I’d like to do more today, but I’m about to leave to see Megan, my PCP, to go over labs finalize on 300 mg gabapentin per day, and for a foot care solution that Medicare will cover. Tomorrow I will put up a mostly empty Election Day article and update it throughout the day and evening with whatever I can find. I’ll add more after I return.
I’m back, and TriMet Lift was horrid today. My 45 minute appointment took me 5 1/2 hours, and on the way home I was in the bus with a screamer for over 1/2 hour. I don’t blame the woman. That is the nature of her disability, but sending a bus full with three other people way out of the way to be subjected to that was inconsiderate to all. ARGH!!! On the plus side, my A1C was down to 0.6% from 0.72%, and all my other labs looked good and getting better.
Jig Zone Puzzle:
Today’s took me 4:40 (average 5:27). To do it, click here. How did you do?
Extreme Religious Agony:
They wiped the floor with us. The score does nor reflect just how ugly a beating it was.
Short Takes:
From Daily Kos: …Whether Trump himself is an anti-Semite or is merely willing to lend his name to the effort is beside the larger point; his campaign had time for one last showy pitch, one last argument for voters to keep in mind as they filed into the polls. The campaign chose an ad intended to resonate explicitly with the paranoias of the anti-Semitic far right. Trump began his campaign talking about the inherent criminality of the non-white; he moved through the primaries by appealing to raw racism in a manner that even the farthest-right of his opponents were reluctant to match; he promised mass deportations and other solutions to the nation’s problems that, in his rhetoric, required only an authoritarian resolve; he surrounded himself with those that would feed his appetite for bizarre but self-promoting conspiracy theories; his new staff guided him from primaries to general election not by toning or polishing his rhetoric, but adding new enemies to his list of anti-American dangers so that it would more fully encompass not just paranoias about Latino enemies but “inner city” black Americans (described as living in cesspools of violence and in need of more rigorous policing, as cribbed from militant groups and the NRA) and “international” Jewish plotters (as cribbed from the white nationalists that rushed to Trump’s side.)
This has gone quite beyond Trump at this point. He is not screaming into the void but catering to a pre-made Republican audience that continues to be obsessively receptive to his messages. The Republican elites that have condemned him are, among leadership, Not Many; the Republican House Speaker himself "came home" dramatically these last few days with a message that regardless of Trump’s words or deeds the needs of the party still come first; rumor mills continue to churn over whether the end result of this will be a new arch-right network promoting the malevolent messages the Trump campaign has proven would have a receptive and paranoid audience. Trump, meanwhile, continues to stoke claims that even the election itself may be illegitimate, if it produces the wrong result.
Racism, misogyny, xenophobia, anti-Semitism, and nationalism promoted through blatant misinformation and the peddling of an unending stream of conspiracy theories; a distain for both the opposition party and democracy itself; this describes not just Trump, but his audience. But come home, say Republican leaders to the segment of the party uneasy with such things; we can work with this. This is no reason to leave.
And that’s more alarming than what Trump or his own campaign may say. The Trump campaign will soon be ending, but the movement it caters to will be seeking a new leader and new banner—and even now, there are few among current Republican leaders who would turn them away. [emphasis added]
Click through for more about Trumps Alt-Right anti-Semitic GOTV ad. I say it again. The Republican Party’s only problem with Trump is that they wish he didn’t state openly want they believe and keep doing, without admitting it.
From The New Yorker: James Comey, the F.B.I. director, held a press conference on Sunday to “regretfully announce” that Hillary Clinton had committed no crimes related to her e-mails while Secretary of State.
“It is with a deep sense of sadness in my heart that I report that Hillary Clinton committed no crimes,” a visibly emotional Comey said.
Calling the discovery that Clinton could not be prosecuted for wrongdoing “probably the darkest hour of my career at the F.B.I.,” Comey said that he would try to move on from what he called “a shattering disappointment for me personally.”
“No one ever said this job would be a picnic,” he said. “As dismayed as I was to learn that Hillary Clinton committed no crimes, it’s my duty as a professional to find a way forward somehow.”
Comey doesn’t have to worry, Andy. The seditious damage he did to America will stand, because 90% of the people who know of his original disclosure, without understanding that it was a partisan violation of the Hatch Act, will never hear about his retraction, and half of those that do won’t believe it anyway.
From NY Times: Donald J. Trump maligned undocumented immigrants as murderers and rapists. Hillary Clinton hired a woman who had lived undocumented for many years as her national director of Latino outreach.
Clinton organizers rolled through the streets of Orlando, Fla., blasting reggaeton music from their cars, calling out to Puerto Rican residents to vote for the woman many of them know as “La Hillary.”
And in Arizona, a grass-roots group released an online video game that rewards players with points every time they smack Mr. Trump and the Maricopa County sheriff, Joe Arpaio, in the face with a flip-flop, but that also tells those who play where to vote.
