A Republican to Republicans

Posted by TomCat at 11:44 am Politics

Jul 312020

The following is an editorial by MSNBC Republican host, Joe Scarborough. It is obviously directed to Republicans, but I can’t resist sharing it with you as well. If I had a nickel for every time I’ve disagreed with Joe over the years, I could finance a luxurious retirement for us all, but this time, I could not agree more.

What a tremendous burden it must be for you to still be defending President Trump. You have called yourself a constitutional conservative for decades, but now you sit silently as the president pushes to move this year’s election because he might lose. Even some Republican senators are speaking up. Why aren’t you?

Trump remembers how you ran interference for him when he claimed unlimited powers under Article II of the Constitution, so he thinks you will stay quiet. Remember your silence after Charlottesville? You eventually mustered the nerve to claim Trump never preached moral equivalence between torch-carrying Nazis and protesters. How unthoughtful it was of David Duke to expose you by praising the president’s putrid performance and thanking Trump for his “honesty and courage to tell the truth.” The former Ku Klux Klan grand wizard even bragged to reporters that Charlottesville represented a “turning point” for white nationalism. “We are going to fulfill the promises of Donald Trump,” Duke proclaimed. “That’s why we voted for [him].”

Ouch. That one had to sting, but you kept on defending Donald…

…By this time, you began mindlessly regurgitating the former reality TV host’s propaganda about the “Russian hoax,” and hoped Americans would be stupid enough to ignore the mountains of damning evidence against Trump. Your singular focus turned to the Steele dossier’s most lurid tales, and you believed then, and now, that Christopher Steele’s fantastical claims could erase a multitude of Trump’s sins. You repeated the lies of Attorney General William P. Barr and South Carolina Sen. Lindsey O. Graham when they falsely claimed the FBI’s investigation began with Steele’s dossier. And you kept repeating this idiotic defense even after it became painfully evident that Trump’s team welcomed Russia’s interference in American democracy and then tried to cover it up. You still refuse to criticize the Trump team’s use of material stolen by Russia during the last month of the campaign, just like you and your president continue turning a blind eye to any Russian bounties.

None dare call it treason, but perhaps one day they will. [emphasis added]

Inserted from <Washington Post>

Please click through and read this editorial in it’s entirety. There is too much essential content to miss.

Here’s a related video.

Joe: ‘Donald Trump Will Lead To The End Of The Party Of Abraham Lincoln’

I could not disagree more with Joe on the opinions he shares about Democrats in this clip, but at least I can respect his integrity.

RESIST!!

Open Thread – 7/31/2020

Posted by TomCat at 11:43 am Open Thread, Personal, Politics

Jul 312020

It’s another sweaty, stinky day here in the CatBox. I had a rough night last night, because I ate supper too fast and plugged my esophageal tumor. I spent most of the night imitating criminal Fuhrer Trump’s* AG. The blockage didn’t clear until this morning. Tomorrow please expect no more than an Open Thread or a Personal Update. It’s a WWWendy day and the TomCat could not be more stinky. I’ll try to swap the Politics Plus Poll, if I can, but it will probably have to wait until Sunday. TGIF!

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today’s took me 2:43 (average 4:51). To do it, click here. How did you do?

Cartoon:

Trump* Virus Update:

0731TrumpVirusMap

US Cases: 4,638,288
US Deaths: 155,371
World Cases: 17,553,155
World Deaths: 678,097
Trump’s* Share of World Deaths: 22.9%
US Share of World Population: 4.3%

Short Takes:

From YouTube (MSNBC Channel): Morgan Freeman Reads Rep. John Lewis’ Last Words

;

His own epitaph was a fitting memorial to a hero that will still be remembered as a hero one hundred years from now, if we can prevent the Republican attempt to convert the US from democratic republic to Nazi Reich. RESIST!!

From YouTube (CNN Channel): Group prepares for chance Trump refuses to concede election

For more information about the war game they took part in click here. If this doesn’t scare the shit out of you, WAKE UP! RESIST!!

From YouTube (a blast of protest): The Chicks – Not Ready To Make Nice (Official Video)

Many, myself included, think that this song was partially directed at the Fuhrer of the 4th Reich, GW ChickenHawk, aka Crawford Caligula. He demanded that they back down on their true statement that his war for oil and conquest was fraudulent. How much worse is the Fuhrer of the 5th Reich? Support left wing protestors! RESIST!!

Vote Blue No Matter Who Top to Bottom!!

