Unserious Politicians, Life In Quarantine, and Oven-Roasted Brisket
What more could America need right now?
Nancy Pelosi Blew Up Coronavirus Relief
My conspiracy theory for the last few months has been as follows: Nancy Pelosi hates her party and is trying to drag them into the abyss. Just look at the fact that, after a weekend of successful negotiations and a looming deal on a Wuhan virus stimulus bill, Pelosi flies back to D.C. and blows it all up. Why? To get the $35,000,000 for the Kennedy Performing Arts Center, another chunk of money to reducing airline admissions in 2035, and so much more.
I realize it sounds nuts, but she was already forced to promise she would step down from Speaker after 2022. If Trump wins this year, she will be the leader of an utterly broken and insane party, one that she lost control of back in 2019. It’s hard to imagine that the Democratic Party of 2020, with all its lunatic fringe, is one she wants to lead in the second half of the Trump era. So, with a bitter taste in her mouth after the 2019 negotiations with Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and others and the impeachment mess, maybe she is just trying to drag them as far down as she can.
The thing is, though, that the Democrats turned on a dime and went with it. It’s so bad, though, that even the media (which is usually very friendly toward Pelosi) is not buying it. My friend and colleague at RedState, Brandon Morse wrote about it here:
When even the mouthpieces of the left recognize that the delay is caused, not by concerns for necessary tweaks to the bill but by absolute need to interrupt anything Republicans do in an attempt for a political advantage down the line, and doing so while people are desperate and dying, then it’s time to hang it up and pass the bill. Not only that, it’s probably time to sit back and reexamine your sense of morality and loyalties.
It’s clear that while Pelosi hasn’t been in control of the Democratic party for some time in spirit, she’s now not even in control of herself. She destroyed a bill that was negotiated over for hours on end by both sides of the party due to her hatred for the other side. At this point, there is no spinning what she’s doing and doing so would only bring anyone trying to report in her favor down with her.
A Delicate Balance
I am pretty sure Erick Erickson was the first major conservative pundit to take COVID-19 seriously. I listen to his show in Atlanta fairly frequently (especially in quarantine) and while most conservatives were downplaying this as a media freakout, Erick was advising his listeners to gradually stock up just in case.
So, here we are, several states under lockdown, and those same pundits are unwilling to admit they were wrong. They want the shutdowns to end so the economy doesn’t grind to an absolute halt.
Already a bunch of Republicans are starting to spread around stuff that suggests the viral spread and casualty rate are not so bad. Those things are being thoroughly rebutted by expert epidemiologists, etc. but each share fans the flames that this is no big deal. That is one of my many frustrations in all of this. I have been telling people for months that this was a big deal and they needed to get ready. I have been a minority voice on the right. I’m already seeing people on the right say this is all overblown.
The irony here is that if we do everything we are supposed to and we contain the spread of the virus, many voices on the right will use our actions as proof it was all overblown in the first place. There will be a lot of my colleagues having to answer some tough questions on the day of judgment. Lying and spreading half-truths and fear to capitalize on a people who hate the press is part of grift within the conservative movement that is poisoning people. There is so much the media should answer for because the media has gotten so much wrong and been so partisan. But having irresponsible voices on the right out there now still claiming this is all a media scam is terrible to witness and makes me ashamed for them.
Keeping A Family Schedule Even In Quarantine
But, back home, where all the Washington D.C. chaos seems so far away, we’re all dealing with our own chaos. Leigh Guidry and I talked a bit on this week’s episode of our podcast, Homestyle, on how to keep the family on a schedule… and, yes, I said “family” and not “kids.” We all need a schedule or we will lose our minds. Heck, social media is already nuts. Imagine if we all lost our minds even more.
For the record, our schedule looks like this:
Before 8:00: Everyone is up and has eaten breakfast. Tablets/screentime allowed until 9 a.m.
9:00: Exercise/Outside time. We usually take the girls on a 30-minute walk around the neighborhood. Some days also include minor yard work.
10:00: Reading/Writing time. This is when I do things like write this newsletter, but reading with the kids is a great activity.
11:00: School time. My oldest, a second grader, is doing the distance learning thing, so she is working on that while my youngest, the three year old, is playing. My wife and I switch off on duty here.
12:00: Lunch and a nap. There’s no way you can get through this without some downtime. Tablets/screentime is okay, but you have to give the resting thing a solid attempt first.
2:00: Family time. This can be art, playing games, more reading, etc. We also will pull up some of the various zoos’ livestreams or find a nature documentary.
3:00: Exercise/Outside time: Another walk, just playing and riding bikes outside, or whatever. Just get the kids out of the house.
3:30: School time. Finish up whatever work a kid needs to do for the day.
Do whatever meets your needs. Just keep the family on a schedule. I promise you as a parent and a teacher, this is worth your time to adhere to. And, as always, subscribe, rate, and review the podcast, and share it with your family and friends.
Recipe of the Week: Oven-roasted brisket and potatoes
I had about four pounds of brisket that was frozen and needed to be consumed. I wanted to smoke it, but I am in the process of cleaning/modifying the grill and the smoker, so that was out. For my three-year-old’s birthday, I decided to start cooking it at noon and let it slow roast until 5:15 or so. It came out very juicy and tender.
I also put in some small Yukon potatoes and some carrots, drizzled a little olive oil and sea salt over them, and let them roast with the brisket. I made sure to turn the vegetables a little bit so they would get coated and roast in the brisket’s rendered fat.
After I pulled it out of the oven, I took the remaining juices and put them in a saucepan, added some flour and water, and made some really good gravy to go with it.
Here’s the rub and cooking process.
5 tbsp. kosher salt
3 tbps. smoked paprika
2 tbsp. garlic powder
3 tbps. black pepper
Brisket (4-5 pounds)
Carrots (peeled)
Small potatoes (unpeeled)
Sea salt
Olive oil
Water
Flour
Worchestershire sauce
Preheat oven to 225.
Mix the rub thoroughly. Apply generously to all sides of the brisket. Roll the meat around in the seasonings that fell on the cutting board. Get all of it on the meat. This is vital.
Wash potatoes and carrots. Peel the carrots and arrange the vegetables around the brisket in a roasting pan. Add a drizzle of olive oil to the vegetables and add some sea salt.
Insert the pan into the oven and, if you have one, attach a meat thermometer so you can monitor the temperature. I roasted mine for about five and a half hours, but once the internal temperature of the meat hits 175 degrees, it’s where it needs to be.
If it hits 175 too soon, reduce the oven’s temperature to 170 degrees. While it cooks, occasionally quickly open and rotate some of the vegetables. Make sure you get them coated in some of that rendered fat.
Once you’re ready to pull it out and let it rest, do so. Drain the juices into a saucepan set over medium heat. Add flour about a teaspoon at a time and whisk it into the juices to make your gravy. Add water if necessary to thin it out or make more of it.
Slice the brisket once it’s rested for about 5-10 minutes. Making the gravy while it rests takes about this long, if not a little longer. After you’ve let it rest, slice it against the grain and serve with the vegetables and the gravy.
One Final Note…
I know this is buried way down at the bottom of the newsletter and few people will read it, but I hope you make it here. I am thinking about doing a mini-podcast/briefing a couple times a week with news or other items of interest. If you’re interested in that, please let me know and I’ll get started on it right away.
I hope y’all are enjoying the newsletter and the format. If you have any comments or suggests, I’d appreciate them. Please remember to share it with your friends and family and get them to sign up.