Time to blow the dust off this typewriter
Welcome to Pick Six
Thoughts for the day
Welcome to the first edition of my revamped newsletter: Pick Six.
No one can deny that a sizable portion of our population is more polarized than ever before. But as folks on the left and right move further away from the center, I find an ever-increasing portion of the population left behind with an appetite or something different.
For the last couple of years, I have produced a daily newsletter — Chris Six’s Daily Cheat Sheet — to reach an audience that is more interested in issues and answers than talking points and rhetoric. Each day I survey dozens of sources from all sides of the ideological spectrum. The goal: to bring topics, ideas and opinions to light from all points of view.
Think of Pick Six as a deeper dive into the best of those stories, interlaced with my own experience and commentary. Quality journalism and quality opinion — covering the intersection of news, politics, media, sports and culture.
This newsletter is not for the easily offended or those simply seeking validation of closely-held beliefs. It is designed to challenge. To force us to think about the things we think about. In the end, we may find our beliefs reinforced. Or, we may revise our views. Regardless, we’ll have a better idea of what others think, and that’s the first step toward useful conversation.
Editor’s Note
Just because I share something doesn’t necessarily mean I agree with it, but it will always be a valid point of view worth considering. The rest is 100 percent Six.
The Six
No. 1
“Every industry has its unwritten rules. In the service world, you don’t question the customer. In the business world, you don’t dress above your position. In the pool-hustling world, you don’t mess around with Jim. And in the world of sports writing, you don’t become the story.”
Thanks, Philadelphia Inquirer’s David Murphy. This former sportswriter couldn’t have said it better himself.
No. 2
The duopoly defends its one mutual interest in many ways — ballot access, access to the debate stage and gerrymandering. As a graphics editor in a past life, I love this interactive game from the NYT. Oh, and I won!
Can you gerrymander yourself to power?
No. 3
Speaking of those mutual interests:
“Biden and the Democrats use the memory of January 6 to pretend that their preferred reforms are necessary to stave off a return to systemic, racist voter suppression; Trump and his supporters use it to pretend that he was robbed of victory. Instead of pursuing their self-interested political agendas, our representatives in Washington need to focus on fixing the part of our electoral system that really did come under attack on that day. Ambiguity in an existing law called the Electoral Count Act, written nearly a century and a half ago, led the January 6 rioters to believe that they could change the result of a free and fair election—which should worry every American.” — Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan in The Atlantic.
No. 4
Pay problems, poor morale, “lack of mission” and a spate of suicides. From the WSJ:
No. 5
“W” used to tell local politicians to “fix the potholes,” and he was right. Infrastructure is one of the few things most people agree governments should spend money on. But, unlike defense, where politicians spend wildly and blindly, getting real investment in infrastructure is difficult, even as bridges and roads fall apart around us. Case in point, the builder president talked a big talk on infrastructure but did nothing about it in four years.
Think all that’s different now that Biden pushed through his infrastructure bill? Not so fast. Lawmakers have authorized the spending, but the inability to actually appropriate the money (read: actually do their jobs and pass a budget) means most projects are on hold.
The Washington Post explains: Infrastructure programs on hold until Congress passes budget to fund them
No. 6
And finally, whatever you might have thought of Bob Dole politically, few would deny he put his life on the line for his country. I briefly met him at an event to raise money for the National WWII Memorial — a cause we both believed in. In later years, Dole would greet veterans at the memorial. On Wednesday, he will be buried in Arlington National Cemetary.
Quote of the Day
“Babydog tells Bette Midler and all those out there, kiss her hiney.” — West Virginia Governor Jim Justice.
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About
Christopher Six is a passionate advocate of community journalism with more than 30 years in the media, corporate communications and marketing. An award-winning designer, columnist, illustrator, photographer and newsroom leader, he is a respected voice in journalism ethics. A veteran reporter, he has created and taught news writing seminars for community colleges and the Pennsylvania Newspaper Association.