This helped me breathe quite a bit easier yesterday...and if I was a bettin' woman, I'd plunk down the farm on Obama right now.

Summary of Lichtman's 13 Keys to the White House as of October 2008:

The Keys are stated to favor the reelection of the incumbent party. When five or fewer are false, the incumbent party wins. When six or more are false, the challenging party wins.

KEY 1 (Party Mandate): After the midterm elections, the incumbent party holds more seats in the U.S. House of Representatives than it did after the previous midterm elections. (FALSE)

KEY 2 (Contest): There is no serious contest for the incumbent-party nomination. (TRUE)

KEY 3 (Incumbency): The incumbent-party candidate is the sitting president. (FALSE)

KEY 4 (Third party): There is no significant third-party or independent campaign. (TRUE)

KEY 5 (Short-term economy): The economy is not in recession during the election campaign. (FALSE)

KEY 6 (Long-term economy): Real per-capita economic growth during the term equals or exceeds mean growth during the previous two terms. (FALSE)

KEY 7 (Policy change): The incumbent administration effects major changes in national policy. (FALSE)

KEY 8 (Social unrest): There is no sustained social unrest during the term. (TRUE)

KEY 9 (Scandal): The incumbent administration is untainted by major scandal. (TRUE)

KEY 10 (Foreign/military failure): The incumbent administration suffers no major failure in foreign or military affairs. (FALSE)

KEY 11 (Foreign/military success): The incumbent administration achieves a major success in foreign or military affairs. (FALSE)

KEY 12 (Incumbent charisma): The incumbent-party candidate is charismatic or a national hero. (FALSE)

KEY 13 (Challenger charisma): The challenging-party candidate is not charismatic or a national hero. (TRUE)

Results:

TRUE: 5 KEYS (favors incumbents)

FALSE: 8 KEYS (favors challengers)

Prediction: INCUMBENT REPUBLICANS LOSE POPULAR VOTE, DEMOCRATS WIN POPULAR VOTE

Note: Popular vote DOES NOT always translate into electoral college numbers (e.g., Bush/Gore contest in 2000)

Diana Taurasi's WNBA season performance, no matter the Olympic break, is the most outstanding in the league. There's simply no one else that has posted the stats across categories -- she stands alone. She more than deserves the MVP this year! Place your vote for this phenom at the link below.

Click here for YouTube pics:

http://www.nbcolympics.com/basketball/news/newsid=243803.html#the+defense+never+ rests

Yesterday I wrote:

Girls and boys, mommies and daddies, the 2008 Women's Dream Team is one win away from Olympic Gold. After winning against Russia in the semifinals (yes, Diana Taurasi had 21 points and 9 rebounds), they now face Australia tomorrow in Bejing for all the marbles. Be sure to check out the NBC website listed below to see videotaped interviews with both Taurasi and Lisa Leslie about their win and upcoming finals game. GO USA!

Today I say:

2008 USA Dream Team won it going away (92-65)- the depth of our bench just wore the Aussies down. Even so, there were lots of home girls in foul trouble (Taurasi's calls were ridiculous -- she played less than 20 minutes total, and she and Lisa Leslie both fouled out). But Kara "Sparkplug" Lawson in the 1st half, and Sue "Kinetic" Bird in the 2nd half, tooled the USA team to a high-performance level throughout. What can you say? This team is absolutely the best in the world.

Oh yeah, Lisa Leslie holds the individual women's record for 4 straight gold medals in b'ball. Whoah.

Dominant. Awesome. Super-heroes - oh yeah.

Only a few days ago, the Phoenix Mercury traveled to DC to be honored by George II for their 2007 WNBA Championship season. The pictures for posterity were informative and sometimes hilarious. The AP/GETTY image of the chaste buss between the Prez and DT was one for the scrapbooks -- especially since her right hand palmed the back of G-Dub's head like she was cupping a baseball. All I could think of was: could she pick him up by the occipital bone and bounce him a few times off the White House Lawn? My answer: most probably, but she's discreet. The other thing I wondered was: how much is this guy used to being surrounded by strong women? Made me think of "weatherboy" (see DT's most recent blog) surrounded by the LA team with Lisa Leslie busting his chops (guess you had to be there). The most impressive thing, tho, was to see the whole Mercury team smiling and laughing and loving it -- without a shred of intimidation showing anywhere. Guess once you've stared down Laimbeer, the Commander in Chief of the whole world is just a walk in the park. Awesome.



