I slept poorly last night, because the natives were restless in the unusually warm weather and made noise below my window, until well after midnight. So I’m making today a relatively lazy day. I hope your weekend is excellent.
Jig Zone Puzzle:
Today’s took me 3:14 (π) (average 5:00). To do it, click here. How did you do?
Short Takes:
From Daily Kos (Classic: 3/2013): Elizabeth Warren on the difference between a recreational drug user and a banker
Liz was a national treasure then, and still is.
From NY Times: Republican leaders adamantly opposed to Donald J. Trump’s candidacy are preparing a 100-day campaign to deny him the presidential nomination, starting with an aggressive battle in Wisconsin’s April 5 primary and extending into the summer, with a delegate-by-delegate lobbying effort that would cast Mr. Trump as a calamitous choice for the general election.
Recognizing that Mr. Trump has seized a formidable advantage in the race, they say that an effort to block him would rely on an array of desperation measures, the political equivalent of guerrilla fighting.
There is no longer room for error or delay, the anti-Trump forces say, and without a flawlessly executed plan of attack, he could well become unstoppable.
But should that effort falter, leading conservatives are prepared to field an independent candidate in the general election, to defend Republican principles and offer traditional conservatives an alternative to Mr. Trump’s hard-edged populism. They described their plans in interviews after Mr. Trump’s victories last Tuesday in Florida and three other states.
In such cases, I’m all for third party candidates running, because it would leave two Republican candidates competing for the votes of fascists, racists and idiots in the general election, virtually assuring a Democratic President Elect. The Republican leadership has to realize this. They must also realize that this may be the only way to save their party from extinction. That would be almost sure to follow anointing Fecal Dump Trump as their sole candidate.
From Addicting Info: Conservatives love to portray Cuba as an unviting hellhole, and its citizens complete monsters, so Barack Obama decided to do something about that. Preceding his historic first visit to the island nation, the President filmed a skit with Cuban TV star Pánfilo Friday so the Cuban people could get to know him.
In the skit, Pánfilo accidentally calls the White House while attempting to call the Meteorological Institute in Casa Blanca to check the weather for a baseball game. Instead of receiving information on what Mother Nature is up to, however, he ends up on the phone with Obama.
LOL!! Obama has done it again! It would not surprise me, if Republicans switch their birther accusations from Kenya to Cuba!!
Cartoon:
14 Responses to “Open Thread–3/20/2016”
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Liz and Obama are setting the example for how other politicians should be if they want to be leaders.
Maybe an indictment for inciting violence can stop Trump–gathering evidence might be the best use of the GOP's time.
They keep changing the time on me of when to expect our thunderstorm here…
We could have used some of your temperatures last night it was supposed to go down to 11F. I am not sure how low it actually got – I was inside.
4:10 (5:00) I suppose a puddy tat might fish off of it, but you'd probably be better off cajoling the many people who seem to be on board to pamper you.
DKos – If you are preaching that Elizabeth Warren has a better grasp than most people of what is fundamentally right and what is fundamentally wrong – I am in the choir. AMEN!
NY Times – "They must also realize that this may be the only way to save their party from extinction. That would be almost sure to follow anointing Fecal Dump Trump as their sole candidate." Boy, I hope you are right that they are thinking that way. As for actual extinction – I only wish the GOP were that easy to kill. The crises of crime, corruption, and downright idiocy, not to mention theocracy, it has already survived are breathtaking. Don't underestimate the survival power of the elephant.
Addicting Info – I'm not sure I have words for this. If I say "adorable," it sounds condescending – and give you no idea of how touched I am by it. Oh, yeah, conservative heads should explde on schedule.
Cartoon – It was supposed to be an instrment of mercy – to take the pain and suffering our of the execution. At that it would probably be an improvement even now on botched lethal injections.
DK: Ms. Warren is the best all around. Love her quote, and she doesn't mince words either!
NYT: Well, the Repugs made their bed, and now they must lie in it. Surely Drumpf is aware of this by now, and will prod his flock to violence for his nomination. It's gonna be a long summer. ugh!!
AI: I get this in my inbox, and what a cool, cool video. I need to brush up on my Spanish, Cuba is a beautiful country.
Cartoon: I motion for the Repugs to try it first, to see if it works correctly.
Hopefully, you'll sleep better tonight. It's beautiful here, at a mild 63, I weeded this afternoon. We are in a frost advisory for tonight, with cool weather tomorrow too. First day of Spring too. Take care, Thanks, Tom.
3:58 It felt like I was on a slow boat to China.
3:10 No fishing for you Puddy Tat!
