Politics Plus

It’s been a busy sweltering day here in the CatBox.  The heat wave appears to be long term with the coolest day in the next two weeks forecast at 87°.  Store to Door delivered groceries, and I put them away.  WWWendy is coming this evening.  Happy Hump Days to all!

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today’s took me 4:46 (average 5:30).  To do it, click here.  How did you do?

Short Tales:

From YouTube (Late Show Channel): The Even More Disgraceful Trump Balloon

It looks like the Fuhrer. Every place he goes should make one! Are they also full of flatulence, like him? RESIST!! VOTE BLUE!!

From YouTube (MSNBC Channel): Nazi, White Nationalist Running As Republicans | All In | MSNBC

These Republicans are the ones most like Fuehrer Drumpfenfarten! RESIST!! VOTE BLUE!!

From The New Yorker: A Washington, D.C., man has won a nationwide essay contest on the topic “Why Donald J. Trump Shouldn’t Go to Prison.”

The man, Brett Kavanaugh, received his award for the winning essay at a ceremony at the White House on Monday night.

Kavanaugh’s essay, which was distributed to the press shortly after he was announced as the winner, reads as follows: “Donald J. Trump should never go to prison because he is the President of the United States and the President of the United States is a very important person in the country. It would look bad if visitors from foreign countries came to the United States and asked, ‘Where is your President?’ and we had to say, ‘He is in prison,’ which in my opinion is another reason Donald J. Trump should not go to prison. For these reasons, if I am ever in a position to keep Donald J. Trump from going to prison, I will do that (keep him from going to prison).”

I see Andy is back to straight news again. RESIST!! VOTE BLUE!!

Cartoon:

It’s a slow day for news, dominated by speculation over Trump’s choice of fascists this evening.  I had a busy morning juggling medical mayhem.  I rescheduled my Cat Scan.  After thinking it over, I decided that I could not inflict myself on them, stripped down after three days in the 90°s without a shower.  I rescheduled to a Thursday, the day after shower day.

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today’s took me 2:49 (average 4:22).  To do it click here.  How did you do?

Short Takes:

From Current Affairs: [F]or a person who runs a “current affairs” magazine, I often know embarrassingly little about what is going on in my immediate vicinity. I’m often preoccupied with the national and international at the expense of the local. So I did not realize, until I bumped into it while wandering through my neighborhood, that New Orleans was going to have a demonstration against Trump’s immigration policies yesterday. I came upon it entirely by surprise. Which, in retrospect, was entirely the best way to find it. There is nothing quite like walking alone through a city and suddenly finding yourself surrounded by thousands of sympathetic comrades and friends, demonstrating for an important humanitarian cause.

That author is a lucky fellow! RESIST!! VOTE BLUE!!

From Crooks and Liars: Normally, I don’t buy into "lesser-of-two-evils" politics. If Democrats nominate a corrupt reactionary Blue Dog I’m at least as incensed as I am over a Republican. That’s not going to change either. And, I’m still saying that "normally" no longer applies, not with Trump and his Congressful of enablers and rubber stamps. I’m telling friends and relatives– my sister lives in Jeff Van Drew’s district– to just hold their noses and vote for anyone with a "D" next to their name.

As Digby has been saying since he moved into the White House, we’re in existential territory here. Boxing in Trump is more important than anything….

…That said, there’s no need to stop reminding the establishment Democratic Party that we need them to stop turning off the base with their Blue Dog/New Dem agenda and their uncontrollable hatred for the Democratic grassroots, for progressives and for the kind of reform that will cut off the spigots of money and power that motivates the careerism of the Hoyers, Wasserman Schultzes, Crowleys (buh bye) and the mirror images the DCCC keeps recruiting as candidates.

The DCCC is now whining how progressives have to get on board the unity train and pull together to elect a Democratic Congress to stop the boogie man in the White House. They’re correct. What they’re not correct about is that that’s a one-way street.The same thing is happening with progressive primary winners all over the country– including in must-win swing districts! Blue America has a page for that: Abandoned By The DCCC.

There are men and women– mostly women– on this list who won their primary races and who the DCCC is refusing to recognize while they’re asking progressives to support wretched Blue Dogs and New Dems because… "TRUMP!" [emphasis original]

Establishment Democrats need to support progressive nominees. Progressives need to support establishment Democratic nominees.  We can fight amongst ourselves after Trump and his Reich are defeated. RESIST!! VOTE BLUE!!

From Daily Caller: Conservative groups are rolling out million dollar ad buys Monday evening immediately after President Donald Trump announces his pick to replace outgoing Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy.

Judicial Crisis Network (JCN), a conservative political organization, is launching a $1.4 million ad campaign Monday evening in Alabama, Indiana, North Dakota, and West Virginia. The ads will start right after Trump announces his nominee at 9 p.m. Monday night, featuring an introductory bio on the nominee. In addition to running in those four states, the ads will run on national cable and digital media.

