Vote Blue – Politics Plus

Open Thread June 30 2025

Posted by Joanne Dixon at 6:00 am Open Thread, Personal, Politics

Jun 302025

Yesterday, I saw Virgil and we played cribbage. The drive down was clear and sunny, with the sun high enough not to be a glare issue. But when I left, it was pouring in the parking lot, and by the time I got to the car I was drenched. And I stopped for gas because I has planned to, and really, really didn’t want to run out of it in the rain. Of course that was under cover of canopies. Thankfully, it didn’t last all the way home, but gradually tapered off. By the time I got to the county line I was wishing for my sunglasses, and put them back on at the next red light. Also yesterday, I saw this – has anyone else seen this information anywhere? It seems important.

Emil Bove’s hearing with the Senate Judiciary Committee was last week. John Thune intended to “start” voting on the Big Brutal Bill Friday. That may or may not have occupied the Senate all weekend – but while they might work overtime for that, I doubt they’d work overtime for a confirmation hearing. So I figure today to be the first possible day for Bove to face the full Senate. If it hasn’t happened yet, so much the better. Here is advice from Joyce Vance on how to present your objections to him to your Senator(s.

This from The F* News regarding not just Mamdani but specifically how politicians are reacting to him after his primary win is IMO relevant to what David Hogg is trying to accomplish (Mamdani was endorsed by Hogg and may even have been recruited by him). I think it’s pretty clear that party leaders who will congratulate but not endorse him are not taking that position on account of his youth. I don’t think they are even pretending to. Not that they should. Honesty is the best policy, as usual. But it does show we are not as united as we may appear to be because in opposition to Trump**(*) and MAGA, we are united.

This link goes to a donation page at Act Blue which appears to be the only way to see a 16-minute documentary video based on an investigation by More Perfect Union into why a Kentucky county which had voted Democratic for 144 years instead voted GOP in 2024. The report won an emmy, so it’s not just me who thinks it’s worth watching. A donation is not required to do so.

Open Thread October 17 2024

Posted by Joanne Dixon at 6:00 am Open Thread, Personal, Politics

Oct 172024

Yesterday, I finished my research and filled out my ballot. I sealed and stamped it, but haven’t mailed it yet. I’ll work that out by the weekend though. There were more propositions and amendments than usual, and the big book (and it was indeed a big book) which the state publishes was useless. I think I’m smart enough to figure out from the wordings and descriptions how to vote, but in case i miss something, I also wasny to know who is advocating for and against each one. That was where Colorado Public Radio really helps. And there were no County measures at all on my ballot. i did look through the flyer to double check, and there was one for the city of Monument (on the north side of Colorado Springs), one for the city of Colorado Springs (i do not live within the city limits), one each for two school districts, neither of which was mine, and one for a fire district which also was not mine. So, i’m not sure how my school and fire districts collect the taxes due them, but however it it, it will not change next year. That’s a good thing.

Heather Cox Richardson wrote this earlier this week, but I wouldn’t call it stale. Eric Hoffer, whom she cites to good effect, wrote “The True Believer” even longer ago, and his observations are by no means stale. I read it years ago, and have remembered a lot, but had forgotten his thought on why people double down on support even when the lies are blatant – or should I say expecially when the lies are blatant.

Personally, I consider every Republlican candidate to be repulsive these days, simply because they can’t win primaries if they’re not. But that’s a digression from the main point of this story from Atlanta Black Star.

Open Thread September 4 2024

Posted by Joanne Dixon at 6:08 am Open Thread, Personal, Politics

Sep 042024

Yesterday, Joyce Vance decided that her (paywalled) post from last Friday was “so timely and so important that I’ve taken it out from behind the paywall” and republished it here. I do realize not everyone knows someone in high school, or a parent with a child in high school, or a grandparent. But lots of people do, and even if one doesn’t – I don’t – it’s still good information to have, and good to know that people are working on it. When more people vote, we win.

Well, this was certainly not on my bingo card. But I like it. A lot. I really hope there is a Democrat somewhere who is just goofy enough to run with it who has, or can get, the funding for it. It might not even need to be a very large run. Just one, with the right publicity, would do teh trick.

Robert Reich takes on mergers – and specifically the proposed Kroger-Albertson’s merger. I expect you all already knew this was a terrible idea. But possibly not all the details of just how terrible an idea it is.

Open Thread August 16 2024

Posted by Joanne Dixon at 5:49 am Open Thread, Personal, Politics

Aug 162024

Yesterday, I wondered whether anyone who comes here lives in Chicago. Because Wonkette is having a sort of party there on Sunday. I believe there will be snacks, and I’m certain there will be drinks. (If they were bringing their own bartender, there would be drinks you did not know existed. I’ve read some of his recipes and he is a perfectionist. But they’re not. So it will be mostly beer.) It will be between 5 and 7:30 PM in the bar of the Kaiser Tiger. Details here. Also, Tim Walz’s dog Scout is on the cover of Vogue’s September issue, Also, too my stuff got picked p – so my porch is cleared and ready for more.