In other news, according to WNBA reporter Lori Riley, DT is having another record-breaking year. Since the game against the Seattle Storm back on June 11 when DT scored 37 points but the Mercs still lost, the team's gone on a tear. Since then, they've won 5 out of 7, including a win over the Connecticut Sun on June 29th (7-7 overall). Tomorrow at 4pm they take on Atlanta and will most likely make it 6 of the last 8, for a 8-7 record early in the season. Shades of the 2007 championship season? You bet. Weak start, strong finish.

To make it even better, DT is on track to beat her unbelievable hall of fame 2006 WNBA season, where she broke 11, count 'em, 11 total league records. According to Riley, DT has already broken the all-time Mercury scoring record this season, and "...has hit 30-plus in the three of the last five games. She is shooting 47.5 percent from the field, 86.2 percent from the free-throw line, and averaging 4.2 rebounds, all career highs, as well as scoring a league-leading 24.7 points."

Without jinxing you, girlfriend, what else is there to say, but -- DAMN!

Alrighty then. I just vented about the WNBA pics vote on Dee's site.

But there's something else going on here. And I believe it's called -- (wait for it) -- SEXISM!



Here's the scenario:

DT is a strong, passionate b-ball phenom. She cusses like a trooper (F-word is a fav). She plays hard. She stares down the opposition. She gets thrown out of games. She's strong and dirty under the basket and out to win. She grinds you down and puts her team on her shoulders when they falter. She wins, period.

If you know her and you're not on her team -- hello -- scru-it until after the game is over. Then she's your bosom-buddy.

Hmmmmm.

This sounds like a perfect franchise player for the NBA!!!!



But that's not it, is it? No.

Double standard here, boys and girls, mommies and daddies! OH YES!

Girls play nice -- everyone knows that. Right? I mean, RIGHT?

And THAT, people, is sexism in all it's glory.

DT, this is for you:

"The Pump" pic is iconic and for all time -- that fact you didn't win is proof positive that the double-standard is still unfortunately alive and well in 2007.

No matter. Fifty years from now you will be the standard as the turning point -- and The Pump will represent. Count on it.

This is the first game in the playoff series that the refs had the game under control from tip-off. And, gee, who woulda thought? Skill DID win out....

Huh.

All season long, the Phoenix team has shown their skill is at a new level...one this league and women's b-ball has never seen before. It just had to happen....

With the last twenty years worth of investment in female youth basketball -- from elementary school through junior high, high school, and college -- we see the fruits culminating in the Mercury. One hundred points and more most games, well, it just goes to show that it truly isn't a guy thing or a girl thing, it's a skill thing (thanks Nike marketeers).



And the winners of the 2007 WNBA Championship are proof positive. Thanks to the powers that be for bringing the officiating into line before this afternoon's game.

Did someone, perhaps, just perhaps, read this (and others') YardBarker? :)

After watching every one of these finals games, I have to say that the league really needs to look at their officiating. Someone needs to take these girls and boys in hand and give them a refresher course. Really. It's b-ball, not boxing.

I'm all for aggressive play, don't get me wrong. Even a few dirty moves here and there, of course -- that's part of the game. What's NOT part of the game are the incredibly cheap shots, hips and elbows and knees and forearms, that are part of NFL front-line play. What you get when the refs allow this is -- whoever is bigger will win. Period. And of course that plays right into Detroit's hands. It removes skill level as the defining factor.

Gone is the finesse of the women's game, gone is the split second decision-making off your feet -- instead, what you get is stomping on insteps to keep things rooted to the ground. In the mud. Instead of in the air where the game belongs.

This is sad. This isn't even about who wins in the end. It's about what the WNBA has allowed itself to become. As Auriemma said during game 4 - something else is going on out there, and it isn't basketball.

Damn shame.