GOP Incompetence – Politics Plus

Open Thread April 3 2025

Posted by Joanne Dixon at 5:58 am Open Thread, Personal, Politics

Apr 032025

Yesterday, the Supreme Court election if Wisconsin was called for the Democratic judge. Sadly, we lost both special elections for Congress in Florida. But if we were only going to win one of the three, Wisconsin is the one we wanted to win. I don’t know why it has taken so long for Repubs in Wisconsin to be looking at re-gerrymandering after the 2020 census, but apparently it has, because that is what they campaigned on (and apparently plenty of Democrats heard and came out to vote.) So now he districting will be fair. Bob La Follette can rest easy in his grave for a while (he’s been spinning since Scott Walker was elected Governor.) Joyce Vance has a bit more detail. Also Yesterday, Mallory McMorrow – the Wisconsin State Senator who attracted national attention some time ago with a “no BS” statement, announced a run to be the next Senator from Wisconsin. She’s raising funds through the Defeat Republicans PAC.

Robert Reich addresses the regime’s current war on lawyers (not all lawyers-jus honest and courageous ones.) Many of the founding fathers were lawyers – courageous ones – and I would expect earthquakes up and down the eastern seaboard over this. I don’t think all legislators should be lawyers, but there is a good reason why some should be. Lawyers are trained to be able to write legislation which is enforceable, and in particular enforces what it is intended to enforce. Most of us aren’t (although many of us think we have the ability anyway.😉)

Yes, as Joyce Vance says, the Mango Monster is serious. He can’t run for Vice President (and has enough lawyers that he should know it – read Article I of the Constitution.) He might conceivably somehow get himself elected as Speaker of the House and get in that way, however. I’d keep that quiet – but someone’s bound to think of it eventually. I actually think he’s more likely to just refuse to leave. But whatever his plans, he is dead serious.

Just in case you didn’t see this – it is jaw-dropping. I don’t know whether you’d call it “malevolence tempered by incompetence” or “incompetence tempered by malevolence”. But I think we can agree on “despicable.”

Open Thread March 31 2025

Posted by Joanne Dixon at 6:00 am Open Thread, Personal, Politics

Mar 312025

Yesterday, Trinette came by to help get my trash and recyclables out for Thursday pickup. It had been a while, so I had a fair amount. I told her about that mail piece I had received from “Pure Talk,” and she could only shake her head. Otherwise, not a lot happening here. Which is a pretty good thing. I don’t need any more excitement than I get from the news (and that mostly negative.) I did manage to at least skim Joyce Vance’s “The Week Ahead” before the week actually started, for a change

The F* News has a point. I’d be even more worried than I am if DoD were headed by someone with Hegseth’s ideas and principles but more competent. And if he’s getting negative attention from MAGA – well, that’s just a bonus.

I missed seeing this Wonkette story elsewhere. Not that it contains any surprises, unless taking revenge he said he was going to take is close enough to telling the truth to be a surprise – that certainly could happen.

Open Thread November 19 2024

Posted by Joanne Dixon at 5:57 am Politics

Nov 192024

Yesterday, I was stressed out by the feeling that everything I did or wanted to do was fighting with me. So I’ll likely be brief in my comments on the articles I post. Honestly, I just feel exhausted.

https://robertreich.substack.com/p/trumps-first-buddy-is-in-deep-shit
Robert Reich reports Elno is calling himself’ Trump**’s “first buddy.” Without comment on intellectual intelligence which Elno may or may not possess, it’s been clear for some time that his EQ (Emotional intelligence quotient) is a single digit.

https://joycevance.substack.com/p/the-democracy-index
Joyce Vance lays out how she plans to chronicle this Trump** administration (differently from the wayshe did so last time) in hope of minimizing distractions. I’m not sure she realizes that it’s not just the media, or MAGA, or Putin, who are actively working to distract us. When I dug out the Windows 10 laptop earlier ths year, and again when I dug out the Windows 10 desktop, I literally spent over a week on each one just uninstalling distractions. And I have not yet finished on either – I just got to a point where I could cope. But now both are getting worse. Please note too that uninstalling some of this is in no way obvious -but the amount of links providing instructions on how to do so (not all of which even work, which is part of the issue) suggests that I am far from alone in not wanting to be distracted by crap I will never use.

