{"id":23775,"date":"2016-09-05T12:55:22","date_gmt":"2016-09-05T19:55:22","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.politicsplus.org\/blog\/?p=23775"},"modified":"2016-09-05T12:55:22","modified_gmt":"2016-09-05T19:55:22","slug":"open-thread-952016","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.politicsplus.org\/blog\/2016\/09\/05\/open-thread-952016\/","title":{"rendered":"Open Thread – 9\/5\/2016"},"content":{"rendered":"

One year ago today, I passed out in my doorway, and the next thing I knew I was in the hospital, having lost a leg, having almost died, and having spent almost a month in a coma.  Fortunately, I have no plans to make that an annual event, but it does give me pause to reflect on how grateful I am to be alive, because there is more for me to accomplish.<\/font><\/p>\n

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

Today’s took me 3:04 (average 4:46).  To do it, click here<\/a>.  How did you do?<\/font><\/p>\n

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

From NY Times<\/a>: <\/font>Gary Johnson, the Libertarian candidate for president, may be on track to win more votes than any third-party candidate in 20 years, if current polling holds up.<\/p>\n

Who are his supporters?<\/p>\n

Mr. Johnson, a former Republican governor of New Mexico, is relying heavily on the backing of young people and independent voters disillusioned with the two major parties\u2019 nominees.<\/p>\n

Some Berners consider Johnson a Bernie-lite, but don’t believe it<\/a>! Johnson supports pseudo-Christian theocratic legislation, dog whistle restrictions on voting rights, open-carry anywhere, spending public funds for private school vouchers, and privatizing social security. He opposes EPA regulation, any restriction of gun ownership, a public option or single payer health plan, prioritizing green energy, infrastructure spending, and higher taxes on the super-rich. In summary, he’s just a pro-pot Republican.<\/font><\/p>\n

From Crooks and Liars<\/a>: <\/font>Silly Chris Wallace. He seems to be under the impression that someone might mistake him for an actual journalist. As we already discussed here<\/a>, Wallace has been chosen to be one of the moderators for the upcoming presidential debates. He checked in this Sunday on his buddy Howard Kurtz’s show, Media Buzz and was asked what he thought his role would be as moderator.<\/p>\n

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