Many votes have yet to be counted, but this much is already clear: Hispanic America has been mobilized like never before in the 2016 election, and is emerging as a formidable force with the power to elect a president.
Wooo Hooo!! I played the game and scored 59!! How did you do? Seriously, this increase won’t be reflected in the polls, because pollsters use past participation levels to allocate demographic categories, so this Latinos are under-polled.
Cartoon:
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25 Responses to “Open Thread – 11/7/2016”
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Signed up today to be a volunteer Poll Driver again. But I doubt it'll be as busy when I did it in 2008 and 2012.
It's actually quite fun – and MUCH more enjoyable than the data entry I've done. B*O*R*I*N*G (but given my hearing, it's something I can do)
And all for a good cause!
Folks – it's time for ALL of us to "Get Nasty!"
Love the cartoon.
Me too. I hope the author usn't one of Cagle's stable of cartoonists. They sue bloggers.
It doesn't seem to be. I couldn't read the signature, but I could go through Cagle and look at the signatures, and it doesn't look like any that begins with a K.
5:37 I still hate it when the phone rings. Maybe after the election it won't happen so much.
Religious agony – I suspect the entire Raiders team is made up of Trump supporters. May there be revenge.
DKos – Hunter is a very sound thinker. I agree 100% that they will be seeking a new leader when he implodes. Because that's what the followers of authoritarians do. They must be told what to do by someone They may even turn on him themselves and hasten the process! The deep distrust they have for the D.C. elite comforts me to some degree – but only to some degree, because there are plenty out there who are not tarred with that brush. But I suspect they will have to stop calling themselves Republicans – the word "Republican" itself will have become "Politically Correct" and will be rejected, no matter how accurate. But we will have to wait to see.
TNY – Comey may have to worry about having pissed off a number of the wrong people, though.
NYT – I tried that game when it first came out, and again today, and I cannot get it to accept my hits. Maybe I'm not brown enough.
If you've ever thought about overlap between poets and prophets, have a look at Langston Hughes "Let America Be America Again." Marianne C at Care2 posted it in a group I am in. I needed a hanky. 1935 it was written.
Glad your results were better, horrified that you had to endure 51/2 hours to see a doctor!
Daily Kos: I hope that after tomorrow we will learn that a majority of our citizens did not buy into the racism and hatred he has promoted.
The New Yorker: Sadly, your summary is right, most will not learn of his retraction, and those who do will believe Trump, that it was forced.
NY Times: I am hoping the Latino and Black communities will be out in force voting tomorrow since so many white Americans have imbibed the Kool Ade that is Trump.
Cartoon: I definitely will.
There was no wait for the doctor at all. It was all the Lift bus.
Puzzle — 4:03 Too sweet for me! At least I stopped you Puddy Tat from ruining yor A1Cs!
Daily Kos — "…Republican House Speaker himself "came home" dramatically these last few days with a message that regardless of Trump's words or deeds the needs of the party still come first; …" — If I may be so bold, the needs of the party come before the needs of the people? These people are elected to serve 'we the people', ALL the people, which of course we know they are not!
"The Trump campaign will soon be ending, but the movement it caters to will be seeking a new leader and new banner—and even now, there are few among current Republican leaders who would turn them away." — See Squatch's Open Thread 07/11/2016 for a look at what could happen if Drumpf loses as articulated by some of his devotees.
The New Yorker — We can only hope that Clinton wins the election and Comey is forced out of the FBI. It seems, from various articles that i have read, that the FBI is in dire need of a thorough house cleaning.
NY Times — Well that was fun! I scored 53. The only thing better would be to kick them in the family jewels to prevent further generations of hateful cretins. As long as the Republican party remains intact, there will be racism in all forms. I truly hope that all Dems and Dem leaning people get out and vote. It is the only way to get rid of the foul stench called Drumpf and the Republican party.
Cartoon — I wish I could!
GET OUT THE VOTE!
DON'T BE COMPLACENT!!
VOTE BLUE ALL DOWN THE LINE!!!
Dude, excellent work on that A1C!!! Am I correct to assume that the .06% is equivalent to our 6 or your 106? If so, I am jealous! My last one was dreadful by comparison . . . I was a bad girl with my diet. I'll find out in January if my attempts to reform have been successful.
Actually .6 converts to around 126 24/7, but I averaged about 107 before breakfast and dinner.
Hello everyone, so sorry I've been away for so long, but am still ill and up to my ears with problems, with all the boring pain and exhaustion that that entails.
Anyway, why I'm here is to say that despite being AWOL from here for so long, I've (but of course!) still been following politics on both sides of the pond and I just wanted to wish you all well, particularly today – and my friends and I are praying hard for you all. God help America and the whole world if Drumpf is elected!
I'm sure you saw that article in the Daily Kos the other day about a group vote of schoolchildren that hadn't got the results of an election wrong in 30 years – and they think that Hillary will win – please God it is so and that every Democrat gets out and votes, and that a sizable number of people who normally vote Republican will secretly vote against the horror that is Drumpf.