Belle 4 Tuesday

Cat

Open Thread November 18 2024

Posted by Joanne Dixon at 6:00 am Politics

Nov 182024

Yesterday, I saw Virgil and we played cribbage. It was an interesting visit in that it really showed how unpredictable his mental acuity is – it’s all over the place. There were time I had to remind him how many cards he should deal us. But there was also a moment when I was telling him I had started going through my costume jewelry, including watches, of which I discovered I had way more than I thought of basically disposable watches which I hadn’t disposed of. He asked how many, and I said I hadn’t counted but at least two dozen, maybe as much as three or even four dozen, and he responded, “Wow! You sure had a lot of time on your hands!” All in all it was a great visit, and the drive was good both ways.

Trump’s Not Hitler He’s Stalin. We’re Back In the USSR

This is from PolitiZoom. I don’t know that I 100% agree, but it surely is interesting speculation. When I think of Stalin, I think of anecdote such as Dmitri Shostakovich keeping a suitcase by his front door every night so that then the secret police came to get him in the middle of the night, he would at least be ready with a few small comforts. Definitely something to think about.

https://www.wonkette.com/p/new-zealand-maori-lawmakers-give
Wonkette picked up this delightful story. If the two articles I picked for Sunday did not complement each other so well, I might have kicked this up to Sunday. But we need enthusiasm on Mondays too. The Maori haka is sacred to the Maori. We could use something like that (I’m not advocating cultural appropriation, nd I don’t mean exactly hakas, but something which might function the same way. Doktor Zoom suggests Jasmine Crockett might provide suggestions.)

Open Thread October 19 2024

Posted by Joanne Dixon at 6:00 am Open Thread, Personal, Politics

Oct 192024

Yesterday, another document was released in the insurrection case. It’s an appendix and essentially describes what Jack Smith expects to prove with which evidence, if I understand it correctly (as I type, I haven’t seen it yet.) Also, Dan Froomkin of Press Watch has published an opinion piece for Press Watch on what the mainstream media should be doing (as opposed to what they are doing.) I’m not holding my breath for anyone in the MSM or even small and local media to pick up on it. Oh. amd Robert Reich’s election video of the week is here.

A Democratic Underground member found this on the Coachella Valley Subreddit. Sadly, I’m thinking that no major news outlets will ever pick up on it. And I haven’t seen any do so yet. So I thought I’d better post it.

Been waiting a L-o-o-o-ong time for this. While I’m happy about it, I’m still sad about those before “Don’t ask, don’t tell” who were treated even worse. I worked with a couple of Lesbian enlisted who were pretty clearly a couple. Even then (late sixties) no one minded but the Corps. One was transferred, and not just transferred, but transferred to Okinawa (I was in San Diego at the time.) It was just plain cruel. The one who was left asked if I would let her use my home hone to call the other, and of course pay for the call. And of course I agreed. It was – I hate the word pathetic, it sounds so condescending, but it was that impressive how grateful she was (it may well have saved the other woman’s life. Which didn’t occur to me then. But knowing what I know now, I think it’s likely.)

I haven’t shared Andy Borowitz lately because I haven’t been terribly impressed. I don’t think he’s losing his touch at all, but I think the GOP has gotten to the point of being next to impossible to satirize because they are so extreme already. But I did get a chuckle out of this one. I’m sure most eveeryone has seen the interview or t least a clip or two from it (if not, go find one now – even Steve Schmidt had nothing but praise for Kamala.)

Open Thread October 15 2024

Posted by Joanne Dixon at 5:59 am Open Thread, Personal, Politics

Oct 152024

Yesterday, I read Joyce Vance’s “The Week Ahead.” A day late, but since yesterday was Indigenous People’s Day, the week doesn’t start until today. Certainly not SCROTUS’s week – and she includes the SCROTUS week’s calender in her post.

It amazes me that it seems to have taken so long, and so much more evidence, for so many people to see this. I don’t even remember how long I’ve known this, except that it was sometime in his first (and I hope last) term. I expect Robert Reich has known it for a minute also, but this is the first time I have seen him write about it quite this way.

