Okay, what’s the deal with Tommy Lasorda being a phase-out man?
As someone who grew up in Southern California in the 1970s and 1980s, to me it’s second nature knowing who Lasorda was. But in case you don’t, he was an extremely long-serving (twenty years, I think) and I would say genuinely legendary manager of the Los Angeles Dodgers.
I’ve now gotten a slew of emails from readers across the country who report receiving robo-calls from Tommy Lasorda — apparently sponsored by the White House’s pro-phase-out front group Progress for America –telling them to call their local Republican congressman and get him or her to support the president’s phase-out plan.
From my limited information, the calls all seemed aimed at wavering or potentially wavering Republicans and the calls have gone to voters in New York, Pennsylvania, Florida and New Mexico.
Alas, another childhood hero bites the dust. And why Tommy anyway? USANext already snagged Art Linkletter? And, admittedly, Lawrence Welk is dead. But still, why Tommy?
Late Update: New reader mail confirms that the Tommy call is going out all over the country and, at least in one case, to push Democrats. As TPM Reader JdA says, what’s next? Vin Scully for the Bankruptcy Bill?
