>>> THIS SEASON ON CONNECTING POINT, RON CHIMELIS IS GOING TO
BE JOINING US ON A MONTHLY BASIS.
HE'S TRYING TO GET MORE PEOPLE TO GO OUT AND VOTE.
>> THE SPRINGFIELD TURNOUT IS 7%.
MY PROPOSAL WAS IF YOU MISS FOUR ELECTIONS OF A CERTAIN LEVEL,
MAYOR, PRESIDENT, WHATEVER, YOU HAVE TO SIT OUT THE FIFTH YOU
ARE TAKEN OFF THE LIST.
PEOPLE DON'T WANT SOMETHING UNLESS THEY'RE DENIED IT.
MAYBE SOMETHING THAT WILL MATTER TO THEM THEY WANT TO
PARTICIPATE.
>> WON'T HAPPEN.
>> YOU BROUGHT UP AN INTERESTING POINT.
BECAUSE SO FEW PEOPLE VOTE IN ELECTION TIMES, PRIMARIES, THEY
GET AN OUT.
THEY CAN CATER TO THIS VERY SMALL SLICE OF PEOPLE THAT WILL
VOTE, FIGURE OUT WHAT THOSE PEOPLE WANT TO HEAR.
IT'S A PROBLEM.
THEY KNOW WHO THEY CAN IGNORE WITH SAFETY AND THAT'S A VERY
UNFORTUNATE THING.
PEOPLE WILL SAY WE'RE DISENFRANCHISED BECAUSE WE DON'T
CARE.
BECAUSE THEY DON'T VOTE GIVES POLITICIANS A REASON NOT TO
CARE.
THAT DOESN'T MAKE IT RIGHT.
IF MORE PEOPLE VOTED -- >> YOU ALREADY MENTIONED, YOU
STRESSED THE NUMBER IN THE COLUMN.
I KNEW THE 7% NUMBER.
THAT'S TERRIBLE. 13 OUT OF 14 VOTERS DIDN'T
VOTE.
I MEAN, THAT REALLY IS SAD.
>> YEAH, EVEN IN THE PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION, ANYWHERE
FROM TWO OUT OF FIVE TO MORE THAN HALF OF THE PEOPLE DON'T
VOTE.
THESE ARE ISSUES THAT MOST PEOPLE -- IT'S BEEN TRUCK
TRAITING BETWEEN 38 AND 48%.
IN THE LOCAL ADDICTION IT'S A DOMESTIC BULL.
IT BOTHERS ME.
I NEVER BUSSED ONE.
I -- NEVER MISSED ONE.
I WISH PEOPLE WOULD PUT IT HIGHER ON THEIR LIST.
>> YOU ALSO HAD A COLUMN -- [ INDISCERNIBLE ] --
YOU TALKED ABOUT BILL AND HILLARY CLINTON, BILLARY AS
THEY'RE CALLING THEM, BILL IS GOING TO BE INVOLVED, HE SAID
HE'S REALLY NOT GOING TO HELP.
THERE'S SOME THINGS ABOUT THEM THAT REALLY BOTHERS YOU.
>> WHAT BOTHERS ME IS THIS IS AN OPPORTUNITY TO LOOK AT HILLARY
AS HILLARY.
SHE IS THE FIRST FEMALE WHO COULD WIN, THE FIRST REAL WOMAN
WITH AN OPPORTUNITY TO BE THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES.
LET'S VIEW HER GOOD AND BAD ON HER OWN MERITS.
I CAN CERTAINLY EXPECT BILL CLINTON TO BE INVOLVED.
IF HE BECOMES PROMINENT, THAT'S A DISTRACTION.
>> JUST GOING ON THAT LINE, YOU HAD A GREAT QUOTE BULL LINE TO
ME, WHEN BILL CLINTON SPEAKS A LOT OF PEOPLE SEE PIN OCI O AT
THE PODIUM.
>> IT'S A PIN DIME, DIFFERENT -- IF WE LOOK AT THEM INDIVIDUALLY
THAT CAN TAKE AWAY SOME OF THE FOCUS YOU ALSO MENTIONED, WE
TALKED ABOUT THIS BEFORE THE TAPE STARTED ROLLING, BUT BILL
CLINTON COMING OUT GROWING ABOUT HILLARY AND WHAT AN ODD MESS
THAT IS AND CHANGE, BASICALLY SAYING STOP PICKING ON HER.
HE SAID REALLY?
AS I WROTE, IF ANYBODY KNOWS THE HARDBALL POLITICS OF ELECTIONS,
THEY KNOW ABOUT IT.
SHE WAS FINDING THINGS WRONG WITH BERNIE SANDERS BECAUSE HE
WAS ROLLING UP IN POLLS.
IT'S ROUGH-AND-TUMBLE AND NOBODY KNOWS THAT BETTER THAN THE
CLINTONS.
>> LET'S SHIFT GEARS.
YOU HAVE WRITTEN ABOUT SPORTS.
YOU WROTE ABOUT SPORTS EXCLUSIVELY.
YOU TAKE A MUCH BROADER VIEW IN TERMS OF WHAT IS SPORTS, WHAT IS
COMPETITION AND I KNOW YOU WROTE ABOUT -- IT WAS CENTERED ON A
REQUEST BY SOME GROUPS IN ENGLAND TO BE RECOGNIZED BY
THEIR SPORTS BOARD, I GUESS, DETERMINES WHAT A SPORT IS.