The Trump* Election Evasion Plan

Posted by TomCat at 11:44 am Politics

Jul 302020

When criminal Fuhrer Trump* looks ahead to November, his prospects could not look more bleak. His Republican plague is sweeping the nation and even traditional Republicans are not buying his lies that it’s Obama’s, the Democrat’s, China’s, anyone but his fault. The economy, his so-called “pride and joy”, is worse than it was in the great depression. The polls are so bad that even Putin [R-RU] can’t steal this one for him. But he and the Republican Party still seek to establish a permanent, totalitarian, plutocratic 5th Reich, in which elections exist for show only.

When Joe Biden mentioned the possibility that Donald Trump would try to “kick back the election somehow” back in April, Washington Post pundit Henry Olsen was aghast. He called Biden’s statement an “unfounded accusation” and said this was “not only clearly over the line but also unmasks how low the supposedly moderate Biden will go to win.”

Olsen better be prepping that apology, because on Thursday morning Trump extended his rant about mail-in voting to the place where it was obviously going all along. After repeating his previous lies about mail-in voting being “inaccurate and fraudulent,” Trump delivered the punch line. Rather than allow mail-in voting, why not, Trump suggested: “Delay the Election until people can properly, securely and safely vote.” That safety would, presumably, be entirely up to Trump. Meaning that Election Day would be the second Tuesday after never.

As The Washington Post points out, Trump cannot actually change the date of the federal elections. Though Trump may believe that Article II provides godlike powers, picking the date for federal elections is actually the role of Congress. And that date is already set. Congress doesn’t have to vote to have the election on Nov. 3; it would have to vote to change it to any other date.

Still, this isn’t as comforting as it should be. Now that Trump has made an official salvo down the delay path, it’s certain not to be the last. And it’s easy to believe that Sen. Mitch McConnell and the other Senate Republicans who voted to give Trump a free pass on bribing foreign countries into lying about his opponent would happily go along with this scheme. After all, for McConnell, every day the election is delayed is another day in which a Supreme Court opening might occur.

Naturally, the Democratically-led House wouldn’t go along with this, but that’s still no guarantee. Trump doesn’t have to actually delay the election so much as delegitimize it. That’s the purpose of all his rants against mail-in voting in the first place: To raise doubts about the outcome of the election and position Trump to deny the results, no matter how clear. It’s quite easy to imagine Donald Trump pounding the podium in November, claiming that only those votes cast in a voting booth on that date really count. Or even that the whole date is “not legitimate.” Because he says so. And it’s extremely easy to imagine Ted Cruz, and Lindsey Graham, and McConnell backing that play… [emphasis added]

Inserted from <Daily Kos>

Trump Tweet Suggests Delaying Election Over Mail-In Voting Fraud Claims

This is the strongest indication yet that, unable to stay in power any other way, Trump* and the Republican Reich plan a coup, and that the Republican Nazi storm troopers terrorizing the people of Portland are practicing for that coup.

RESIST!!

Open Thread–7/23/2020

Posted by TomCat at 7:51 am Open Thread, Personal, Politics

Jul 232020

It;s a busy day here in the CatBox. WWWendy is coming, and it’s a grocery delivery day. JD, would you please cover Samantha Bee? Tomorrow, I have a visit from the Providence home doctor, so how much I’ll do is still up in the air. Please have a great day!

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today’s took me 3:02 (average 5:14). To do it, click here. How did you do?

Cartoon:

Trump* Virus Update:

0723TrumpVirusMap

US Cases: 4,102,002
US Deaths: 146,198
World Cases: 15,415,731
World Deaths: 631,164
Trump’s* share of World Deaths: 23.2%

Short Takes:

From YouTube (MSNBC Channel): Trump Tries To Link COVID-19 Surge To Black Lives Matter Protest

Trump* is spreading bullshit, as usual. The BLM protestors wear mask. The reasons for the surge are Republican incompetence, neglect, lies, and super-spreader events. RESIST!!

From YouTube (CNN Comment): No, this reporter didn’t call Kayleigh McEnany a ‘lying b**ch’

The reporter clearly said, “you don’t want to engage”. However, by not calling Kayleigh Lie-a-lot a “lying bitch”, that reporter really screwed up! She should have! RESIST!!

From YouTube (Trae Crowder Channel): Liberal Redneck – Trump’s Secret Police

I agree, Trae. I live in Portland, and I’ve been calling these Republican stormtroopers Trump’s* Nazi Gestapo since they got here. RESIST!!

From YouTube (a blast from labor): Billy Bragg – There is Power in a Union

Except for unmuzzled Republican Nazi police unions, support labor! RESIST!!

Vote Blue No Matter Who Top to Bottom!!

The Fuhrer’s Briefing on his Plague

Posted by TomCat at 10:42 am Politics

Jul 222020

Yesterday criminal Fuhrer Trump* must have felt anxious over watching his chances to steal the 2020 election slip through the fingers on his tiny hands. In an attempt to circumvent that probability, he dusted off his PhD in Bullshitology. True to form, he piled it higher and deeper.

