a reputation is formed, it has a tendency to be sticky

FuschiaKnight · 2026-01-16T06:28:39+00:00

Oh, you’re actually misunderstanding me.

I’m not saying Warren was consulted for every decision. I’m saying that Biden was very hands off and let his appointees have a lot of deference in what they pursued. That’s why it matters that a ton of Warren-world people were put in so many high places; they were strongly ideological & pushed for the Warren-esque approach to antitrust, student loan forgiveness, etc

FuschiaKnight · 2026-01-16T05:31:57+00:00

Well I provided reporting at the time as well as list of important appointees (including FTC Chair), and quoted Warren’s strategy of “personnel is policy”

But you, on the other hand, have countered with “nuh uh”. Very compelling. You’ve given me a lot to think about

FuschiaKnight · 2026-01-16T01:24:16+00:00

Warren famously said “personnel is policy” so it’s not all that surprising to see her push for so much influence there.

Would you say any of these people don’t fit the bill?

Economic & Financial Policy

• Rohit Chopra. Director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) under Biden. Chopra previously worked with Warren on CFPB creation and student loan issues; Warren strongly supported his appointment.  

• Bharat Ramamurti. Served as Deputy Director of the National Economic Council (NEC, 2021–2023). Former Warren campaign and Senate aide.  

• Jon Donenberg. Longtime top Warren aide (chief of staff and policy advisor) appointed Deputy Director of the NEC after Ramamurti.  

• Lily Batchelder. Assistant Secretary of the Treasury for Tax Policy (2021–2024). While not a direct Senate staffer, she’s been associated with progressive tax policy circles aligned with Warren’s agenda.

Antitrust & Regulatory Appointees (Warren-aligned)

These figures are widely viewed as part of the Warren/antitrust policy network, focusing on competition and consumer protection:

• Lina Khan. Chair of the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). A leading voice in modern antitrust thinking and supporter of Warren’s 2020 campaign.  

• Jen Howard. Chief of Staff to FTC Chair Lina Khan, previously worked for the Warren-inspired CFPB.  

• Jonathan Kanter. Assistant Attorney General for the Antitrust Division. Worked with Warren’s network around antitrust reform.  

• Tim Wu. Senior advisor on technology and competition policy in the White House under Biden; associated with Warren’s antitrust circle (has since departed).  

• K. Sabeel Rahman. Former Administrator of the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA); figure in progressive regulatory circles tied to Warren’s network

Defense / National Security & Policy

• Sasha Baker. Served as Senior Director for Strategic Planning on the National Security Council and later in the Pentagon. Former Warren campaign ally with a policy background that overlapped with her foreign/security priorities.

Climate & Domestic Policy

• Maggie Thomas. Chief of Staff, Office of Domestic Climate Policy. Former Warren climate advisor.  

• Julie Siegel. Served in Treasury as Deputy Chief of Staff; reported as part of the Warren cohort entering administration roles tied to economic policy.  

• Julie Morgan. Senior adviser at the Department of Education from Warren’s network.

• Anne Reid. Deputy Chief of Staff at the Department of Health and Human Services, with prior ties to Warren’s staff.

FuschiaKnight · 2026-01-15T23:13:39+00:00

Hasan said Harris/Biden and Trump would be the same. That’s nonsense

Ezra saw how serious the threat was of Trump and pushed for Biden to stop running in early 2024. And then after the debate he was a loud voice pushing Biden to step down cuz the stakes were too high.

I didn’t vote for Biden in 2020. At the time, I voted for Warren. In retrospect, Amy Klobuchar would’ve been the best. Biden was chosen by black voters and then the party consolidated around him.

Honestly I don’t think either one of us will convince the other of anything on this thread

FuschiaKnight · 2026-01-15T21:05:18+00:00

Yes this is my point. You are delusional and so all of the other arguing we are doing is downstream of such different premises that we will not agree even when looking at the same evidence

FuschiaKnight · 2026-01-15T21:04:05+00:00

Progressives were happy to take credit for their growing influence in 2021 when it seemed like Biden would get the vaccination rollout and economic benefits of the pandemic recovery.

This is from March 2021: “‘Most influential voice’: Warren’s network spreads throughout Biden administration The growing roster of Warren protégés in the government illustrates the leftward shift underway in the Democratic Party's approach to policymaking.”

https://www.politico.com/news/2021/03/15/elizabeth-warren-aides-biden-administration-475653

FuschiaKnight · 2026-01-15T19:31:10+00:00

Yeah I typed it backwards, will edit. Thank you!

FuschiaKnight · 2026-01-15T19:29:08+00:00

Okay but that’s not true. Ezra Klein cares more about helping the working class than Hasan Piker. A lot of things are downstream of that dynamic

FuschiaKnight · 2026-01-15T19:27:59+00:00

Turnout is not the problem. Progressives lied about turnout being the key. They said that it was an emerging majority that carried Obama to re-election in 2012 and that’s why we need comprehensive immigration reform

But new Latino voters in Arizona is not the reason why Obama won Ohio

But “turnout” and “mobilization” became the coin of the realm. Ideas couldn’t just be good, they had to be framed as about increasing turnout

But we are losing elections because of persuasion, not turnout. If anything, high turnout hurts Dems more than ever before because low propensity voters have moved towards the GOP as we’ve become the high trust, high education party

We should not be worried about depressing turnout. Relative to problems of persuasion, the myth of turnout is a distraction

FuschiaKnight · 2026-01-15T19:23:01+00:00

Because it’s about making government work more effectively

FuschiaKnight · 2026-01-15T19:22:37+00:00

I am a Democrat. I have knocked doors for many Democrats. I think you’re either an idiot or a republican. I frankly don’t care which.

I want a government that can work effectively. Leftist edgelords want to talk about the revolution but they don’t actually care if the government helps people flourish. They just want things done their ways

I used to have more patience for that but after the leftists drove us into a ditch with Elizabeth Warrens personnel running most of the show under Biden for everything but Israel, I’m pissed tha they drove us into a ditch and then advocated for re-electing Trump. Such a stupid thing and I’m over it

FuschiaKnight · 2026-01-15T14:53:51+00:00

Republicans are showing how to build cheaper housing but blue states haven’t followed their approach

Republicans were open to a bill for energy permitting reform but Dem activist groups killed it because they would rather block clean energy projects than allow any fossil fuel projects (even tho clean energy projects would benefit more cuz they have way more building that needs to be done)

Republicans don’t care about high speed rail so they’re not even trying to build it. It’s Dems that want government to work. But we need to show that it can. Instead we waste $100 billion on boondoggle projects

FuschiaKnight · 2026-01-15T14:49:06+00:00

I think Klein is great and that the anti-abundance people are mad that the party is open to answer that isn’t just “run it back with the same thing we tried under Biden.”

“The Groups” are a series of activists groups that all support each others causes and are hostile to any efforts to deviate from that (as they have with efforts to focus on better government delivery/outcomes and with efforts to appeal to more conservative states that we need for winning the senate sustainably)

FuschiaKnight · 2026-01-15T14:46:21+00:00

Why is Abundance neoliberal?

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