>> DETERMINES WHAT SPORT GETS FUNDING.
>> CHESS, CHEERLEADING AND BRIDGE?
>> I'M A CHESS PLAYER AND WE'RE PATIENT.
NOT REALLY, BUT I CAN MAKE A CASE FOR CHEER READING AS A
SPORT.
THERE'S SOME DANGER INVOLVED NOW.
IT'S AN IMPORTANT ISSUE IN TERMS OF SAFETY.
BRIDGE WAS THE ISSUE IN ENGLAND.
I THINK ALL THESE PEOPLE WANTED RESPECT.
THEY DON'T CARE IF IT'S CALLED A SPORT OR NOT.
THEY WANT TO BE RECOGNIZED FOR DOING SOMETHING WELL AND THEY
PROBABLY WANT SOME OF THE FUNDING AS WELL.
CHEER LEAGUED IS A SPORT, I THINK THERE SHOULD BE
REGULATIONS, QUALITY EQUIPMENT.
CHESS AND BRIDGE, AS LONG AS YOU DON'T CREATE A BUNCH OF IN OTHER
WORDS, WE DON'T CARE WHAT YOU CALL US.
>> YOU TALK ABOUT THAT BEFORE IN OUR SCHOOL COLUMNS, YOU'VE BEEN
VERY NICE IN OUR ACADEMIC COMPETITION, SO OFTEN THERE ARE
KIDS THAT WE HONOR THE ATHLETES IN SO MANY WAYS, SO MANY TIMES,
AND GREAT, IT TAKES A LOT OF PERSEVERES TO GET UP, PRACTICE
EVERY DAY.
THE KIDS THAT AREN'T ATHLETES DO IMPORTANT THINGS IN THE SCHOOL,
YOU WANT THEM RECOGNIZED, TOO.
>> YES, I CORD HIGH SCHOOL SPORTS FOR 30 YEARS, I HAVE NO
PROBLEM WITH GETTING CREDIT TO THE PEOPLE WHO ARE VERY GOOD AT
IT, BUT I ALSO THINK THERE IS ROOM FOR PEOPLE TO GET BETTER IN
OTHER THINGS, ESPECIALLY IN THE ACADEMICS.
THAT'S WHY IT'S SUCH A TREMENDOUS AND VALUABLE PROGRAM
BECAUSE IT GIVES AND OPPORTUNITY TO SHOWCASE THAT KIND OF SKILL.
MOST OF THE TIME WE LOOK AT THE FIELD AND BALL SCORES AND FINE,
BUT THAT'S NOT THE ONLY THING WE SHOULD BE LOOKING AT.
>> I GUESS YOU CAN GO IN THE AUDIENCE AND MATCH WITS.
I KNOW SOME PEOPLE IN YOUR HOME, RIGHT?
THERE WAS A SUPERSTAR.
>> THERE YOU GO, EXACTLY, SO THERE'S A CONNECTION THERE, BUT
IT'S TOUGH TO, YOU KNOW, GET FOLKS EXCITED ABOUT THE CHESS
CLUB OR THE ACADEMIC COMPETITION TEAM BECAUSE YOU CAN'T GO OUT
FRIDAY NIGHT AND SILT AND CHEER AND HAVE A BEER AND WATCH.
>> IT'S A DIFFERENT TYPE OF COMPETITION, BUT IT IS A
COMPETITION OR A CHALLENGE.
I DIDN'T TRY OUT FOR IT.
THE REASON I DIDN'T IT WASN'T COOL.
INTEREST ESPECIALLY THE ADULTS TO ENCOURAGE THEIR KIDS TO
PARTICIPATE IN ALL ACTIVITIES, INCLUDING THOSE.
>> ONE OF THE COLUMNS YOU WROTE THIS PAST SUMMER, I REMEMBER
READING, I'M GOING TO BRING IT BACK, REMEMBER WHEN SPORTS WAS
FUN.
IT WAS THE MIDDLE OF DEFLATEGATE, SORRY, I PLANNED
NOT TO SAY THAT WORD TODAY -- REMEMBER WHEN SPORTS WAS FUN?
>> THAT'S ONE OF THE REASONS I SHIFTED TO MORE OF A POLITICAL
SITUATION.
I STILL COVER SPORTS.
IT'S NOT AN ESCAPE ANYMORE.
YOU'RE SEEING PROBLEMS IN WHAT IS SUPPOSED TO BE AN
ENTERTAINING VEHICLE.
THAT'S NOT ENTERTAINING TO ME.
IT'S MORE DIFFICULT TONE JOY THEM AS AT PARTICULAR CONTESTS.
>> WAS IT BETTER IN SOME WAYS WHEN WE DIDN'T KNOW AS MUCH,
THEY WERE JUST HEROS AND WE DIDN'T CARE IF THEY WENT OUT
DRINKING AFTERWARDS?
>> WE DIDN'T REST WELL THE ISSUES.
IT WAS BLISSFULLY IGNORANT.
BUT THERE'S ALSO BLISS.
I THINK SOMETIMES IN SPORTS IT'S EASIER IF YOU DON'T KNOW ALL THE
SKELETONS.
>> CHECK HIM OUT HERE EVERY MONTH ON CONNECTING POINTED.
>> THANKS VERY MUCH.
>> THANKS FOR COMING IN, SIR.