It would appear that the republican elites would rather elect a Democrat than Trump. I don't blame them. I would rather elect a Democrat than Trump too.
NY T: The GOPigs cetainly have made their bed, have they not? Interesting summer, indeed! The Koch boys set up the Insanity Party, and the insanity has taken on a life of its very own. Without that softening barrage of idiocy, over the last few years, from the likes of Ryan and Rand, this year's clown car derby would have probably never caught traction, would have seemed so outlandish. We would have been spared the whole Dr. Ben fiasco, and Mr. Outsider with the funny hair and foul mouth would have been relegated to Idiot Television!
Ms. Warren is my choice for the next female president!
Hey, I have an idea: the next time Pres. Obama is at a dinner affair with Bought Bitch Mitch, he can have a waiter bring him one of those delicious mixed drinks they call a "Cuba Libre!"
Daily Kos: Warren is an excellent Senator, and hopefully a future President.\\
NY Times: I thought it was a joke when Trump announced he was running but instead it has turned into a travesty. I never realized such racist, misognyistic, hate mongoring comments would be so popular. I hope the Republicans do run and Independent candidate, we should have a Democrat in the White house if they do. I agree with you, TC.
Addicting Info: Love this, just one more reason to really appreciate Obama. The move to restore relations with Cuba is long overdue!
Cartoon: Good one!
Puzzle — 3:10 No fishing for you Puddy Tat!
Daily Kos — As a career banker, I decry these banksters and their criminal fraud. As a mortgage fraud investigator, had I missed a fraud, knowingly or unknowingly, I would have been fited. This bankster fraud is so much bigger and egregious, yet no CEO bankster ever faces firing or prison time. Go Lizzie!
Cartoon — Says the donkey: we need it for some political and moral balance!
Going back to bed, Say goodnight Gracie. Goodnight Gracie!
Addicting Info — LMAO! I agree "It would not surprise me, if Republicans switch their birther accusations from Kenya to Cuba!!". After all, it seems that Obama was quite comfortable speaking Spanish!
NY Times — There's that ditch again! "They must also realize that this may be the only way to save their party from extinction." They should but when has intelligence ever been their tool? Cunning, deceitful, yes, intelligence, no.
I saw a piece yesterday that said Trump is not the problem – the problem is all the racists, misogynists, and legions of fear filled, ignorant people looking for a voice to lead them. Fearfully so….
I am SO going to miss Obama…
Sorry about your sleepless night, TomCat. I better get a new batch of catnaps ready, your birthday dozen may be nearing it's end soon if this keeps up.
DK: Elizabeth Warren was a treasure then and she certainly is now, perhaps even a bit more passionate and outspoken now. But then banksters wer criminals then and have turned their crimes into a fine art by this time. Little has changed, some things have only gotten worse and Republicans and banksters are two of them, or one?
NYT: Attempts to stop Drumpf from getting the nomination with a campaign is sure to backfire. Drumpf will only turn it to his advantage because it saves him from having to put any thought into his plans on how he's going to realize all these sound bites he's promised his devotees: a wall to keep Mexicans out, paid for by Mexico, a way keep all Muslims out and deport those already here, make America great again, change the first amendment so he can sue anyone that doesn't agree with him… If the Republican leaders come up with an anti-campaign that's all he needs to talk about and get even more of the sheeple to vote for him. He'll play the victim to show them how strong he is and it will work; go figure. The best thing to do for the GOIP leaders to save themselves a slice of the power-cake, is to start a new party for "the decent Republicans". which I'm sure there are, but most with any true decency will have left the party anyway. It's the only way to save their own power base and their seats in Congress, The presidency will be lost to the GOP, but it already looks lost as the many Republicans not for Drumpf will either not vote or vote Democrat for once. Drumpf isn't all that smart: he's not only dividing the country, he's also dividing his party, making it very unlikely he'll get enough votes to land in the Oval Office.
AI: Nice ad. Our news this morning had Barak and Michelle Obama landing in Havana and a speech at the reopened American consulate, but mentioned that they were not met at the airport by the president, Raúl Castro and how this was picked up by Drumpf immediately, including footage of his rant about the incompetence of Obama for not being welcomed like the Pope. Sad, our media are also giving much to much attention to the wrong guy. The only good thing about it is that it further strengthens Drumpf's image as a megalomaniac idiot here in Europe.
Cartoon: Joanne is right, the guillotine was invented and used to kill people as humanely as possible – a contradiction in terms, I know – which it did. No chance of survival and then having a judge tell you you're going to be executed again, in the same horrible way.
Thanks all. Hugs!! Running out of gas!!