Yesterday was busy. I worked with PT. I ordered groceries. I scheduled two medical appointments. My bath aid is ill, and she did not come yesterday, so I had a substitute bath-aide today. She just left. My fur is soft, and I smell kitty clean, not like a mangy dawg. Today is a grocery delivery day.
Jig Zone Puzzle:
Today’s took me 4:11 (average 5:18). To do it, click here. How did you do?
Short Takes:
From The New Yorker: Looking ahead to his final State of the Union address, Barack Obama told NBC’s Matt Lauer that he was “celebrating, just celebrating the last time I ever have to talk to these bastards.”
“I’ll be going over some of the accomplishments of the past seven years and outlining some of the challenges for our nation that remain ahead,” the President said, in an interview taped for NBC’s “Today” show. “But inside, I’ll be like, ‘Good Lord, I never have to so much as look at these horrible people again.’ ”
Asked which member of Congress he would most enjoy never looking at again, Obama responded, “That’s tough. It’s a toss-up between Ted Cruz and Mitch McConnell. But the beautiful thing is, I don’t have to choose, Matt. After tonight, I don’t have to look at either of them.”
If ever Andy reported straight news, this is it.
From NY Times: As the first nominating contest approaches, Hillary Clinton’s commanding lead nationally in the Democratic primary has largely melted away, according to the latest New York Times/CBS News Poll.
The tightened race between Mrs. Clinton and Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont is revealing a sharp generational divide within the Democratic Party, with primary voters under 45 favoring Mr. Sanders by a roughly 2-to-1 ratio.
Go Bernie, Go!
From Crooks and Liars: With the Iowa caucuses less than three weeks away and the New Hampshire primary hard on its heels, there is an essential truth in politics today that transcends all others: The Republican Party has finally screwed the pooch and is on a collision course with electoral Armageddon.
This has become such common knowledge — The New York Times climbed on board recently with a thumbsucker reading like the plot outline of Titanic — that the problem for pundits like myself in describing the party’s self-immolation is to somehow sound new and different. And wonder all the while why the heck the party is unable to do anything beyond rearranging deck chairs as it steams full speed ahead toward that iceberg of a presidential election.
That question is actually fairly easy to answer: The loyalists cognizant of the GOP’s parlous condition have been banished from its temple of political purity, and what has become paramount to the forces that now pretty much control the party is defending the five pillars of the temple — rank nativism, economic recidivism, nonsensical beliefs, an aversion to governing and pathological fear of change. This is more important than even winning big elections.
While I agree with this assessment, we cannot stop fighting tooth and nail to win big at all levels of government.
Cartoon:
9 Responses to “Open Thread–1/13/2016”
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4:09 But I still don't recognize it from the picture ot from the description. Some day I'll research and see if I can figure out the variety we had. But today is not that day.
Glad you are clean, snd getting groceries. I need to go out for some today (Ugh).
New Yorker – Indeed. Although he did say he would be right there with us as a citizen. I never watch these things but I did see most of the speech last night, and kept getting distracted by Ryan's ugly mug. (Speaking of the Irish, "Finding Your Roots" finds that Bill O'Reilly and Bill Maher are DNA cousins – and so are Soledad O'Brien and Stephen Colbert. Funny world.)
NY Times – Ah, to be under 45 again! Well, I guess, politically I am. LOL!
Crooks and Liars – I've been reading about the demise of the GOP for so long – yet every time I read it – I believe it LESS. "No one ever went broke underestimating the intelligence of the American public," and the GOP is right on board with that. Fighting tooth and nail (claw?) will be necessary for a long time.
Cartoon – Republican compromise.
The Puzzle People seem to have a thing for Lantana flowers. They just had one ~ 6 weeks ago:
https://www.7thstep.org/blog/2015/12/01/squatchs-open-thread-01122015/
3:44 I beat the kitty to the flowers, but I think I am still too late.
3:42 Not by much Jerry! Looks like the Puddy Tat, based on his comment, got here a day early and rolled in the posies to smell sweet.
I will note how often I saw members of the GOP start to applaud and/or give a standing ovation to Obama's comments addressing the dangers and divisiveness of Trump and his ilk's rhetoric…
Taking care of The Cat is the most important thing, now.
NY Times: I am well past 45, and wold love to see Bernie win, take back congress on his coat-tails, and get some serious shit done!
I hope that the older generation(s) do not get overly comfortble with whomever he Dem.candidate will be, and fail to go out to vote. Watching Travis Smiley show, on NPR, last night, I heard that Blacks came out to vote in ever larger numbers in some recent elections, and hope this trend continues. This was stated by the CEO of "The Color of Change."
Joanne, that piece about the 2 Bills is like myself and a cousin, who is a devout, goose stepping GOPig!
New Yorker: I am hoping, silly me, that as Pres. Obama leaves office next year, he comments on the total inability of the GOPigs to govern, putting their energy, instead, into blocking him at every turn.
Crooks and Liars: The GOP is, indeed, unable to govern, has been for a long time, now, being too focused on agenda "Ubber Alles!"
You're indeed a very busy feline these days, TomCat, and it seems to involve a lot of social, person-to-person contact too. I'm glad for you. It's in no way comparable to the marvelous work you did as a prison volunteer, but lots of contacts with different people does compensate a little for the contacts with your boys your missing out on, I hope.
The New Yorker: It's funny only because it so closely resembles that wonderful touch of humor Barack Obama has preserved through all these years of hardship the GOP has made him go through. This must be exactly what Obama was thinking when he addressed them for the last time. This time he didn't have to mask his relief that he'd never have to see these faces again in this capacity.
NY Times: Isn't it wonderful how a man Bernie's age can inspire the younger generations just by being himself and really caring about his country and its people and by taking everyone seriously? Go Bernie, GO! indeed.
Crooks and Liars: It may have dawned on the pundits that the GOP is cruising towards the election iceberg like the Titanic, but sadly this can not be said for their voters. This Titanic also has a myriad of life saving devices on board like gerrymandering, voter disenfranchisement and last, but not least, plain old fraud. And, as you say, TomCat, it isn't just about the presidential election; if Republicans aren't thrown out on their ear from every office they hold now, the next president may well be another Democrat who is completely blocked from governing while the GOP refuses to govern themselves.
Cartoon: Please, not another 4-5 years of that.
Puzzle — 3:42 Not by much Jerry! Looks like the Puddy Tat, based on his comment, got here a day early and rolled in the posies to smell sweet.
The New Yorker — Spot on! Yeah, Andy's reporting again . . . or is it still?
NY Times — Feel the Bern!
Crooks and Liars — As long as there is even one Republican, the battle is not won!
Cartoon — SSDD as usual!
Thanks all. Hugs. Feeling so tired that I'm going to nap before I post.