Blessings and good health to you all; I have missed you.
Welcome back, Pat. I was wondering what had happened to you just the other day because you haven't been commenting here for months and you've also disappeared from my list of friends at Care2. I'm sorry to hear you're still feeling poorly, battling pain and exhaustion. I hope it won't keep you from dropping in now and again and make one of your muchappreciated and valued contributions. Take care.
Lona, you'd have to ask Care2 about that as I haven't been able to get on to Care2 for ages, it is something THEY have done, not me! They ignored my password and wouldn't let me log in. I tried to email them many times but it just told me to translate the Captcha icons – but nothing was there any time I tried and so nothing went through! I have no clue what they are playing at – but they are the computer experts not me…. and in time other problems took over.
Thanks so very much for your good wishes, I will try to be here more!
Thanks for letting us know. I've missed you here and elsewhere. We'll – those of us who pray – pray back toward you, and those who don't pray will, I am sure, send whatever kind of support they send.
Bless you Joanne, thank you so much that means a lot!
{{{{{PAT!!!!!}}}}}
Have we missed you or what?!!?
Dear TC – you are all so often in my prayers, thank you so much! I feel for you all SO VERY MUCH at the moment – this is some of the worst news (Drumpf winning) that the world has had since 1932! It does remind me of the number of people that last time round had their votes changed from Obama to Rmoney – or is it just that people are afraid and have been manipulated into projecting their insecurities and hatred onto easy targets?
My friends and I are still praying hard for a miracle – somehow!
Love and hugs to you all.
Pat, how wonderful to hear from you again. We four have you three in our prayers, and have for some time. I was thinking of you a few days ago and lit a candle at church. I hope your furbabes are looking after you. They are such good nurses and companions!
Please take care and remember that we love you!
Thanks so much Lynn, it is so kind of you four to pray for we three, thank you! Animals are wonderful aren't they – so good and loving and kind – and they'd never vote right wing! You are so kind to light a candle for me, thank you – no-one has ever done that for me before!
Pat A –
Good to see you back!
Sad that it comes on a day of national mourning.
There's no other option to get anywhere you want to go in Portland beyond a block or two but the transportation offered by TriMet Lift, and although you at first thought they would do a better job off it than the previous company you relied on, their service and consideration seem to have deteriorated rapidly too. Most appointments seem to take you the better part of a day now and with a screamer on board, even if that was only part of the trip, it must have been terribly exhausting for you, TomCat. The good lab results can only compensate so much, can't they. Get some rest, forger about your Broncos too and hope it's a better day tomorrow. Well today, actually. Its just past noon on the dreaded election day here.
DK: Even if Drumpf loses the election, and most pundits now expect him to do just that, there will still be a far too large a group of disgruntled voters who want to have it their way. The GOP couldn't really unite them, because, although they're all rabid right-wing, their pet dislikes and hatreds vary strongly, as the discord amongst Republicans and Teabaggers has shown. There were to many captains trying to run the ship. But in Drumpf, that virtual smorgasbord of right-wing issues, these people have found the one leader that offers something to every one. The disgruntled voter has no loyalty to a party, they don't care about political manifestos or party platform, all they want is someone or something that echoes their particular grievance or hate and then disregard any they don't like as a trade off. If the GOP want's to stay in power much longer, they'll have to take Drumpf on board after the elections, but Drumpf being Drumpf he'll eat the Republican party from the inside out to satisfy his hunger for glory. It'll be the end of them all
TNY: Someone has leaked Comey's first draft of his press statement to Andy.
NYT: Well, you've got to hand it to Drumpf, he's done what few other presidential candidates have done before him: get the biggest, the best, the yugest turnout of minority voters to vote against him. Excellent!
Someone in DK pointed to Muslim voters as a group who are never polled, but will vote against him wherever they can. I hope they won't be intimidated by patrolling Drumpfians too much.
PBS ran an article about DT & HRC, last night, in how it shaped both candidates for the most important job in the world. *Frontline: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/frontline/film/the-choice-2016/
DK: Here in this deep red state, I can only hope and pray that HRC wins this election. As I mentioned before, the racial hatred has been embraced by the orange man, his xenophobic, etc., comments are not to better our Nation, but divide it. I'm stunned by the masses of people supporting this ninkinpoop!!
NYer: He should step down, imho.
I'm taking some elderly gal pals to vote. Then taking them to lunch, on me, afterwards.
Get out and VOTE!!
Good to read that your results were better, but your trip back home sounds very, very tiring! I hope for you, that that aspect can improve for you. Sorry about your guys, miserable score. In the meantime, rest, take care, and Thanks, Tom.
*Pat A: Sure hope that you get to feeling better,..a little bit every day. Prayers & Blessings to you too!
*Nameless: LOVE the Toon! I'm a Nasty (old) lady!!! LOL.
Bless you Pat B! Thanks so much!
Thanks all! Hugs!! Here we go!!