Open Thread – Page 122 – Politics Plus

Open Thread September 14, 2023

Posted by Joanne Dixon at 5:59 am Open Thread, Personal, Politics

Sep 142023

Yesterday, the sun shone, and the temperature barely broke 70, so the yard got done. Mitt Romney announced he will not run for re-election. Liz Cheney had some choice words for what she calls “the Putin wing of the Republican Party” (AKA the Sedition Caucus.) In Pennsylvania, they found and captured the escaped prisoner. And I picked two ery different short takes from very different sources, and – surprise, surprise! – They’re both on Substack. So crank up your mouse to click on “continue reading.” Everyone on Substack whom I have seen talk about it is very happy to be there – it’s easy for authors to use, and it saves them a lot of money compared to other venues. So I don’t see any of them moving away from it any time soon.

In case you noticed Nameless missing a few days, he’s healthy, but tied up with taxes, in his own state and in the state in which a relative lived from whom he received an inheritance. He’s on an extension, but the date for that is getting closer faster than he would like

Cartoon – On 14 September 1867 —

Short Takes –

Robert Reich – Who’s most responsible for the monopolization of America?
Quote – Yet the federal courts have been reluctant to do anything about this and are pushing back against the Biden administration’s efforts. Why? Because of a man named Robert Bork…. I first met Bork in September 1971, when I took his class on antitrust at Yale Law School. I recall him as a large, imposing man, with a red beard and a perpetual scowl…. We kept challenging his view that the only legitimate purpose of antitrust law was to lower consumer prices…. Even in our mid-20s, we knew this was bullshit.
Click through for history. If you didn’t already know, you will learn why “borked” is now a synonym for “inoperable,” chaotic,” or even “SNAFU.”

Wonkette – Lauren Boebert Kicked Out Of Theater For Acting Too Lauren Boebert-y
Quote – U.S. Rep. Lauren Boebert was escorted out of a Sunday night performance of the “Beetlejuice” musical in downtown Denver, accused by venue officials of vaping, singing, recording and “causing a disturbance” during the performance. VAPING. The woman was VAPING. The paper says they got warned during intermission that others around them were complaining (LMAO), so clearly it was time to shape up and sit nicely with our hands folded in front of us, even though it is a fun show like Beetlejuice. We can go to Chuck E. Cheese afterward, OK? The incident report states that after receiving the intermission warning, about five minutes into the second act security officials received “another complaint about the patrons being loud and at the time (they) were recording.” Taking pictures or recording is not permitted at shows. Tacky.
Click through to read embarrassing details and see optional surveillance footage. The part in italics is direct quotes from the Denver Post.

Food For Thought

Video Thread 9/13/2023

Posted by Joanne Dixon at 12:04 pm Open Thread, Politics

Sep 132023

Glenn Kirschner – Trump continues spewing his jury-pool-poisoning lies. When will prosecutors & judges limit his lies?

Thom Hartmann – If the GOP obstructs…the Dems Plan To Inflict Maximum Political Pain

MSNBC – Velshi: Donald Trump’s ‘banana republic’

Scared Ketchup – The Trump Show Ep 14 PROMO w/cohost MTG (AI PARODY)

Couple brings home a blind pup. Then came the surprise.

Beau – Let’s talk about Wisconsin and the GOP not getting the answer they wanted….

Open Thread September 13, 2023

Posted by Joanne Dixon at 6:02 am Open Thread, Personal, Politics

Sep 132023

Yesterday, it rained, and I do not want anyone out in my yard with an electric weed whacker in the rain. So we are trying for today instead. Qevin McQarthy opened an impeachment investigation into Joe Biden. The New Yorker is doing reruns of Name Drop this week – Monday’s was from February 2022 and I blew itboth times. Yesterday’s was from May 2023 and I got it on the second clue – in May, it took me till the third clue to get it. If I’d remembered just a littlemoreI might have jumped 2 clues.

Cartoon –

Short Takes –

The Hartmann Report – SCOTUS Has Placed Itself Above Congress, the Constitution, and the Founders
Quote – The author of the Declaration of Independence and America’s third president predicted today’s Supreme Court corruption. Congress should have been listening then; it must listen now. If Democrats can retake the House and hold the Senate and White House in 2024, they must hit the ground running in 2025 with legislation to limit the corruption and powers of the Supreme Court. Which means they need to get started now. Here’s the backstory, and what needs to be done.
Click through for the backstory and what needs to be done. I don’t subscribe to Hartmann (yet), but it is Substack so you’ll need to click. I cannot argue with a single word.

