Please pardon me for being very brief. I slept very poorly last night, and feel very tired.
Jig Zone Puzzle:
Today’s took me 2:52 (average 4:51). To do it, click here. How did you do?
Short Takes:
From Daily Kos: It was somewhere around North Dakota when the realization began to take hold. Donald Trump really is going to be the Republican nominee for president.
Republican insiders were looking forward to cavorting in Cleveland with their regular cast of money men, evangelicals on vacation, and money men, but Trump has frightened away most of the big donors along with what passes for the cool crowd in the GOP (can I get a “let’s replace income tax with a value added tax?” Whoop!). It all points to one terrible conclusion: the parties are going to suck.
Many GOP regulars are skipping Cleveland entirely. (“I would rather attend the public hanging of a good friend,” says Will Ritter, an up-and-coming Republican digital strategist who worked on the three previous conventions.) And among those who are making the trek, there’s an overwhelming sense it won’t be fun at all. At a time when many Republicans are deeply dissatisfied with their nominee, pessimistic about their prospects for victory in the fall and alarmed about the direction of their party, there’s a reluctance about attending the convention more typically reserved for going to the DMV, being summoned for jury duty or undergoing a root canal.
When I lived in Phoenix I had a friend, who was a high-end call girl (non-professional friendship) She explained to me that when groups of Republicans and/or Talibangical pseudo-Christians had conventions there, the working girls imported backup from Vegas, because the demand was far more that the local talent could bear. That said, other than strutting with guns, we know what kind of "Family Values" parties Republicans will throw for themselves in Cleveland.
From NY Times: After a startlingly swift transfer of power that made her Britain’s prime minister, Theresa May took charge of a new government on Wednesday, vowing to honor the referendum to leave the European Union and naming Boris Johnson, the former London mayor who had been widely considered politically dead, as foreign minister.
Correct me, if I’m wrong, but isn’t Johnson the UK version of Rump Dump Rectum?
From CNN: Donald Trump is currently winning more of the white evangelical vote than 2012 GOP nominee Mitt Romney, according to a Pew Research Center poll released Wednesday.
Trump — a Presbyterian who has been married three times and has said he has never sought forgiveness from God — is hardly a prototypical candidate for evangelicals, and Romney, a Mormon, also faced questions about the authenticity of his Christian faith.
But if the election were held today, 78% of white evangelical registered voters say they would vote for Trump, including about a third who "strongly" back his campaign. That number is higher than the 73% of white evangelicals who supported Romney at a similar point during the 2012 election.
There is propaganda from lefty regressives that lefties should vote third party, because Trump is not a serious threat. Hogwash! We thought Crawford Caligula could never win reelection in 2004. I still remember the shame of apologizing to foreign friends all over the world, because we thought the win was in the bag.
Cartoon:
26 Responses to “Open Thread – 7/14/2016”
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5:01 Does anyone besides me get a "threat warning" from jigzone? It's only on one computer, but it kind of throws me off.
DKos – i don't think the girls will need as much backup this year as usual, somehow. Scary too.
NYT – No, you are right on, Johnson is indeed the UK version of Drumpf, complete with the hair, except I believe he claims to be on the left.
CNN – You know, there ARE evangelical Christians who are actually Christian. I think I commented earlier this week or last about them being thin on the ground, though. This is indeed ridiculous. And dangerous.
Cartoon – Which should remind us how important the Supreme Court is to our Constitution. Vote Blue!
Oh, dear.I guess I am Nice now (I don't mean nice, I mean Nice, as in France.)
I did yuears ago, but I've been jigging since 2,000 without incident.
KOS: “What’s there to celebrate?” asked Jay Zeidman, a Texas health care executive whose family has been a major benefactor of the Republican Party. “The party has hit rock bottom in terms of leadership.”
"Don’t be so sad. Loser."
Rachel Maddow offers this point of view, text only.
Republican Convention lineup fails to match the hype
http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/republican-convention-lineup-fails-match-the-hype?cid=eml_mra_20160714
Working Girls: Since many of these "Family Values" people will not be attending the convention and those who will be attending won't have much need for "party-girls/boys" as the convention already appears to be a "pooper". lol. I can't imagine any party-girl/boy being a supporter of the GOP/TP group.
NY Times: This should prove an interesting and, perhaps, an exciting time for England, PM May, dead-in-the-water Johnson and the BREXIT theme over the course of the next few years.
CNN: Something is wrong here… PEW usually does a fairly good job with polls but this one is a bit too much to be believed.
Do these "Christians", whether they be supply-side pseudo-Christian or authentic-christians, actually believe that Drumpf is good for any and all Christian values in USA…
2004 election was stolen by GOP in Ohio is how bushy got "elected". Third Party candidate Nader helped bushy win by taking votes away from Gore especially in Florida in 2000. Every vote counts. Vote BLUE! Our country cannot afford Drumpf & the GOP/TP people to win the White House!
Cartoon: We need more and better parties in USA. Both the Demos & Repugs are corporate beholden especially the GOP/TP. Bernie was our best opportunity to make USA a more progressive FOR-CITIZENS oriented.
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TC – Please fix the "hot" link. I forgot to do it. Thanks. Hugzzz.
Editing large posts trashes the form,atting.
I do hope you sleep better tonight, TomCat. You were supposed to enjoy this week without medical hassle, remember?
DK: The staunch Drumpf supporters are going to be there in Cleveland, you bet. Making sure their man gets his nomination, or else. And Drumpf will refuse to notice how few people there really are at the convention, probably because his team hires is some brainless bodies to fill the place up. And even if he did, he'll say at every possible opportunity that everyone, really everyone, the whole world at least, was supporting him. Because he's going to be a great president, the best president ever.
