{"id":19232,"date":"2016-01-18T11:00:14","date_gmt":"2016-01-18T19:00:14","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.politicsplus.org\/blog\/?p=19232"},"modified":"2016-01-18T11:00:14","modified_gmt":"2016-01-18T19:00:14","slug":"open-thread1182016","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.politicsplus.org\/blog\/2016\/01\/18\/open-thread1182016\/","title":{"rendered":"Open Thread–1\/18\/2016"},"content":{"rendered":"

Yesterday I posted my MLK Day article a day early.  I knew I\u2019d be covering the Democratic Presidential Debate today, and was uncertain if I\u2019d have time for both, as I have PT coming and my helper friend coming to organize clothes.  Tomorrow I have a final follow-up appointment with the surgeon, who whittled my leg down to create Stumpy, so I may have just a Personal Update or an Open Thread.<\/font><\/p>\n

Jig Zone Puzzle<\/strong>:<\/font><\/p>\n

Today\u2019s took mw 2:26 (average 4:50).  To do it, click here<\/a>.  How did you do?<\/font><\/p>\n

Religious Ecstasy<\/strong>:<\/font><\/p>\n

\"0117Broncos23-Steelers16\"<\/font><\/p>\n

It was much closer than the score indicates.  Phew!!<\/font><\/p>\n

Short Takes<\/strong>:<\/font><\/p>\n

From Christian Science Monitor<\/a>: <\/font>What does the federal government do with your money? Take our taxes quiz.<\/strong><\/p>\n

I answered 19 of 25 questions correctly for a total score of 76%. Average reader scored 40%. Click through to take the quiz.<\/font><\/p>\n

From Alternet<\/a>: <\/strong><\/font>\u201cHe\u2019d never beat Trump or Cruz in a general election.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

Wrong. According to the latest polls, Bernie is the strongest Democratic candidate in the general election, defeating both Donald Trump and Ted Cruz in hypothetical matchups. (The latest Real Clear Politics averages<\/a> of all polls shows Bernie beating Trump by a larger margin than Hillary beats Trump, and Bernie beating Cruz while Hillary loses to Cruz.)<\/p>\n

This is just the first of six responses to Bernie skeptics from the Reich on the left that is always right, Robert Reich, not the Reich on the right that is always wrong, the Republican Reich. Click through for the other five.<\/font><\/p>\n

From Raw Story<\/a>: <\/font>Musician Carlos Santana mocked Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump in an open letter posted on his Facebook page, according to International Business Times<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The message, obtained by Clutch magazine<\/a>, praised President Barack Obama after his State of the Union address, and then compared Trump to an angry ape. But the open letter was deleted from Santana\u2019s page a few days after he posted it.<\/p>\n

\u201cRegarding Mr. Trump,\u201d Santana wrote. \u201cI remember when I was a child living in Tijuana\u2026I often crossed the border to visit the San Diego Zoo. I would hear loud screams and commotion in the distance. As I came closer to the sound, I noticed everyone was staring at an ape in a glass cage. The ape was staring back at the crowd that gathered. With an angry look of disgust, the ape defecated in his hand and threw it at the crowd. This is what I hear when Mr [sic<\/em>] Trump speaks. <\/p>\n

LMAO!! Here’s some refreshment.<\/font><\/p>\n