Newsweek via MSN – Russian General Admits Ukraine Just a ‘Stepping Stone’ to Invade Europe
Quote – “I think there’s still plenty of time to spend. It is pointless to talk about a specified period. If we are talking about Eastern Europe, which we will have to, of course then it will be longer,” the general said. “Ukraine is only a stepping stone?” the interviewer then asked. “Yes, absolutely. It is only the beginning,” Mordvichev responded, who went on to say that the war “will not stop here.” Newsweek reached out to the Russian embassy via email for comment.
Click through for story. Newsweek and MSN can usually be relied on for accuracy. Russian generals, not so much. But the bigger question is, why say it? It won’t scare NATO off – it will only make the West more determined to crush this aggression. Russians need to wake up and realize they are no longer Vikings.

Food For Thought

Video Thread 9/12/2023

Posted by Joanne Dixon at 12:02 pm Open Thread, Politics

Sep 122023

The grand jury that recommended these indictments was a Special GRand jury, which, in Georgia, has thepower of subpoena but not the power to indict. The regular Grand Jury, which has the power to indict, didn’t. So my guess would be “not in Georgia.”

Glenn Kirschner – Georgia grand jury recommends indicting Lindsey Graham, Mike Flynn, & others. Will they be indicted?

PoliticsGirl – The Next Big Election

Farron Balanced – Gaetz Accidentally Admits That Trump Supporters Are Dangerous Lunatics

Armageddon Update – THE DEMOCRATIC CONSPIRACY!

Woman brings home a cat and discovers he ‘talks’ to walls

Beau – Let’s talk about Trump, Georgia, Willis and the most important takeaway….

Open Thread September 12, 2023

Posted by Joanne Dixon at 6:04 am Open Thread, Personal, Politics

Sep 122023

Yesterday, Talking Points Memo’s newsletter included an update on a lawsuit in Colorado which I don’t think I have mentioned here, although I was vaguely aware of it. The Citizens for Reponsibility and Ethics in Washington (acronym CREW) has filed a lawsuit in Colorado’s State courts seeking to disqualify Donald Trump** from the Presidential ballot here. (And you know that whatever happens here will not just stay here. It will go up and up.) I’m not sure why the Emperor of Delay decided to do something which would only speed it up, but the accused filed a motion to remove the case to Federal Court. Here are the reasons given in a CREW motion to countermand: “1. lack of Article III standing for plaintiffs in federal court. 2. Lack of required consent by a codefendant.” I don’t know who the codefendant(s) would be in this case – Heaven knows there are plenty of possibiities, indicted and unindicted, elsewhere – but yeah, that second one is pretty clear, even to a non-lawyer. If that’s required and he doesn’t have it, his moton is a non-starter. Today, I’m expecting my BFF’s son to come work on my yard, so, if the threads are short tomorrow, that will be why.

Cartoon –

Short Takes –

Crooks & Liars – House Freedom Caucus Has Surprise Foe: The US Senate
Quote – Democratic Sen. Patty Murray of Washington … [and] Republican Sen. Susan Collins of Maine, who together lead the Appropriations Committee, announced Wednesday that they have reached a deal on a spending package that will include funding for Military Construction and Veterans Affairs; Transportation; Housing and Urban Development; Agriculture, Rural Development, and the Food and Drug Administration, as well as agencies under those larger umbrellas…. To get these bills considered quickly, they’ll have to be advanced by unanimous consent…. Any single senator… could derail that with a simple objection. So far, however, there hasn’t been much in the way of government-shutdown cheerleading from the usual [sosp]ects in the Republican Senate conference.
Click through for article. The avoidance of a shtdown is the point here, but these two are not the only senators who have been quietly helpng to get stuff done.

Wonkette – ‘Radical’ DA Charges Cop With Murder For Shooting Man, Lying His Ass Off About It
Quote – As Larry Krasner, the Philadelphia district attorney, said at a Friday news conference, “The videos speak for themselves. Firing six consecutive shots at close range at a vital part of the body of a person, under the law, is strongly supportive, together with other evidence, of all of these charges.”… Investigators did find two knives in Irizarry’s car — a kitchen knife and a serrated folding knife. Irizarry’s sister told the Times that he always carried a pocketknife with him but “always as a tool, not as a weapon.” Guns are obviously more lethal weapons than knives and, in many parts of the US, just as easily accessible. But I’m sure that Dill’s defense will make a big deal about the knives.
Click through for details. Larry Krasner is the one progressive DA who is nationally known and has managed to keep his position in the face of frenzied Republican efforts to remove him. They are going to be trying again. If I come across any petitons in support of him, I will certainly sign them and share them here.