Robert Reich on what Harris could do as President to make the economy better. Yes, it gets a bit technical. But it’s Robert Reich, so it’s clearly explained.

CREW (Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington) has done an investigation of the Republican plan to infiltrate state election systems with themselves in order to refuse to certify elections they don’t like the results of. I’ve seen stories on this, and I’m sure you have too, but nothing beats an investigation report from a responsible citizens’ group. You do have to use the “download” button in order to read it. It downloads as a PDF and does so very rapidly, and it requires less than 7MB of disc space.

Open Thread May 2, 2024

Posted by Joanne Dixon at 5:51 am Open Thread, Personal, Politics

May 022024

Yesterday, going through my email, I came across this headline at Wonkette: “Does It Count As A ‘Post-Birth Abortion’ When DeSantis Takes Away A Sick Child’s Healthcare?” Good question. It certanly seems like it should, doesn’t it?

Heather Cox Richardson writes about the interview with Trump** in Time magazine. I don’t subscribe to Time, so this is a convenience to me – horrifying as it is. Feel free to share it widely.

Joe Biden is certainly trying to extend humanitarian aid as widely as possible. This is such a difficult situation for anyone wanting to bring peace to the middle east – because the hostilities go back literally thousands of years – and both sides are wrong – and both sides are right. (Well, not Netanyahu – but he is not the whole side. And that’s a big part of the problem.)

Having bought and sold one house in North Carolina, handling my mother’s estate, buying the home i am currently living in anf refinancing it twice or three times, and also having at least signed petitions concerning the difficulty of black voters, especially in the American South, for getting voter ID – so many with no birth certificates – that these situations would have occurred to me as a problem. It didn’t, because privilege. But having now been told about it, I can certainly see the potential for massive Jim Crow abuse.

Open Thread January 26, 2024

Posted by Joanne Dixon at 6:37 am Open Thread, Personal, Politics

Jan 262024

Yesterday, I got up somewhat earlier than I had been doing… which means I also got sleep earlier than I had been doing. But I did accomplish this. And we shall see whether this attempt to change the shape of my day works or not (i expect it will through opera day, and not much if any after.)

OK, this isn’t really news – it’s a recap and overview of the House Dems campaign to make the House Oversight Committee look like a multiple of The Three stooges. Not that that’s difficult, but I don’t know that we have ever seen such a coordinated effort from elected Dems before – and guess who is masterminding it. Three cheers!

Now this really is news, and about GD time too. My link is to Democratic Underground, but this DUer got it from Reuters, so in case you want more detail, that’s where to go.

Open Thread October 27, 2023

Posted by Joanne Dixon at 6:00 am Open Thread, Personal, Politics

Oct 272023

Yesterday, I was reminded that crazy isn’t always a bad thing. Sure, there’s crazy like Republcans – and that is always bad. But there’s also crazy like your batty old Hungarian vampire Granny, which is – delightful (and especially to raise money for a good cause.) I never tire of good crazy. Is everyone ready for Hallowe’en? I hope everyone will have a lot of fun. Everything doesn’t always have to be fun – but like with no fun at all really isn’t worth living.

Also yesterdayI got the email telling me my ballot has been received. About d*** time. If I hadn’t received that today, i was going to look into a replacement ballot – since it was mailed more than a week ago.

Cartoon –

Short Takes –

Robert Reich – The real reason Biden isn’t getting credit
Quote – One theory is that Trump and Fox News have poisoned their minds…. Which brings me to the second theory about why Biden isn’t getting credit: Biden is terrible at “messaging.”… His speeches aren’t electrifying, to be sure. But he says what needs to be said. He’s truthful. He doesn’t exaggerate. He’s compassionate…. This raises a third theory: Biden doesn’t communicate in ways that today’s media and much of the public are able to hear. I think there’s a lot to this.
Click through for full opinion. Biden probably cannot, and certainly should not, attempt to change his own style, IMO. But his “surrogates” – withpoout pressuring rational people to adopt an emotional style, it’s probably possible to bring on some “surrogate” who already have an emotional style, who are not afraid to use it, and who can send an emotional message. (In this connection, today is the day I’m sharing the last version of the emotional cartoon I’ve been working on, and I hope to get feedback on which packs the biggest punch (or whether combining elements from more than one would pack a bigger one.)

The Good in Us – The Quiet One
Quote – Also, because there is literally no such thing as a moderate Republican in Congress, it would have to be either be an extremist or an ultra-extremist. Once Republicans made it clear that having voted to certify the 2020 election was disqualifying (Tom Emmer, we hardly knew you), it would have to be the latter. Besides, Johnson looks and acts the part—he’s a bespectacled, suit-jacketed, quiet, and respectful back-bencher who, according to The New York Times, has a “gentle style.”… And suddenly having a Speaker of the House feels infinitely worse and more dangerous than not having one.
Click through for details. Mary Trump has done the deep dive into Mike Johnson so that you and I don’t have to. Unfortunately, it isn’t pretty.

Food For Thought