{"id":23325,"date":"2016-08-04T13:30:35","date_gmt":"2016-08-04T20:30:35","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.politicsplus.org\/blog\/?p=23325"},"modified":"2016-08-04T13:30:35","modified_gmt":"2016-08-04T20:30:35","slug":"open-thread-842016","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.politicsplus.org\/blog\/2016\/08\/04\/open-thread-842016\/","title":{"rendered":"Open Thread – 8\/4\/2016"},"content":{"rendered":"

Wendy has been here, and she fluffed, buffed, polished and shined the TomCat.  I think I’ve got the site back in reasonably good repair.  I’m very tired, as I have not had a Lona Nap since Sunday.  Tomorrow, please expect no more that a Personal Update, as I have PT with Courtney the Inquisitor.<\/font><\/p>\n

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

Today’s took me 5:38 (average 7:26).  To do it, click here<\/a>.  How did you do?<\/font><\/p>\n

Short Takes<\/strong>:<\/font> From The New Yorker<\/a>: <\/font>\u2026Even if the Russian government is not responsible for the hack on the D.N.C., Putin\u2019s affinity for Trump is clear. Some part of it may be a matter of kindred temperament. Just as Trump talks ominously about Mexican \u201crapists\u201d and tens of thousands of \u201cillegal immigrants \u2026 roaming free<\/a>\u201d in the land, Putin won early popularity by vowing to dispense with terrorists from the Caucasus: \u201cWe will ice them in their shithouses.\u201d Trump is, after all, a kind of parody of Putin: the bluster, the palaces. As the historian Timothy Snyder puts it, \u201cPutin is the real-world version of the person Trump pretends to be on television.\u201d<\/p>\n

The fellow-feeling between the two is complex, but it is not hard to see who gets the better of whom. Trump sees strength and cynicism in Putin and hopes to emulate him. Putin sees in Trump a grand opportunity. He sees in Trump weakness and ignorance, a confused mind. He has every hope of exploiting him<\/strong>… [emphasis added<\/em>]<\/p>\n

Is it any wonder that RT News has aired continual attacks against Clinton from a so-called progressive perspective? That’s a fire Putin [R-RU] and Trump [R-Hades]  will just keep on <\/font>fueling, but when you see the RT<\/strong> logo, know that Putin controls the content<\/font>.<\/p>\n

From NY Times<\/a>: Republican voters in Kansas rebelled against the policies of Gov. Sam Brownback on Tuesday, ousting his fellow conservatives in at least 11 state legislative primary races amid widespread angst about Kansas\u2019s financial situation.<\/p>\n

With some races still undetermined on Wednesday, but also leaning toward moderates, the primary was a tangible sign of the grumblings that have been going on under the surface in heavily Republican Kansas, as deep cuts to taxes, a centerpiece of the Brownback agenda, have left the state short on revenue and led to cuts to government services.<\/p>\n

Republi-speak Dictionary
<\/strong>Moderate Republican<\/em>: a Republican that dresses in hoods and sheets, but rarely attends a lynching anymore.<\/font><\/p>\n

From Crooks and Liars<\/a>: <\/font>The ugliness of ignorant racial prejudice and hate in 2016 America is deeply unsettling, yet far too familiar in the age of Trump. White people saying slurs like ‘wetback’ to American citizens (who have the right to speak any damned language they choose) is exactly the type of climate a hateful Republican nominee has fostered. <\/p>\n

The Flores family was forced to record an incident when a racist woman made horrible assumptions. The cell phone video has gone viral after someone from Univision viewed the ranting racist family attacking the Mexican-Americans. <\/p>\n

Barf Bag Alert!!<\/font><\/strong><\/p>\n