Food For Thought

Video Thread 9/11/2023

Posted by Joanne Dixon at 12:04 pm Open Thread, Politics

Sep 112023

Glenn Kirschner – Meadows loses in federal court; will be tried in Georgia state court together w/Trump in RICO case

Robert Reich – Why Does Flying Suck So Much?

Ring of Fire – Biden Comes Out Swinging With Harsh Insult Aimed At Climate Change Deniers

Brando has done vids for Meidas Touch, but this is on his own channel. Looks like we didn’t stop posting Maher a minute too soon.
Tennessee Brando – What Happened to Bill Maher?

Homeless kitten adopts a human

Beau – Let’s talk about Biden, Alaska, and oil….

Open Thread September 11, 2023

Posted by Joanne Dixon at 5:58 am Open Thread, Personal, Politics

Sep 112023

Yesterday, I was able to see Virgil. When I went over to the game cabinet to see what was avaiable, my jaw about hit the floor – there was a brand new deck of standard cards. It’s amazing how much easier it is to concentrate on, and have fun with, a game of cards when none of them stick together, and none are creased in half to the point of falling apart. When I left, I told the offcer who was supervising, “I don’t know who came up with the new deck of cards, but please tell them they get to go to heaven without doing anything else.” (As usual, that got a smile.) I needed the air conditioning on in the car on the way down, but coming back, it was cooler, and there was even a little rain, so I didn’t. I had to stop for gas on the way home, and yes, it’s pricey here too, but when a single tank lasts me two months I really don’t have a lot to gripe about. As usual, I was exhausted upon return. I think what is going on is that, even when I don’t realize I am, I get nervous about everything that could go wrong – and after it’s all gone fine, and there’s nothing more that could go wrong, I melt with relief.

Also, I did finish the last 2 cartoons in September and was able to look at October. TC made only 2 cartoons in October 2015, for the 30th and 31st, and they were both personal medical mayhem topics. So I’ll need a bunch. There are some images which could be made into cartoons with a frame and a watermark, and I’ll start by doing something with those. I didn’t count them. I did notice that Nameless uploaded images for an exquisite fall foliage post around the 16th. I didn’t look to see whether any were gifs or slideshows – but the images were lovely just by themselves.

Cartoon –

Short Takes –

Projest On Government Oversight – Routine Disqualification: Every State Has Kept Ineligible Candidates Off the Ballot, and Trump Could Be Next
Quote – In addition to the disqualification clause, the U.S. Constitution imposes several qualifications for federal elected offices. Representatives, senators, and presidents must meet minimum age requirements (ranging from 25 to 35 years of age); must be United States citizens (natural-born for presidents); and must live in the state they represent (or in the case of presidents, must have lived in the country for at least 14 years). In addition, the 22nd Amendment prohibits individuals who have already been elected to two terms as president or served more than one and a half terms from being elected president again, and the 12th Amendment prohibits a president and vice president from residing in the same state. The Supreme Court has repeatedly held that these qualifications are exclusive; Congress and the states cannot create additional qualifications for these federal offices. However, as will be discussed in this report, states do have the authority to ensure that candidates for federal office meet the Constitution’s requirements.
Click through for full article. This could have been titled “Everything you wanted to know about disqualification but didn’t know enough to ask.” In addition to general rules, the article includes case studies in several states of diqualification for different offices. Some of them it’s challenging to believe that a candidate not intelligent enough to realize they were unqualified would even apply for candidacy, or challenge the Secretary of State when exceluded.

HuffPost – 6 Things To Know About Biden’s Bad Polling
Quote – 2. The anti-bedwetting brigade is out in full force, and mostly correct. “I don’t worry about any polls a year and a half before the election,” Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) told HuffPost. While his timeline was not entirely accurate, he’s correct to say the predictive value of polls this far out is essentially nil. Presidents Barack Obama and Bill Clinton both came back for clear victories after trailing the leading GOP contenders at similar points in their presidencies.
Click through for all six. Yes, another article on polling. There are two potential negative consequences to overreacting to polls. One can get overdonfident, on the one hand. And, on the other, one can get discouraged enough to fail to vote. In 2024, we can’t afford for any of us to make either mistake. We need to find middle ground. If this doesn’t help, don’t get hung up on it.

Food For Thought