President Trump acknowledged on Tuesday that the coronavirus pandemic was growing more severe in the United States and endorsed mask wearing in a shift after weeks of playing down the seriousness of the crisis that has killed more than 140,000 Americans.

Rather than just “embers” of the virus, as he has repeatedly characterized recent outbreaks afflicting much of the country, Mr. Trump conceded that there were now “big fires,” particularly in Florida and elsewhere across the South and West. He vowed to press a “relentless” campaign to curb the spread without offering any new specific plans for how to do so.

“It will probably, unfortunately, get worse before it gets better,” Mr. Trump told reporters as he resumed the televised coronavirus briefings that he had called off in late April. “Something I don’t like saying about things, but that’s the way it is. It’s what we have.”

The president’s shift had its limits, however, as he again congratulated himself on his handling of the pandemic, admitted no missteps and made a number of specious claims. He included none of his public health experts in the briefing and falsely asserted that he had never resisted wearing a mask. And he contradicted his own press secretary, who had told reporters just hours earlier that the president was sometimes tested for the virus multiple times a day; in fact, he said, he has never been tested more than once in a single day… [emphasis added]

Inserted from <NY Times>
Photo credit: Mother Jones

According to Dr. Anthony Fauci, he did not attend Trump’s* plague show, because he wasn’t invited.

President Trump Gave His First COVID-19 Briefing In Months. Here’s How It Went

Barf Bag Alert!!

The only way to make Trump’s* plague disappear is to make Trump* disappear.

Although Joe discussed more than just Trump* virus, he covered it far better than Trump* did.

Biden Delivers Remarks On 2020 Economic Plan

Now, wouldn’t you rather have a real President than a Fuhrer?

RESIST!!

Open Thread–7/20/2020

Posted by TomCat at 10:17 am Open Thread, Personal, Politics

Jul 202020

It’s a muggy day here in the CatBox, with 95° forecast and high humidity. Diana, my palliative care nurse is coming to change my pain patch. I think I need to request the next step up in dosage, as my pain is getting worse. WWKristin did an excellent job for me yesterday, but I still miss WWWendy. Thursday can’t come soon enough. Oh God, it’s Monday!

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today’s took me 3:38 (average 5:10). To do it, click here. How did you do?

Cartoon:

Trump* Virus Update:

0720TrumpVirusMap

US Cases: 3,899,358
US Deaths: 143,310

Short Takes:

From Willamette Week: Federal police and Portland officers worked in tandem early Saturday morning to clear protesters from the streets of Portland. The two agencies appeared to coordinate their efforts by announcing when they would use force to scatter demonstrators.

That simultaneous effort triggered a demand from City Commissioner Jo Ann Hardesty this morning that Mayor Ted Wheeler either control his Police Bureau or hand oversight of the city’s cops to her. Wheeler has yet to respond.

The Oregonian compiled a list today of previous incidents where local and federal police appeared to coordinate their response to protesters. Such an effort undercuts Wheeler’s assertion that he doesn’t want federal officers deployed by President Donald Trump in this city—as do meetings between local cops and the feds.

This afternoon, the Portland Police Bureau issued a statement that federal officers would no longer be allowed inside the Portland police command center. “Beginning tonight,” a police statement said, “command from the Federal Protective Service will not work in the Portland police incident command center.”

Click through for much more info. I’m not even slightly surprised that Portland’s Republican Police Bureau are disobeying the orders of their civilian leadership to cooperate with federal Republican Nazi Gestapo. At least Wheeler is cracking down on these vile Republicans. Portland Fire and Rescue Responded by banning federal gestapo and Portland PD from their stations. RESIST!!

From YouTube (Raw Story Channel): Trump on accepting election results: ‘I have to see’

Are the Nazi Republican Gestapo attacking peaceful Portland demonstrators practicing for criminal Fuhrer Trump* refusing to accept the 2020 election results? RESIST!!

From YouTube (a blast from labor): we shall not be moved

Except for unmuzzled Nazi Republican police unions, support labor! RESIST!!

Vote Blue No Matter Who Top to Bottom!!

Republican Gestapo in Unmarked Vehicles Kidnap Portlanders

Posted by TomCat at 11:39 am Politics

Jul 182020

Portland is in the news again, because criminal Fuhrer Trump* is attacking our city with his Republican Gestapo storm troopers. In the guise of protecting federal buildings and monuments, they are kidnaping peaceful demonstrators from the streets using unmarked vehicles, even when the demonstrators are nowhere near federal buildings or monuments.