I think that Wonkette’s Robyn Pennachia does a fine job with this story. She manages to make it both laughable and chilling at the same time, which is not all that easy. I have a bumper sticker – I’ve has it for more than 20 years and have always been afraid to put it on my car, here in Colorado Springs, the crazy Christian capital of the West. And people like the one Robyn describes are why. The sticker says, “Jesus called. He wants his church back.”

Open Thread October 10 2024

Posted by Joanne Dixon at 6:00 am Open Thread, Personal, Politics

Oct 102024

Yesterday, “Nobody can control the weather” was trending. It needs to be said – but it’s not entirely true. No single person or single group can control the weather. The entire human race working together cannot totally control the weather/ But the entire human race working together has some control over the climate, which means some control over the weather in the long run. We cannot bring down the temperature in any given place today. But over time, if we have raised the temperature in almost ever place, and if we can change our ways and minimize our worst habits, we have a chance of bringing it down, over time – over so much time that I for one will not live to see whether we have done it – or not.

I don’t often cite Steve Schmidt, or at least not a full article, but this one had to be shared. It is as much about morality and pholisophy as it is about politics (which should always be about morality at least, and philosophy if possible.) To make it a bit easier, let me state that he does eventually tell you who Rodney Edmonds was and what he did (and when he starts on the story, you may want a hanky.) Also, “revanchist” means “seeking revenge.” I didn’t know that, and figured therefore not everyone would, and wanted to save y’all a trip to the dictionary.)

This is a referral from Wonkette which I agree is well worth getting wider attention. Most people, including me, tend to think the economy is doing well nationally when we are doing well personally, and when we aren’t, it isn’t. Those who see beyond that are likely to look to the stock ,arket as an economic indicator, which it probably is if you are wealthy, but if not, not. Noahpinion gets us the four real indicators of a strong economy, and that is valuable to know.

Open Thread September 12 2024

Posted by Joanne Dixon at 5:59 am Open Thread, Personal, Politics

Sep 122024

Yesterday, I received a recommendation to see the movie Sugarcane from Tokata Iron Eyes (Chase’s daughter). She writes so passionately ans convincingly that I wish I could share the full letter. Instead, I can provide a link to the National Geographic site (it is a documentary) which is essentially its home page. It will not be shown everywhere in the US – nor everywhere in Canada (though about half – I didn’t count – of the locations it will appear are in Canada, as they should be). The closest to me is Denver; but there is a complete list at the link. And a lot more information of various kinds. And anyone can watch the trailer there. Besides the on-site appearances, it’s planned for Disney and Hulu to stream it (no word on when that will be available yet.) When I was in the hospital last fall, PBS showed a fact-based drama on this subject set in Canada. But it all happened everywhere, at least in North America, and i would not bet against the proposition that it also happened in Central and South America. I also received a surprise. It did not surprise me when Liz Cheney (and even her father endorsed Kamala Harris. But when Liz Cheney also indorsed Colin Allred against Ted Cruz, my jaw dropped. As grateful as I am to all the Republicans who are endorsing Harris, I did not expect any of them to endorse any down-ballot Democrats. I hope this becomes a trend, but am not holding my breath.

Also yesterday, I came to the conclusion that I am not the best person to evaluate debates. In reading around afterwards, I noticed that figures like Robert Reich, Robert Hubbell, and Steve Schmidt were so pleased by Harris’s performance they were almost giddy. Heather Cox Richardson was more restrained, but also felt that Harris had goaded Trump** to fall apart. Joyce Vance had not weighed in yet – but she was hosting an on-line watch party and may simply have been exhausted. My own reaction was most like that of DC Report (written by Terry Schwadron, a name which is new to me.) It’s just not possible for any Democrat (or anyone) to “destroy” Trump** with facts and reason, because his base evaluates him by a different standard.

I got this too late to use yesterday, but I still think it’s worth reading, even if only to evaluate how accurate his predictions were. Did you know the League of Women Voters published a Bingo card for it?

https://heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/p/september-9-2024
Yes, this is from Monday, but there is still a lot to consider in it, as for example her remarks on the continuing resolution to fund the government, including details in which the devil exists.

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