NYT: Yes, British Boris Johnson is a much younger, but only a little smarter version of your Drumpf. May's choice for foreign minister may well be her first big mistake. Analyst say she has come to this decision to get some unity back in the party by embracing a few Brexiteers and adding them to her cabinet, but why she has chosen Johnson over Gove remains the question. Perhaps Gove is even more of an untrustworthy and dangerous viper than Johnson, but dear Boris ran for the hills when it came down to taking responsibility for the Brexit he helped cause with lies and deceit, to be back the next day to criticize Cameron's government in a special press conference. Personally I think she's given him this job to shut him up and make him behave. If he doesn't, he's out on his ear for good. But giving him this particular job is a hard slap in the face of all the world leaders Boris has offended on a personal level in Drumpf style, among them Hillary Clinton and Barak Obama, and who now have to deal with this slob. The Sun had a very unflattering picture of Boris on the front page with the header "Sorry…world." That may be a bit of an overstatement, but as he's offended just about all European leaders at some point in time, his appointment as foreign minister will not be taken lightly by them when he comes knocking on their door for a good Brexit deal.
CNN: Really scary. To stay on the Brexit topic: Many Britons never thought the referendum would end in a Brexit and that is why many young Britons, who as a group (72%) wanted to remain in the EU, didn't bother to vote (only 26% of them went to the polls). Other Britons voted "out" out of frustration with the establishment, not because they wanted to leave, but because they thought it could never happen and their protest vote wouldn't do harm. And look what happened. So don't ever think Drumpf couldn't possibly get elected and it that it won't matter that you don't vote or vote for a third party, or even for Drumpf. You'll be tearing your hair out alongside those Britons in November if you do.
Cartoon: Drumpf will certainly go for the same result if he gets elected.
DK: Cringe worthy, I won't be watching the fiasco. Can't stomach the ID's.
CNN: "Evangelicals overwhelmingly prefer Trump on issues related to gun policy, the economy, terrorism and immigration." Now, THAT's scary!!!
Get some rest, and take good care. Thanks, Tom.
TC: "… Isn’t Johnson the UK version of Rump Dump Rectum?"
Seems to be:
Good one! lol.
Did you know that dear Boris was born in 1964 in New York City? Add to that, he has been branded a liar by the French, and not just over the Brexit fiasco. http://news.nationalpost.com/news/world/boris-johnson-britains-no-1-diplomat-has-lied-a-lot-to-his-country-says-his-french-counterpart
There went lunch!!
I spent the day at a local hospital with my cousin Rose, whose daughter fell of a 70 foot cliff while hiking yesterday. It is a miracle that she survived the fall. She is facing numerous surgeries, they worked on her left leg today for six hours, trying to save it, will work on her face tomorrow. For those of you who pray, please add her, Kara Kennedy, to your list. Good thoughts are welcome ,too.
Daily Kos: I don't believe anyone except Trump ever thought he would win the nomination. The Tea Party is getting what it deserves. The rest of us are not, because I fear the evangelicals will get him elected to the oval office. I am voting Blue, no matter who.
Cartoon: we could be facing a situation like this here, too.
Prayers for those in Nice, France. It seems our world is imploding.
Geeez, Edie! Your familu makes me seem likew Mr. Lucky, by comparison. Thoughts and prayers for Kara, and p[lease give Rose a hug for me.
Thanks, TC, we need your prayers. They had to amputate Kara's leg from the knee down today, still needs facial surgery. Phillip gets to go home, Kara falls off a cliff. Yes it sounds like we are cursed. Up until recently, we have been very fortunate.
I'm so sorry! How much stump does she have below the knee?
None, now, they had to go back in today and remove the knee, the tissue became necrotic. Still have not done the facial surgery because it is not life threatening.
Damn! Then I'm afraid she'll have a rougher time than I have. I'm so sorry!!
She "coded" twice yesterday, but is stable today. It is a miracle that she is still alive.
Oh, Edie, I am so sorry. It sounds like both Philip annd Kara are lucky to be alive – but that can feel anything but lucky. If you figure out who cursed you, let me know; I'll send the Furies over.
Thanks, Joanne.
3:42 Not my window of opportunity.
Daily Kos — This may be the only relief Republicans get from Drumpf! . . . they'll hold their noses when they vote for Drumpf and think of all the family values evening picnics to divert their attention.
NY Times — Nothing wrng with your memory — he is indeed a UK version of Drumpf, although Nigel Farage of UKIP is close too.
CNN — No election is "in the bag" until it is over, and I mean really over including any SCOTUS decisions if needed!
VOTE BLUE ALL DOWN THE LINE!!!!
Cartoon — Definition of fascism! Let's not go there!
Amen!!
Thanks all!! Tired Hugs!!
DK: That first sentence in the article is gramatically incorrect. North Dakota is not a "when," and I'm surprised it passed muster. The pseudo-Bunk head Evangelicals are soooooo full of it, I'm amazed they can get it up with anyone, no less a professional friend.
CNN: DO NOT TAKE anything for granted! Get out the vote, and not for any third party! The American brand of Christianity will get their sheep out to vote fo their brand of Theocracy!
Cartoon: Too bad Hitler was not "just" a cartoon!
Mitch, if I recall correctly, the reference was to the North Dakota Republican primary, which was a what, but also a when. I agree as written the sentence is elliptical.