{"id":40717,"date":"2020-08-12T10:42:35","date_gmt":"2020-08-12T17:42:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.politicsplus.org\/blog\/?p=40717"},"modified":"2020-08-12T10:42:35","modified_gmt":"2020-08-12T17:42:35","slug":"open-thread-8-12-2020","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.politicsplus.org\/blog\/2020\/08\/12\/open-thread-8-12-2020\/","title":{"rendered":"Open Thread – 8\/12\/2020"},"content":{"rendered":"

It’s a relatively comfortable day, here in the CatBox with two days in the 70\u00b0s, before the next heat wave builds to a 100\u00b0+ weekend.  WWWendy and WWKristin returned safely and happy, albeit sunburned.  They return your greetings and kind wishes.  Tomorrow I may have no more than as Personal Update or an Open Thread.  It’s a WWWendy day, but I won’t know when she’s coming until after she gets her work schedule later today.  It’s also a grocery delivery day.  Happy Hump Day to all!<\/font><\/p>\n

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

Today’s took me 3:04 (average 5:15).  To do it, click here<\/a>.  How did you do?<\/font><\/p>\n

Cartoon<\/strong>:<\/font><\/p>\n

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Trump* Virus Update<\/strong>:<\/font><\/p>\n

\"0812TrumpVirusMap\"<\/font><\/p>\n

US Cases: 5,309,622
US Deaths: 167,789<\/strong><\/font> <\/p>\n

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

From The New Yorker<\/a>: <\/font>In a rare instance of praising one of his White House predecessors, Donald J. Trump on Tuesday hailed Woodrow Wilson for opposing efforts to institute online learning during the 1918 pandemic.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere were a lot of crybabies in 1918 saying, \u2018The schools aren\u2019t safe\u2014let the kids learn on their computers,\u2019 \u201d Trump told reporters at the White House. \u201cWoody wouldn\u2019t hear of it.\u201d <\/p>\n

Instead, Trump said, \u201cKids went to school and the influenza just kind of disappeared eventually. Woody did a fantastic job.\u201d <\/p>\n

Dang, Andy! Are you sure he didn’t praise Wilson because of his overt racism and KKK support?  RESIST<\/strong>!!<\/font> <\/p>\n

From Alternet<\/a>: <\/font>Remember when political reporters crowed about<\/a> what a masterful play<\/a> Majority Leader Mitch McConnell had made when he lined up his caucus<\/a> to acquit Donald Trump without hearing<\/a> from a single witness? Yeah, that acquittal came on February 6 when U.S. senators were already getting briefed<\/a> on the seriousness of the coronavirus\u2019 spread abroad. <\/p>\n

But Senate Republicans, led by McConnell, fell all over themselves to make sure Trump was at the helm when the pandemic hit U.S. shores. Now, what once looked like a promising cycle for Senate Republicans has turned entirely treacherous precisely because the caucus is saddled with Trump as their standard bearer. <\/p>\n

Politico reports the party is directing<\/a> nearly its entire $100 million war chest at saving the seats of eight incumbent senators while the few GOP candidates aiming to defeat a Democrat have been left almost entirely to their own devices. With the exception of funneling a little money into the effort to defeat Democratic Sen. Doug Jones in Alabama, they simply don\u2019t have the resources to play offense. <\/p>\n

The seat of Democratic Sen. Gary Peters from Michigan, for instance, once seemed like a flippable seat. But as Trump has tanked in the state and Joe Biden is presently positioned very well there, Senate Republicans have left Republican candidate John James to fend for himself. <\/p>\n

Instead, GOP groups, including the National Republican Senatorial Committee and the McConnell-aligned Senate Leadership Fund have been trying to bolster their defenses in Georgia, Iowa, and Montana\u2014three states that weren\u2019t even on the radar as potential Democratic pick ups when the cycle started. <\/p>\n

I wonder how much of that money is going to help Bought Bitch Midnight Moscow Mitch. This shows how desperate the Republican Reich has become. May all their efforts fail!  RESIST<\/strong>!!<\/font> <\/p>\n

From YouTube<\/a> (a blast of protest): <\/font>Noodle Muffin’s \u201cMorning in America” Music Video<\/font><\/p>\n