The buy comes after JCN rolled out a seven-figure ad campaign supporting Justice Neil Gorsuch — Trump’s first nominee to SCOTUS. The ad, much like Monday’s, targets vulnerable Democratic senators up for re-election in November in states Trump won in 2016.

In total, JCN will spend $2.4 million backing Trump’s nominee in national cable, broadcast and digital media.

They don’t care which, because they are all goose-steppers, and all will trash YOUR rights. RESIST!! VOTE BLUE!!

Cartoon:

It’s another hot, sticky day here at the CatBox, and it will get worse as the week goes on.  I’ll be scarce this weekend, as I have an annual cat scan with contrast for my Oncologist on Saturday and a routine appointment my PCP with fasting labs on Monday.  I’ll be out and about in high 90°s.  Not fun.  I hoped you are enjoying your vacation.

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today’s took me 3:48 (average 4:44).  To do it, click here.  How did you do?

Short Takes:

From YouTube (NY Times Channel): Trump’s Top Supreme Court Contenders on Abortion

Look how evasive they were.  If they did not rabidly oppose women’s rights, they would not be on Trump’s list. One thing they all have in common is this: during their confirmation hearing, they would lie. RESIST!! VOTE BLUE!!

From YouTube (MoveOn Channel): How a Multiracial Populism Can Build a 21st Century Economy

Republicans want us prejudiced against black, brown, red and yellow, when the true enemy of all, except the 1%, including white, is green. RESIST!! VOTE BLUE!!

From The Palmer Report: Article III, Section I of the Constitution states that “The judicial Power of the United States, shall be vested in one supreme Court, and in such inferior Courts as the Congress may from time to time ordain and establish.” While the Constitution established the Supreme Court, it left it up to Congress to decide how to fill the court. The Judiciary Act of 1789 set the number at one chief justice and five associate justices.

While the intended purpose of the Supreme Court is to determine the constitutionality of laws, there have been several instances where the court was used for partisan political moves. When the Federalists lost power in 1800 the lame-duck Congress made a play to prevent President Thomas Jefferson from being able to make an appointment by reducing the number of justices to five. However, the incoming Congress repealed this to put the number back at six. In 1807, Congress increased it to seven.

Then in 1837, President Andrew Jackson was able to appoint two justices after Congress increased the number of justices to nine. Following the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln, a Republican majority in Congress voted to reduce the number of justices to prevent Democrat President Andrew Johnson from appointing any new justices. When Ulysses S. Grant won the presidency in 1868, Congress increased it back to nine to allow him two appointments. The number of Supreme Court justices has remained at nine since the Judiciary Act of 1869.

As I have said before, when Democrats have enough power, we can overturn the Judiciary Act and change SCROTUS (Republican Unconstitutional VD) back to SCOTUS!! RESIST!! VOTE BLUE!!

Cartoon:

The sun will be hitting the wall any minute now, and I’ll have to button-up the CatBox in anticipation of 90°s temps today.  I was up late last night.  The fireworks display is only five blocks away, and the sound echoes between the downtown buildings.  This morning, I overslept.

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today’s took me 4:01 (average 6:28).  To do it, click here.  How did you do?

Short Takes:

From YouTube (Media Matters Channel): As the movement to Abolish ICE grows, right-wing media freak out

BARF BAG ALERT!!

I have nothing against ice. At this time of year, it makes coffee quite refreshing. But let’s get rid of the fascist organization and the Republican Reichsministry of Propaganda, Faux Noise. RESIST!! VOTE BLUE!!

From YouTube (Robert Reich Channel): Robert Reich: The 5 Principles of True Patriots

Amen! True patriots RESIST!! True patriots VOTE BLUE!!

From Politico: A pile of pending lawsuits over Donald Trump’s personal and business conduct could put his nominee to the Supreme Court in an awkward position: deciding whether to cast potentially pivotal votes on legal matters of keen importance to the president.

Virtually all justices wind up ruling on policy issues affecting the president who appointed them. But Trump is enmeshed in more than half a dozen significant court cases involving everything from his alleged sexual behavior before taking office to claims that his businesses are profiting from his presidency and allegations that he misused funds through his charitable foundation.

In addition, the Supreme Court could be asked to rule on other legal questions critical to the president, such as whether Robert Mueller’s probe of Russian interference in the 2016 election was legally authorized or whether Trump has the authority to dismiss the special prosecutor.

The legal pressure Trump faces on many fronts is likely to spill into the confirmation hearings for his nominee — whom he is expected to name next week to replace retiring Justice Anthony Kennedy, long seen as the court’s swing vote — as senators seek to use the high-profile platform to publicize the unusual legal predicaments.

This is partially why no Trump nomination is appropriate as long as he remains under investigation. RESIST!! VOTE BLUE!!

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