In the early hours of July 15, after a night spent protesting at the Multnomah County Justice Center and Mark O. Hatfield Federal Courthouse, Mark Pettibone and his friend Conner O’Shea decided to head home.

It had been a calm night compared to most protesting downtown. By 2 a.m. law enforcement hadn’t used any tear gas and, with only a few exceptions, both the Portland Police Bureau and federal law enforcement officers had stayed out of sight.

A block west of Chapman Square, Pettibone and O’Shea bumped into a group of people who warned them that people in camouflage were driving around the area in unmarked minivans grabbing people off the street.

“So that was terrifying to hear,” Pettibone said.

They had barely made it half a block when an unmarked minivan pulled up in front of them.

“I see guys in camo,” O’Shea said. “Four or five of them pop out, open the door and it was just like, ‘Oh shit. I don’t know who you are or what you want with us.’”

Federal law enforcement officers have been using unmarked vehicles to drive around downtown Portland and detain protesters since at least July 14. Personal accounts and multiple videos posted online show the officers driving up to people, detaining individuals with no explanation of why they are being arrested, and driving off.

The tactic appears to be another escalation in federal force deployed on Portland city streets, as federal officials and President Donald Trump have said they plan to “quell” nightly protests outside the federal courthouse and Multnomah County Justice Center that have lasted for more than six weeks…. [emphasis added]

Inserted from <OPB>

Oregon and Portland officials are furious, because criminal Fuhrer Trump* is making the situation worse.

Unmarked Federal Troops Snatching Protesters Raise Local Alarm

These Republican Storm Troopers should be convicted of kidnapping and sent to prison!

Wheeler: Unidentified Feds Detaining Protesters Are ‘Making Things Worse’

These are not law enforcement officers. They are criminal Fuhrer Trump’s* Nazi Gestapo pigs! However, if criminal Fuhrer Trump* was not in power, other Republicans would have done this.

Every Republican in power is one Republican too many!

RESIST!!

Open Thread–7/16/2020

Posted by TomCat at 11:02 am Open Thread, Personal, Politics

Jul 162020

It’s a busy muggy day here in the CatBox. My back is painful today. Store to Door should come with my groceries between 11 AM and 1 PM. By now WWWendy is on a plane. Her plans changed, and she’s going to CO instead of CA. JD, you ought to give her a call. She’ll land around 1 PM your time. Everyone, please keep her in your thoughts and and prayers. If you find yourself in an elevator with a Republican, please fart.

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today’s took me 2:51 (average 4:37). To do it, click here. How did you do?

Cartoon:

Trump* Virus Update:

0716TrumpVirusMap

Map Reference: click through for interactive map

US Cases: 3,618,739
US Deaths: 140,185

Short Takes:

From The New Yorker: Trying out a new line of attack against the former Vice-President, Donald Trump said on Wednesday that Joe Biden could never have a pandemic as big as his.

“Biden was Vice-President for eight years and had all the time in the world to have a pandemic,” Trump said. “Where was his pandemic?”

By contrast, Trump asserted, “In just a few months, I’ve built the biggest pandemic this country has seen in a hundred years.”

“People are going to be talking about my pandemic for generations to come,” Trump said. “What did Biden ever have? Swine flu? What a joke.”

Dang, Andy! Don’t do that! Portraying criminal Fuhrer Trump* telling the truth about the severity of his plague is enough to make someone throw up! RESIST!!

From Alternet: …In the context of what we’ve been hearing from the Trump administration—or rather what we’ve not been hearing—I have to think that Donald Trump and his billionaire sycophant, Betsy DeVos, our current Secretary of Education, have absolutely no clue about what is metastasizing in the fevered swamps of American parents of school-age children right now in this country, or its potential to explode in a wave of electoral anger that could dwarf what occurred to the Republican Party in 2018.

I’m talking about a thermonuclear, cataclysmic, event of raw, unbridled voter fury. I’m talking about an existential, political wipe-out of Biblical proportions. A tsunami, if you will.

The most generous characterization of the Trump administration’s approach towards the situation facing our public schools in less than two months—six weeks or less, in fact, for many schools, including ones in Texas– is one of willful blindness, suggestive of an astonishing degree of deliberate, magical thinking– that imagines an idyllic sequence of cause and effect, where these schools will miraculously reopen, filled with rows of smiling teens, pre-teens, elementary schoolers and their teachers, happy to share and mingle in their wondrous educational experience in the face of this horrific and unprecedented health crisis…

I wish Trump* and DeVos would back down for the sake of the families they are about to murder, but they won’t back down. Let that tsunami wipe the Republican Party out of existence! RESIST!!

From YouTube (a blast from Labor): Union Maid

Except for police unions, support labor! RESIST!!

Vote Blue No Matter Who Top to Bottom!!

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